Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ib/paper-2/17b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 2 17B Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
The total angular momentum operator isUsing the cyclic orbital angular momentum commutation relations,while ; hence . In Cartesian coordinates,Because and it annihilates and every radial function,Replacing by gives eigenvalue .
The six-dimensional space splits into the five trace-free quadratic spherical harmonics with and one radial state with . A simultaneous eigenbasis for and iswhere the eigenvalue of was used. Every displayed state is a complex linear combination of the original six energy eigenstates, so it is still an energy eigenstate at the same level.
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