Remember from chapter 2 that a subspace is a specic subset of a general complex linear vector space. Like the sines and cosines in Fourier series, the spherical harmonics may be organized by (spatial) angular frequency, as seen in the rows of functions in the illustration on the right. Y Y Y from the above-mentioned polynomial of degree As to what's "really" going on, it's exactly the same thing that you have in the quantum mechanical addition of angular momenta. For the case of orthonormalized harmonics, this gives: If the coefficients decay in sufficiently rapidly for instance, exponentially then the series also converges uniformly to f. A square-integrable function {\displaystyle z} L=! That is: Spherically symmetric means that the angles range freely through their full domains each of which is finite leading to a universal set of discrete separation constants for the angular part of all spherically symmetric problems. Notice that \(\) must be a nonnegative integer otherwise the definition (3.18) makes no sense, and in addition if |(|m|>\), then (3.17) yields zero. {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{3}} In particular, the colatitude , or polar angle, ranges from 0 at the North Pole, to /2 at the Equator, to at the South Pole, and the longitude , or azimuth, may assume all values with 0 < 2. m Then \(e^{im(+2)}=e^{im}\), and \(e^{im2}=1\) must hold. One can determine the number of nodal lines of each type by counting the number of zeros of {\displaystyle Y_{\ell m}:S^{2}\to \mathbb {R} } R {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}} k m between them is given by the relation, where P is the Legendre polynomial of degree . The Laplace spherical harmonics ( ; the remaining factor can be regarded as a function of the spherical angular coordinates For angular momentum operators: 1. It is common that the (cross-)power spectrum is well approximated by a power law of the form. i Angular momentum is not a property of a wavefunction at a point; it is a property of a wavefunction as a whole. ( R When = 0, the spectrum is "white" as each degree possesses equal power. Y Laplace equation. [ r Y {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{3}\to \mathbb {C} } {\displaystyle \ell =4} r Thus for any given \(\), there are \(2+1\) allowed values of m: \(m=-\ell,-\ell+1, \ldots-1,0,1, \ldots \ell-1, \ell, \quad \text { for } \quad \ell=0,1,2, \ldots\) (3.19), Note that equation (3.16) as all second order differential equations must have other linearly independent solutions different from \(P_{\ell}^{m}(z)\) for a given value of \(\) and m. One can show however, that these latter solutions are divergent for \(=0\) and \(=\), and therefore they are not describing physical states. f For a fixed integer , every solution Y(, ), : 2 {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}} being a unit vector, In terms of the spherical angles, parity transforms a point with coordinates {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}} brackets are functions of ronly, and the angular momentum operator is only a function of and . ( Specifically, if, A mathematical result of considerable interest and use is called the addition theorem for spherical harmonics. {\displaystyle r} In particular, if Sff() decays faster than any rational function of as , then f is infinitely differentiable. L z Y 21 (b.) {\displaystyle (r,\theta ,\varphi )} : 0 Abstract. inside three-dimensional Euclidean space Using the expressions for 0 by \(\mathcal{R}(r)\). , z \(\begin{aligned} The group PSL(2,C) is isomorphic to the (proper) Lorentz group, and its action on the two-sphere agrees with the action of the Lorentz group on the celestial sphere in Minkowski space. {\displaystyle S^{2}} However, the solutions of the non-relativistic Schrdinger equation without magnetic terms can be made real. {\displaystyle \ell } 3 S While the standard spherical harmonics are a basis for the angular momentum operator, the spinor spherical harmonics are a basis for the total angular momentum operator (angular momentum plus spin ). Under this operation, a spherical harmonic of degree Y The spherical harmonic functions depend on the spherical polar angles and and form an (infinite) complete set of orthogonal, normalizable functions. ( z , {\displaystyle \varphi } {\displaystyle Y:S^{2}\to \mathbb {C} } {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{3}\to \mathbb {R} } Since mm can take only the integer values between \(\) and \(+\), there are \(2+1\) different possible projections, corresponding to the \(2+1\) different functions \(Y_{m}^{}(,)\) with a given \(\). The expansion coefficients are the analogs of Fourier coefficients, and can be obtained by multiplying the above equation by the complex conjugate of a spherical harmonic, integrating over the solid angle , and utilizing the above orthogonality relationships. directions respectively. 2 The spinor spherical harmonics are the natural spinor analog of the vector spherical harmonics. These angular solutions The angular momentum operator plays a central role in the theory of atomic physics and other quantum problems involving rotational symmetry. 2 = {\displaystyle \ell } [14] An immediate benefit of this definition is that if the vector m m The (complex-valued) spherical harmonics are eigenfunctions of the square of the orbital angular momentum operator and therefore they represent the different quantized configurations of atomic orbitals . For a scalar function f(n), the spin S is zero, and J is purely orbital angular momentum L, which accounts for the functional dependence on n. The spherical decomposition f . The prevalence of spherical harmonics already in physics set the stage for their later importance in the 20th century birth of quantum mechanics. With respect to this group, the sphere is equivalent to the usual Riemann sphere. http://titan.physx.u-szeged.hu/~mmquantum/videok/Gombfuggveny_fazis_idofejlodes.flv. R Statements relating the growth of the Sff() to differentiability are then similar to analogous results on the growth of the coefficients of Fourier series. (Here the scalar field is understood to be complex, i.e. R Y ( Y r . . . : i y [1] These functions form an orthogonal system, and are thus basic to the expansion of a general function on the sphere as alluded to above. Y cos x As is known from the analytic solutions for the hydrogen atom, the eigenfunctions of the angular part of the wave function are spherical harmonics. {\displaystyle Y_{\ell m}} Just prior to that time, Adrien-Marie Legendre had investigated the expansion of the Newtonian potential in powers of r = |x| and r1 = |x1|. ) R Spherical harmonics are important in many theoretical and practical applications, including the representation of multipole electrostatic and electromagnetic fields, electron configurations, gravitational fields, geoids, the magnetic fields of planetary bodies and stars, and the cosmic microwave background radiation. f In turn, SU(2) is identified with the group of unit quaternions, and so coincides with the 3-sphere. 1 is that it is null: It suffices to take that obey Laplace's equation. 0 {\displaystyle f:S^{2}\to \mathbb {R} } above. x In 1782, Pierre-Simon de Laplace had, in his Mcanique Cleste, determined that the gravitational potential The spherical harmonics Y m ( , ) are also the eigenstates of the total angular momentum operator L 2. 2 The convergence of the series holds again in the same sense, namely the real spherical harmonics , Calculate the following operations on the spherical harmonics: (a.) In the form L x; L y, and L z, these are abstract operators in an innite dimensional Hilbert space. 's of degree , the real and imaginary components of the associated Legendre polynomials each possess |m| zeros, each giving rise to a nodal 'line of latitude'. Show that the transformation \(\{x, y, z\} \longrightarrow\{-x,-y,-z\}\) is equivalent to \(\theta \longrightarrow \pi-\theta, \quad \phi \longrightarrow \phi+\pi\). m m The essential property of : {\displaystyle y} In the first case the eigenfunctions \(\psi_{+}(\mathbf{r})\) belonging to eigenvalue +1 are the even functions, while in the second we see that \(\psi_{-}(\mathbf{r})\) are the odd functions belonging to the eigenvalue 1. There are two quantum numbers for the rigid rotor in 3D: \(J\) is the total angular momentum quantum number and \(m_J\) is the z-component of the angular momentum. Note that the angular momentum is itself a vector. Returning to spherical polar coordinates, we recall that the angular momentum operators are given by: L [5] As suggested in the introduction, this perspective is presumably the origin of the term spherical harmonic (i.e., the restriction to the sphere of a harmonic function). = 1 In a similar manner, one can define the cross-power of two functions as, is defined as the cross-power spectrum. 1 C Concluding the subsection let us note the following important fact. {\displaystyle q=m} , The real spherical harmonics Y 3 Now, it is easily demonstrated that if A and B are two general operators then (7.1.3) [ A 2, B] = A [ A, B] + [ A, B] A. Inversion is represented by the operator {\displaystyle m>0} One source of confusion with the definition of the spherical harmonic functions concerns a phase factor of [ Let us also note that the \(m=0\) functions do not depend on \(\), and they are proportional to the Legendre polynomials in \(cos\). , the solid harmonics with negative powers of : We consider the second one, and have: \(\frac{1}{\Phi} \frac{d^{2} \Phi}{d \phi^{2}}=-m^{2}\) (3.11), \(\Phi(\phi)=\left\{\begin{array}{l} {\displaystyle \theta } R ) n Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. , we have a 5-dimensional space: For any Clebsch Gordon coecients allow us to express the total angular momentum basis |jm; si in terms of the direct product &\Pi_{\psi_{-}}(\mathbf{r})=\quad \psi_{-}(-\mathbf{r})=-\psi_{-}(\mathbf{r}) ( is given as a constant multiple of the appropriate Gegenbauer polynomial: Combining (2) and (3) gives (1) in dimension n = 2 when x and y are represented in spherical coordinates. where When you apply L 2 to an angular momentum eigenstate l, then you find L 2 l = [ l ( l + 1) 2] l. That is, l ( l + 1) 2 is the value of L 2 which is associated to the eigenstate l. -\Delta_{\theta \phi} Y(\theta, \phi) &=\ell(\ell+1) Y(\theta, \phi) \quad \text { or } \\ Thus, p2=p r 2+p 2 can be written as follows: p2=pr 2+ L2 r2. S Let Yj be an arbitrary orthonormal basis of the space H of degree spherical harmonics on the n-sphere. S , 1 For a given value of , there are 2 + 1 independent solutions of this form, one for each integer m with m . > m in their expansion in terms of the m , ( {\displaystyle S^{n-1}\to \mathbb {C} } Consider a rotation {\displaystyle \{\pi -\theta ,\pi +\varphi \}} In order to obtain them we have to make use of the expression of the position vector by spherical coordinates, which are connected to the Cartesian components by, \(\mathbf{r}=x \hat{\mathbf{e}}_{x}+y \hat{\mathbf{e}}_{y}+z \hat{\mathbf{e}}_{z}=r \sin \theta \cos \phi \hat{\mathbf{e}}_{x}+r \sin \theta \sin \phi \hat{\mathbf{e}}_{y}+r \cos \theta \hat{\mathbf{e}}_{z}\) (3.4). of spherical harmonics of degree Despite their name, spherical harmonics take their simplest form in Cartesian coordinates, where they can be defined as homogeneous polynomials of degree m In many fields of physics and chemistry these spherical harmonics are replaced by cubic harmonics because the rotational symmetry of the atom and its environment are distorted or because cubic harmonics offer computational benefits. {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} } ( 1 = m is essentially the associated Legendre polynomial 1 Operators for the square of the angular momentum and for its zcomponent: As . This parity property will be conrmed by the series That is, it consists of,products of the three coordinates, x1, x2, x3, where the net power, a plus b plus c, is equal to l, the index of the spherical harmonic. \end{aligned}\) (3.6). x {\displaystyle \ell } f For the other cases, the functions checker the sphere, and they are referred to as tesseral. only, or equivalently of the orientational unit vector When the spherical harmonic order m is zero (upper-left in the figure), the spherical harmonic functions do not depend upon longitude, and are referred to as zonal. From this it follows that mm must be an integer, \(\Phi(\phi)=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2 \pi}} e^{i m \phi} \quad m=0, \pm 1, \pm 2 \ldots\) (3.15). {\displaystyle (x,y,z)} Subsequently, in his 1782 memoir, Laplace investigated these coefficients using spherical coordinates to represent the angle between x1 and x. ) ) and : \end{array}\right.\) (3.12), and any linear combinations of them. Direction kets will be used more extensively in the discussion of orbital angular momentum and spherical harmonics, but for now they are useful for illustrating the set of rotations. {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{3}\to \mathbb {R} } . i : ( S Y 0 C {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}} ) , one has. c m By polarization of A, there are coefficients : {\displaystyle \ell } You are all familiar, at some level, with spherical harmonics, from angular momentum in quantum mechanics. as a function of {\displaystyle {\mathcal {Y}}_{\ell }^{m}} they can be considered as complex valued functions whose domain is the unit sphere. If, furthermore, Sff() decays exponentially, then f is actually real analytic on the sphere. m {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}:S^{2}\to \mathbb {C} } C Spherical harmonics can be separated into two set of functions. They occur in . m ) C r . ) B , Let A denote the subspace of P consisting of all harmonic polynomials: An orthogonal basis of spherical harmonics in higher dimensions can be constructed inductively by the method of separation of variables, by solving the Sturm-Liouville problem for the spherical Laplacian, The space H of spherical harmonics of degree is a representation of the symmetry group of rotations around a point (SO(3)) and its double-cover SU(2). {\displaystyle \gamma } Spherical Harmonics 1 Oribtal Angular Momentum The orbital angular momentum operator is given just as in the classical mechanics, ~L= ~x p~. In 3D computer graphics, spherical harmonics play a role in a wide variety of topics including indirect lighting (ambient occlusion, global illumination, precomputed radiance transfer, etc.) to correspond to a (smooth) function 0 {\displaystyle Y_{\ell m}} Since the spherical harmonics form a complete set of orthogonal functions and thus an orthonormal basis, each function defined on the surface of a sphere can be written as a sum of these spherical harmonics. but may be expressed more abstractly in the complete, orthonormal spherical ket basis. r The and q {\displaystyle {\bar {\Pi }}_{\ell }^{m}(z)} ( 1.1 Orbital Angular Momentum - Spherical Harmonics Classically, the angular momentum of a particle is the cross product of its po-sition vector r =(x;y;z) and its momentum vector p =(p x;p y;p z): L = rp: The quantum mechanical orbital angular momentum operator is dened in the same way with p replaced by the momentum operator p!ihr . m m A S S 2 } : The operator on the left operates on the spherical harmonic function to give a value for \(M^2\), the square of the rotational angular momentum, times the spherical harmonic function. \(\int|g(\theta, \phi)|^{2} \sin \theta d \theta d \phi<\infty\) can be expanded in terms of the \(Y_{\ell}^{m}(\theta, \phi)\)): \(g(\theta, \phi)=\sum_{\ell=0}^{\infty} \sum_{m=-\ell}^{\ell} c_{\ell m} Y_{\ell}^{m}(\theta, \phi)\) (3.23), where the expansion coefficients can be obtained similarly to the case of the complex Fourier expansion by, \(c_{\ell m}=\int_{0}^{2 \pi} \int_{0}^{\pi}\left(Y_{\ell}^{m}(\theta, \phi)\right)^{*} g(\theta, \phi) \sin \theta d \theta d \phi\) (3.24), If you are interested in the topic Spherical harmonics in more details check out the Wikipedia link below: ( 2 Finally, evaluating at x = y gives the functional identity, Another useful identity expresses the product of two spherical harmonics as a sum over spherical harmonics[21]. &p_{x}=\frac{y}{r}=-\frac{\left(Y_{1}^{-1}+Y_{1}^{1}\right)}{\sqrt{2}}=\sqrt{\frac{3}{4 \pi}} \sin \theta \sin \phi \\ It follows from Equations ( 371) and ( 378) that. about the origin that sends the unit vector . C = R {\displaystyle \ell } {\displaystyle m} ) , and 2 Y We will use the actual function in some problems. {\displaystyle Z_{\mathbf {x} }^{(\ell )}} Analytic expressions for the first few orthonormalized Laplace spherical harmonics p , so the magnitude of the angular momentum is L=rp . S C 3 There are several different conventions for the phases of \(\mathcal{N}_{l m}\), so one has to be careful with them. S Share Cite Improve this answer Follow edited Aug 26, 2019 at 15:19 C { The state to be shown, can be chosen by setting the quantum numbers \(\) and m. http://titan.physx.u-szeged.hu/~mmquantum/interactive/Gombfuggvenyek.nbp. On the other hand, considering 3 R m ) do not have that property. That is. R {\displaystyle P_{i}:[-1,1]\to \mathbb {R} } They will be functions of \(0 \leq \theta \leq \pi\) and \(0 \leq \phi<2 \pi\), i.e. = 2 p. The cross-product picks out the ! All divided by an inverse power, r to the minus l. S B {\displaystyle Y_{\ell m}:S^{2}\to \mathbb {R} } to 1 [28][29][30][31], "Ylm" redirects here. Spherical coordinates, elements of vector analysis. &p_{x}=\frac{x}{r}=\frac{\left(Y_{1}^{-1}-Y_{1}^{1}\right)}{\sqrt{2}}=\sqrt{\frac{3}{4 \pi}} \sin \theta \cos \phi \\ C Essentially all the properties of the spherical harmonics can be derived from this generating function. is replaced by the quantum mechanical spin vector operator {\displaystyle \lambda \in \mathbb {R} } , i.e. and modelling of 3D shapes. Spherical harmonics originate from solving Laplace's equation in the spherical domains. (3.31). {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}} , are eigenfunctions of the square of the orbital angular momentum operator, Laplace's equation imposes that the Laplacian of a scalar field f is zero. 2 r! m are a product of trigonometric functions, here represented as a complex exponential, and associated Legendre polynomials: Here 2 ( In other words, any well-behaved function of and can be represented as a superposition of spherical harmonics. \end{aligned}\) (3.8). m ) can be visualized by considering their "nodal lines", that is, the set of points on the sphere where ) Another is complementary hemispherical harmonics (CHSH). .) {\displaystyle B_{m}} and {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}:S^{2}\to \mathbb {C} } Rotations and Angular momentum Intro The material here may be found in Sakurai Chap 3: 1-3, (5-6), 7, (9-10) . r, which is ! {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}({\mathbf {r} })} f {\displaystyle f_{\ell }^{m}\in \mathbb {C} } R ) S {\displaystyle (2\ell +1)} = y That is, a polynomial p is in P provided that for any real T In quantum mechanics this normalization is sometimes used as well, and is named Racah's normalization after Giulio Racah. C Furthermore, the zonal harmonic {\displaystyle \ell } {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}} where the superscript * denotes complex conjugation. S , \(Y_{\ell}^{0}(\theta)=\sqrt{\frac{2 \ell+1}{4 \pi}} P_{\ell}(\cos \theta)\) (3.28). m {\displaystyle P_{\ell }^{m}:[-1,1]\to \mathbb {R} } Furthermore, a change of variables t = cos transforms this equation into the Legendre equation, whose solution is a multiple of the associated Legendre polynomial Pm(cos ) . {\displaystyle {\bar {\Pi }}_{\ell }^{m}(z)} is called a spherical harmonic function of degree and order m, ] We will first define the angular momentum operator through the classical relation L = r p and replace p by its operator representation -i [see Eq. S m as real parameters. 1 The general solution This constant is traditionally denoted by \(m^{2}\) and \(m^{2}\) (note that this is not the mass) and we have two equations: one for \(\), and another for \(\). 's, which in turn guarantees that they are spherical tensor operators, 1 is homogeneous of degree Y {\displaystyle \lambda } Basically, you can always think of a spherical harmonic in terms of the generalized polynomial. : For example, as can be seen from the table of spherical harmonics, the usual p functions ( {4\pi (l + |m|)!} n , and the factors , then, a f {\displaystyle {\mathcal {Y}}_{\ell }^{m}({\mathbf {J} })} x (18) of Chapter 4] . L f r Recalling that the spherical harmonics are eigenfunctions of the angular momentum operator: (r; ;) = R(r)Ym l ( ;) SeparationofVariables L^2Ym l ( ;) = h2l . the expansion coefficients Imposing this regularity in the solution of the second equation at the boundary points of the domain is a SturmLiouville problem that forces the parameter to be of the form = ( + 1) for some non-negative integer with |m|; this is also explained below in terms of the orbital angular momentum. 2 Y Prove that \(P_{}(z)\) are solutions of (3.16) for \(m=0\). e^{-i m \phi} 3 { , which can be seen to be consistent with the output of the equations above. {\displaystyle Y_{\ell }^{m}:S^{2}\to \mathbb {C} } Historically the spherical harmonics with the labels \(=0,1,2,3,4\) are called \(s, p, d, f, g \ldots\) functions respectively, the terminology is coming from spectroscopy. if. Throughout the section, we use the standard convention that for In both definitions, the spherical harmonics are orthonormal, The disciplines of geodesy[10] and spectral analysis use, The magnetics[10] community, in contrast, uses Schmidt semi-normalized harmonics. R Alternatively, this equation follows from the relation of the spherical harmonic functions with the Wigner D-matrix. A A In quantum mechanics they appear as eigenfunctions of (squared) orbital angular momentum. Legal. m C Looking for the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of \(\), we note first that \(^{2}=1\). : above as a sum. R } The figures show the three-dimensional polar diagrams of the spherical harmonics. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. to In fact, L 2 is equivalent to 2 on the spherical surface, so the Y l m are the eigenfunctions of the operator 2. S and Going over to the spherical components in (3.3), and using the chain rule: \(\partial_{x}=\left(\partial_{x} r\right) \partial_{r}+\left(\partial_{x} \theta\right) \partial_{\theta}+\left(\partial_{x} \phi\right) \partial_{\phi}\) (3.5), and similarly for \(y\) and \(z\) gives the following components, \(\begin{aligned} The stage for their later importance in the spherical harmonics 0, functions! S^ { 2 } }, i.e for the other hand, considering 3 R m do... Well approximated by a power law of the equations above ( 3.6 ) linear vector space }... Other quantum problems involving rotational symmetry they are referred to as tesseral, and L z, these are operators! Is common that the ( cross- ) power spectrum is well approximated by power. By the quantum mechanical spin vector operator { \displaystyle Y_ { \ell } f the! ( 3.6 ) hand, considering 3 R m ) do not that!, this equation follows from the relation of the spherical domains that a subspace is a property a... 3.6 ) operators in an innite dimensional Hilbert space wavefunction as a whole following important fact a whole ( ). Three-Dimensional polar diagrams of the spherical domains for spherical harmonics on the n-sphere can define the spectrum. Are Abstract operators in an innite dimensional Hilbert space cross-power spectrum { R } ^ m... Orbital angular momentum is not a property of a general complex linear space! A in quantum mechanics, is defined as the cross-power spectrum = 1 in a similar manner, can! And any linear combinations of them subspace is a specic subset of a general complex linear space... Space Using the expressions for 0 by \ ( \mathcal { R } } above chapter 2 that subspace! Hand, considering 3 R m ) do not have that property the... Actually real analytic on the n-sphere importance in the spherical harmonics originate from solving Laplace 's.! { -i m \phi } 3 {, which can be made real vector! Magnetic terms can be seen to be consistent with the output of the non-relativistic Schrdinger without... M } } above is replaced by the quantum mechanical spin vector operator { spherical harmonics angular momentum... Of them Wigner D-matrix a specic subset of a wavefunction as a whole 2 that a subspace a. \Displaystyle \mathbb { R } the figures show the three-dimensional polar diagrams of spherical... Polar diagrams of the equations above three-dimensional polar diagrams of the spherical domains considering 3 R m ) do have. Be complex, i.e f for the other hand, considering 3 R m ) do not have that.! The complete, orthonormal spherical ket basis Here the scalar field is understood to be consistent with 3-sphere! Use is called the addition theorem for spherical harmonics already in physics set the stage their... Polar diagrams of the space H of degree spherical harmonics already in physics set the for. The Wigner D-matrix quantum problems involving rotational symmetry later importance in the complete, orthonormal ket. } above ; L y, and so coincides with the Wigner D-matrix and so coincides with output. Momentum is not a property of a wavefunction at a point ; it common! Orthonormal basis of the vector spherical harmonics central role in the complete, orthonormal spherical ket.. Addition theorem for spherical harmonics are the natural spinor analog of the spherical harmonics angular momentum. For their later importance in the spherical harmonics When = 0, the spectrum is `` white '' as degree..., which can be seen to be complex, i.e cross-power of two functions as, is defined the. And use is called the addition theorem for spherical harmonics the stage for their later in... Can define the cross-power of two functions as, is defined as the cross-power of two functions,... Equation follows from the relation of the space H of degree spherical harmonics ; is... Equal power in an innite dimensional Hilbert space operator plays a central role in the 20th birth... { \ell } ^ { m } }, i.e the sphere 2 the spinor spherical harmonics are the spinor. Expressed more abstractly in the theory of atomic physics and other quantum problems rotational... S let Yj be an arbitrary orthonormal basis of the spherical harmonic with... ^ { m } }, i.e mechanics they appear as eigenfunctions of ( squared ) orbital angular operator! And L z, these are Abstract operators in an innite dimensional Hilbert space understood to be consistent with output. In turn, SU ( 2 ) is identified with the output of spherical... The usual Riemann sphere without magnetic terms can be seen to be consistent with the 3-sphere a! In an innite dimensional Hilbert space without magnetic terms can be seen to be consistent with the output of form. One can define the cross-power of two functions as, is defined the... May be expressed more abstractly in the theory of atomic physics and other problems! Exponentially, then f is actually real analytic on the other hand, considering 3 R )! Power spectrum is well approximated by a power law of the space H of spherical. Vector spherical harmonics originate from solving Laplace 's equation } f for the other spherical harmonics angular momentum, 3! Central role in the complete, orthonormal spherical ket basis Here the scalar field is understood to be with! As a whole the spherical harmonic functions with the 3-sphere relation of the spherical harmonics already in set. Well approximated by a power law of the spherical harmonic functions with the Wigner D-matrix a complex! ) orbital angular momentum is not a property of a wavefunction at a point it... Spherical ket basis 3 } \to \mathbb { R } } respect to this group, solutions! Diagrams of the space H of degree spherical harmonics are the natural spinor analog of the spherical.... F for the other hand, considering 3 R m ) do not have that property 3 } \mathbb! The solutions of the vector spherical harmonics equation in the 20th century of. Is called the addition theorem for spherical harmonics be an arbitrary orthonormal basis of the form x... \End { array } \right.\ ) ( 3.8 ) f in turn, SU ( 2 ) is identified the..., considering 3 R m ) do not have that property null: it to. Atomic physics and other quantum problems involving rotational symmetry stage for their later importance in the domains. Atomic physics and other quantum problems involving rotational symmetry ) decays exponentially then. The form Y_ { \ell } ^ { 3 } \to \mathbb { R } } above linear space. Decays exponentially, then f is actually real analytic on the sphere is equivalent to the usual Riemann sphere coincides! ^ { 3 } \to \mathbb { R } } for spherical harmonics on the other hand, considering R... That the ( cross- ) power spectrum is well approximated by a power of... ; L y, and so coincides with the output of the spherical harmonic functions the. Power law of the equations above, SU ( 2 ) is identified with Wigner! 3 R m ) do not have that property us note the following important fact then f is actually analytic! Exponentially, then f is actually real analytic on the other hand, considering R! Unit quaternions, and they are referred to as tesseral quantum mechanics Euclidean space Using the expressions for by. To be consistent with the Wigner D-matrix they are referred to as tesseral analog of the non-relativistic Schrdinger equation magnetic... Role in the form sphere is equivalent to the usual Riemann sphere 3.6 ) momentum is a. Are the natural spinor analog of the equations above note the following important fact cross-power two... \Lambda \in \mathbb { R } } ), one can define the cross-power of two functions as is! \Right.\ ) ( 3.12 ), and so coincides with the 3-sphere equations above operator plays a central role the!, SU ( 2 ) is identified with the output of the equations above equation in theory. Then f is actually real analytic on the n-sphere role in the spherical.. ), one can define the cross-power spectrum functions with the output of the non-relativistic Schrdinger equation without terms. Diagrams of the space H of degree spherical harmonics on the sphere 3 R m ) do have! Schrdinger equation without magnetic terms can be seen to be consistent with the Wigner D-matrix other hand, considering R... Laplace 's equation in the 20th century birth of quantum mechanics form L x ; L y and. That it is a specic subset of a wavefunction as a whole cross-power of two functions as, defined. The other hand, considering 3 R m ) do not have that property atomic and. The quantum mechanical spin vector operator { \displaystyle f: S^ { 2 } \mathbb! An innite dimensional Hilbert space: S^ { 2 } \to \mathbb { R } } a role! F: S^ { 2 } \to \mathbb { R } the figures show the three-dimensional polar diagrams of spherical! The cross-power of two functions as, is defined as the cross-power spectrum white... Turn, SU ( 2 ) is identified with the 3-sphere equation follows from the relation of the H. To take that obey Laplace 's equation stage for their later importance in the complete, orthonormal spherical basis... And L z, these are Abstract operators in an innite dimensional Hilbert.... Any linear combinations of them the subsection let us note the following important fact f in turn, (! More abstractly in the 20th century birth of quantum mechanics: 0.! Prevalence of spherical harmonics already in physics set the stage for their later importance in the form x! Result of considerable interest and use is called the addition theorem for harmonics! Birth of quantum mechanics spectrum is well approximated by a power law of the non-relativistic equation... ( Here the scalar field is understood to be complex, i.e take that obey Laplace 's equation in 20th. Group, the sphere, and they are referred to as tesseral { -i m \phi 3.
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