ANGULAR MOMENTUM

Classically we define angular momentum through the relation

𝑳= 𝒓×𝒑

Where r and p are position and momentum vectors respectively.

The vector L is perpendicular to both the vectors r and p as shown in the diagram
below.

𝑚 is the mass of the particle moving with the linear velocity v in a circular path of
radius r, under the influence of a central potential.

The three components of the vector L can subsequently be defined through the relation

So that

𝑖(𝑦𝑝𝑧 − 𝑧𝑝𝑦 ) = (𝒓 × 𝒑)𝑥 = 𝑖𝐿𝑥

𝑗(𝑧𝑝𝑥 − 𝑥𝑝𝑧 ) = (𝒓 × 𝒑)𝑦 = 𝑗𝐿𝑦

𝑘(𝑥𝑝𝑦 − 𝑦𝑝𝑥 ) = (𝒓 × 𝒑)𝑧 = 𝑘𝐿𝑧

(𝑦𝑝𝑧 − 𝑧𝑝𝑦 ) = 𝐿𝑥

(𝑧𝑝𝑥 − 𝑥𝑝𝑧 ) = 𝐿𝑦

(𝑥𝑝𝑦 − 𝑦𝑝𝑥 ) = 𝐿𝑧

Therefore

𝐿 = 𝑖𝐿𝑥 + 𝑗𝐿𝑦 + 𝑘𝐿𝑧

Also

𝐿2 = 𝐿𝑥 2 + 𝐿𝑦 2 + 𝐿𝑦 2

Proof

𝐿2 = (𝑖𝐿𝑥 + 𝑗𝐿𝑦 + 𝑘𝐿𝑧 ). (𝑖𝐿𝑥 + 𝑗𝐿𝑦 + 𝑘𝐿𝑧 )

𝐿2 = 𝐿𝑥 2 + 𝐿𝑦 2 + 𝐿𝑦 2

Now we can obtain angular momentum operator by replacing (𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 (𝑝𝑥 , 𝑝𝑦 , 𝑝𝑧 )
by the corresponding operators
Now if we transform these to spherical coordinates, we first of all obtain the coordinates
from the diagram below,

The coordinates x, y and z can now be expressed as

Proof

𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑧 2 = (𝑟 sin 𝜃 cos ∅)2 + (𝑟 sin 𝜃 sin ∅)2 + (𝑟 cos 𝜃)2

𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑧 2 = 𝑟 2 [𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 ∅ + 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 ∅ + 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃]

𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑧 2 = 𝑟 2 {𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃(𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 ∅ + 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 ∅) + 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃}

𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 𝑧2 = 𝑟2

We see that

𝑋 = 𝑥(𝑟, 𝜃, ∅)

𝑌 = 𝑦(𝑟, 𝜃, ∅)

𝑍 = 𝑧(𝑟, 𝜃)
Therefore we use the chain rule for partial derivatives i.e

𝜕 𝜕 𝜕𝑟 𝜕 𝜕𝜃 𝜕 𝜕∅
= . + . + .
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝑥 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑥
𝜕 𝜕 𝜕𝑟 𝜕 𝜕𝜃 𝜕 𝜕∅
= . + . + .
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝑦 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑦

𝜕 𝜕 𝜕𝑟 𝜕 𝜕𝜃 𝜕 𝜕∅
= . + . + .
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝑧 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑧

Now from

𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 𝑧2 = 𝑟2

𝜕𝑟 2
𝜕𝑟
= 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑟 2
𝜕𝑟
𝜕𝑟 2 𝜕 2
= (𝑥 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑧 2 ) = 2𝑥
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝑟 2 𝜕
= (𝑟 2 ) = 2𝑟
𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟
Hence
𝜕𝑟 2
𝜕𝑟 2𝑥 𝑥
= 𝜕𝑥2 = =
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑟 2𝑟 𝑟
𝜕𝑟
Similarly

𝜕𝑟 𝑦
=
𝜕𝑦 𝑟

𝜕𝑟 𝑧
=
𝜕𝑧 𝑟
𝜕 𝜕
With similar equations for 𝜕𝑧 and 𝜕𝑦. The task now is to evaluate the partial derivatives
𝜕𝑟
such as (𝜕𝑥) . Taking the partial derivatives for the equation 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑧 2 = 𝑟 2 with
𝑦,𝑧
respect to x at constant y and z, we have
From

Using these equations we can now express

𝐿2 = 𝐿𝑥 2 + 𝐿𝑦 2 + 𝐿𝑦 2

Commutation rules for angular momentum

We shall consider the following commutation relations

[𝐿𝑥 , 𝑦] = 𝐿𝑥 𝑦 − 𝑦𝐿𝑥

𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕
= −𝑖ђ (𝑦 − 𝑧 ) 𝑦 − 𝑦𝑖ђ (𝑦 − 𝑧 )
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦

𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜕 𝜕
= −𝑖ђ (𝑦 − 𝑧 ) − 𝑦𝑖ђ (𝑦 − 𝑧 )
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦

𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦
= −𝑖ђ (𝑦 −𝑧 )−0
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦

= −𝑖ђ(0 − 𝑧. 1)

= 𝑖ђ𝑧
Similarly it can be shown that

[𝐿𝑥 , 𝑥] = 0

[𝐿𝑧 , 𝑦] = −𝑖ђ𝑥

[𝐿𝑥 , 𝑧] = 𝑖ђ𝑦

The commutation relation among various components of angular momentum are

[𝐿𝑥 , 𝐿𝑦 ] = 𝐿𝑥 𝐿𝑦 − 𝐿𝑦 𝐿𝑥

𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕
= {−𝑖ђ (𝑦 − 𝑧 )} {−𝑖ђ (𝑧 − 𝑥 )} − {−𝑖ђ (𝑧 − 𝑥 )} {−𝑖ђ (𝑦 − 𝑧 )}
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦

𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕
= −ђ2 {(𝑦 − 𝑧 )} {(𝑧 − 𝑥 )} − {(𝑧 − 𝑥 )} {(𝑦 − 𝑧 )}
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦

𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕
= −ђ2 {(𝑦 − 𝑧 ) (𝑧 − 𝑥 ) − (𝑧 − 𝑥 ) (𝑦 − 𝑧 )}
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦

𝜕𝑧 𝜕 𝜕𝑥 𝜕 𝜕𝑧 𝜕 𝜕𝑥 𝜕 𝜕𝑦 𝜕 𝜕𝑧 𝜕 𝜕𝑦 𝜕 𝜕𝑧 𝜕
= −ђ2 {(𝑦 −𝑦 −𝑧 +𝑧 ) − (𝑧 −𝑧 −𝑥 +𝑥 )}
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦

𝜕 𝜕
= −ђ2 {(𝑦 − 0 − 0 + 0) − (0 − 0 − +𝑥 )}
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦

𝜕 𝜕
= −ђ2 {(𝑦 ) − (𝑥 )}
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦

𝜕 𝜕
= −ђ2 (𝑦 −𝑥 )
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦

𝜕 𝜕
= ђ2 (𝑥 −𝑦 )
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥

𝜕 𝜕
= −(𝑖ђ)(𝑖ђ) (𝑥 −𝑦 )
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥
𝜕 𝜕
But 𝐿𝑧 = −𝑖ђ (𝑥 𝜕𝑦 − 𝑦 𝜕𝑥)

Hence [𝐿𝑥 , 𝐿𝑦 ] = 𝑖ђ𝐿𝑧

[𝐿𝑦 , 𝐿𝑧 ] = 𝑖ђ𝐿𝑥

[𝐿𝑧 , 𝐿𝑥 ] = 𝑖ђ𝐿𝑦

Hence any two different components of angular momentum do not commute as shown
with the three relations above.

Cyclic permutations

Commutation relation of 𝑳̂𝟐 with the components 𝐿𝑥 , 𝐿𝑦 , 𝐿𝑧 are obtained as follows

[𝑳̂𝟐 , 𝐿𝑧 ] = [(𝐿𝑥 2 + 𝐿𝑦 2 + 𝐿𝑧 2 ), 𝐿𝑧 ]=0

Similarly

[𝑳̂𝟐 , 𝐿𝑦 ] = 𝟎

[𝑳̂𝟐 , 𝐿𝑥 ] = 𝟎

Students should show these relations

Generally it is possible to measure 𝑳̂𝟐 and any one of its components simultaneously
at the same time.