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Journal of Mathematical Physics

Operators for the two-dimensional harmonic oscillator in an angular momentum basis

Olúwolé Òdúndún

Published Sep 1, 1983• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The forms of the operators ν°, ν, λ°, λ, which enable one to write the Hamiltonian of the two-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator in the form H=ℏω(2ν°ν+λ°⋅λ+1), are presented. Here ν° and ν are, respectively, the raising and lowering operators for ν°ν, the ‘‘radial’’ quantum number operator, while λ° and λ are, respectively, the raising and lowering operators for M, the magnitude of the angular momentum operator. Corresponding to this decomposition of H in the angular momentum basis are the energy eigenvalues Ekm=ℏω(2k+‖m‖+1) with k=0, 1, 2, ⋅⋅⋅ and m=0, ±1, ±2, ⋅⋅⋅. Here k is a ‘‘radial’’ quantum number, and m is a ‘‘magnetic’’ quantum number. The commutation relations satisfied by the operators ν°, ν, λ°, and λ are also presented.

DOI
10.1063/1.525982

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The forms of the operators ν°, ν, λ°, λ, which enable one to write the Hamiltonian of the two-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator in the form H=ℏω(2ν°ν+λ°⋅λ+1), are presented. Here ν° and ν are, respectively, the raising and lowering operators for ν°ν, the ‘‘radial’’ quantum number operator, while λ° and λ are, respectively, the raising and lowering operators for M, the magnitude of the angular momentum operator. Corresponding to this decomposition of H in the angular momentum basis are the energy eigenvalues Ekm=ℏω(2k+‖m‖+1) with k=0, 1, 2, ⋅⋅⋅ and m=0, ±1, ±2, ⋅⋅⋅. Here k is a ‘‘radial’’ quantum number, and m is a ‘‘magnetic’’ quantum number. The commutation relations satisfied by the operators ν°, ν, λ°, and λ are also presented.
A completely algebraic and representation-independent solution is presented of the simultaneous eigenvalue problem for H, L2, and L3, where H is the Hamiltonian operator for the three-dimensional, isotropic harmonic oscillator, and L is its angular momemtum vector. It is shown that H can be written in the form h/ω(2ν°ν+λ°⋅λ+3/2), where ν° and ν are raising and lowering (boson) operators for ν°ν, which has nonnegative integer eigenvalues k; and λ° and λ are raising and lowering operators for λ°⋅λ, which has nonnegative integer eigenvalues l, the total angular momentum quantum number. Thus the eigenvalues of H appear in the familiar form h/ω(2k+l+3/2), previously obtained only by working in the coordinating the operators ν° and λ° to a ’’vacuum’’ vector on which ν and λ vanish. The Lie algebra so(2,1) ⊕ so(3,2) is shown to be a spectrum-generating algebra for this problem. It is suggested that coherent angular momentum states can be defined for the oscillator, as the eigenvectors of the lowering operators ν and λ. A brief discussion is given of the classical counterparts of ν,ν°, λ, and λ°, in order to clarify their physical interpretation.
Abstract In Chapter 4 we considered a ‘twodimensional’ problem in which L2 and Lz constitute a c.s.c.o. and we derived shift operators for the angular momentum quantum numbers l and m in the eigenkets |lm> of these observables. In Chapter 5 we discussed a ‘one-dimensional’ problem, namely the eigenvalue equation for the radial Hamiltonian (eqn (5.25)). Here we use results from Chapters 4 and 5 to construct shift operators for the eigenkets of the three dimensional problem (5.11)–(5.13).
The factorization of four vector operators, D±(ω) and D±(−ω), which occur in a representation-independent, spectrum-generating algebra for the three-dimensional, isotropic harmonic oscillator in an angular momentum basis, is considered (ω is the angular frequency of the oscillator). The D±(ω) are quantum-mechanical analogs of the classical vectors (1∓iL̂×)Fc (ω), where Fc(ω)=−Mωr×L+pL is constant in a frame rotating with angular velocity ωL̂. It is shown that these four vector operators can be factorized in two different ways to yield operators that, apart from their dependence on a constant of the motion (L2), are linear in either p or r. In this way 20 abstract operators are obtained. The properties of these operators are discussed: (i) Twelve are ladder operators for the quantum numbers l, and l and m, in the eigenkets ‖lm〉 of L2 and Lz. In linearized, differential form six of these operators are ladder operators for the spherical harmonics in the coordinate representation, while the other six are the corresponding operators in the momentum representation. (ii) The remaining eight operators factorize linear combinations of the Hamiltonian and the dimension operator. In linearized, differential form four of these operators are ladder operators for energy and angular momentum in the radial part of the coordinate-space wave functions, while the other four are the corresponding operators in the momentum representation.
The Hamiltonian for the oscillator has earlier been written in the form where ν† and ν are raising and lowering operators for ν†ν, which has eigenvalues k (the ’’radial’’ quantum number), and λ† and λ are raising and lowering 3-vector operators for λ†⋅λ, which has eigenvalues l (the total angular momentum quantum number). A new set of coherent states for the oscillator is now defined by diagonalizing ν and λ. These states bear a similar relation to the commuting operators H, L2, and L3 (where L is the angular momentum of the system) as the usual coherent states do to the commuting number operators N1, N2, and N3. It is proposed to call them coherent angular momentum states. They are shown to be minimum-uncertainty states for the variables ν, ν† , λ, and λ†, and to provide a new quasiclassical description of the oscillator. This description coincides with that provided by the usual coherent states only in the special case that the corresponding classical motion is circular, rather than elliptical; and, in general, the uncertainty in the angular momentum of the system is smaller in the new description. The probabilities of obtaining particular values for k and l in one of the new states follow independent Poisson distributions. The new states are overcomplete, and lead to a new representation of the Hilbert space for the oscillator, in terms of analytic functions on C×K3, where K3 is the three-dimensional complex cone. This space is related to one introduced recently by Bargmann and Todorov, and carries a very simple realization of all the representations of the rotation group.
Schwinger's coupled-boson representation of spherical and hyperbolic angular momentum is related to spherical harmonics and is used for the calculation of matrix elements. It is shown that radial matrix elements of the two-dimensional isotropic oscillator and the closely related hydrogenic matrix elements are proportional to 3j-symbols. Matrix elements of exponentials of hyperbolic angular momentum operators which form a formal analogy to the well known rotation matrice d mm' j ( theta ) and which are written as t mm jj' ( theta ) are derived. As only elementary algebra and some operator formulae are used, the algebraic method supplements analytical and group theoretic methods.