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In simpler terms, the total angular momentum operator characterizes how a quantum system is changed when it is rotated. The relationship between angular momentum operators and rotation operators is the same as the relationship between Lie algebras and Lie groups in mathematics, as discussed further below. The different types of rotation ...
In physics, the Pauli–Lubanski pseudovector is an operator defined from the momentum and angular momentum, used in the quantum-relativistic description of angular momentum. It is named after Wolfgang Pauli and Józef Lubański. [1] It describes the spin states of moving particles. [2]
In mathematics, a Casimir element (also known as a Casimir invariant or Casimir operator) is a distinguished element of the center of the universal enveloping algebra of a Lie algebra. A prototypical example is the squared angular momentum operator , which is a Casimir element of the three-dimensional rotation group .
The momentum operator can be described as a symmetric (i.e. Hermitian), unbounded operator acting on a dense subspace of the quantum state space. If the operator acts on a (normalizable) quantum state then the operator is self-adjoint. In physics the term Hermitian often refers to both symmetric and self-adjoint operators. [7] [8]
The trivial case of the angular momentum of a body in an orbit is given by = where is the mass of the orbiting object, is the orbit's frequency and is the orbit's radius.. The angular momentum of a uniform rigid sphere rotating around its axis, instead, is given by = where is the sphere's mass, is the frequency of rotation and is the sphere's radius.
A particular application of the ladder operator concept is found in the quantum-mechanical treatment of angular momentum. For a general angular momentum vector J with components J x, J y and J z one defines the two ladder operators [3] + = +, =, where i is the imaginary unit.
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). These functions are used in analytical solutions to Dirac equation in a radial potential. [3]
For example, the Wigner map of the quantum angular-momentum-squared operator L 2 is not just the classical angular momentum squared, but it further contains an offset term −3ħ 2 /2, which accounts for the nonvanishing angular momentum of the ground-state Bohr orbit.