Monthly Archives: April 2012

It can be shown that quantum angular momentum \begin{align*} L_x&=-i\hbar\left(y\frac{\partial}{\partial z}-z\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\right)\\ L_y&=-i\hbar\left(z\frac{\partial}{\partial x}-x\frac{\partial}{\partial z}\right)\\ L_z&=-i\hbar\left(x\frac{\partial}{\partial y}-y\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\right) \end{align*} can be obtained purely mathematically by $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ Lie algebra representation as discussed here. Since $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ representation contains information on the symmetry … Continue reading →

In classical mechanics, the angular momentum of a body is given by $$L=r\times p$$ where $r$ and $p$ denote radius arm and linear momentum respectively. In quantum mechanics, the angular momentum of a spinning particle can be obtained by replacing … Continue reading →