Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/ib/paper-4/6b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ib Paper 4 6B Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Applying the angular momentum operator directly givesFor an eigenvalue , comparison with gives and . The first identity excludes ; differentiating it and using the second gives . No additive constant in is permitted. The possibilities are , , and , .
For , the polynomial is homogeneous of degree two and satisfies . Expanding the three squared orbital angular momentum operators gives, with ,Here and . Therefore . This is the degree-two case of angular momentum of a homogeneous harmonic polynomial; its angular labels are , .
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