For a multiplication operator , . Therefore the mechanical momentum satisfies
The displayed ladder operators implicitly require , so that their denominator is real and the second is the adjoint of the first. Then and
The free longitudinal motion gives a continuous spectrum in , and the transverse Landau levels have guiding-centre degeneracy of a Landau level. For arbitrary sign of , use in the energy and . The question's normalizable wavefunctions likewise assume .
For the stated symmetric-gauge wavefunction, , whose peak for is at . Thus the largest useful angular index is about , giving
The state should also be included in the usual lowest Landau level; its omission by “positive integer” changes only an order-one term. Including the radial measure shifts the most probable radius to , again only an order-one counting correction. Boundary conditions and the tails of the wavefunctions make this a large-flux estimate, not an exact finite-disc count.
Choose the Landau gauge
It preserves translation invariance in the -direction, so is conserved. With , magnetic minimal coupling gives
where
This is a quantum harmonic oscillator, so the Landau levels are
independent of .
The periodic boundary condition in quantizes . Requiring the guiding centre to lie in a strip of width gives a -interval of width . The number of allowed integers is therefore approximately
the degeneracy of a Landau level, up to boundary corrections.
The radial factor
is sharply peaked, for large , near
Requiring the orbit to lie inside a disk of radius permits
Thus the total degeneracy at fixed is, up to the negligible boundary correction,
Since the disk has area , the degeneracy of a Landau level per unit area is
For either sign of the charge-field product, replace by .
Take and use the Landau gauge . With zero -momentum, the Hamiltonian becomes
For a state , this is a quantum harmonic oscillator in , centred at
with cyclotron frequency
The Landau levels are therefore
Periodicity in quantizes . Requiring the corresponding oscillator centre to lie in an interval of length leaves
allowed centres for each . This is the degeneracy of a Landau level, equal to the magnetic flux through the rectangle divided by the magnetic flux quantum . Consistent magnetic periodic boundary conditions make an integer.