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The rotational invariance of a central-potential Hamiltonian allows a simultaneous eigenstate of energy and the two-dimensional orbital angular momentum $L_z=-i\hslash {\partial }_{\varphi }$. For a separated wavefunction $F(r)G(\varphi )$, the Laplacian in polar coordinates givesThe $\varphi$ term must be a constant; write $G^{\prime \prime }/G=-k^2$. The angular eigenfunctions can be chosen as $e^{ik\varphi }$. Single-valuedness under $\varphi \mapsto \varphi +2\pi$ imposes $e^{2\pi ik}=1$, hence $k\in \mathbb{Z}$. The radial equation in the separation of a two-dimensional central-potential eigenstate isFor a real central potential and the usual real self-adjoint radial boundary conditions, the radial equation admits a basis of real solutions: real and imaginary parts of a complex solution obey the same equation and boundary conditions. Choose a real normalized radial eigenfunction. Since the plane area element in plane polar coordinates is $rdrd\varphi$, the normalization isThis establishes the intended separated simultaneous eigenstate form. It is not the form of every stationary state. The radial equation depends on $k^2$, so the $k$ and $-k$ sectors have the same energy. For $k\ge 1$, their normalized superpositionis a single-valued stationary state with that energy but is not a single angular exponential. Quantum degeneracy is precisely why separation of variables selects a convenient eigenstate basis rather than all vectors in an energy eigenspace. The printed assertion needs this qualification. The printed polar-coordinate aid also labels a gradient component tuple as a divergence; the gradient used below is the two-dimensional vector $\hat{\mathbf{r}}{\partial }_r+\hat{\mathbf{\varphi }}{r}^{-1}{\partial }_{\varphi }$.

The Hamiltonian is the sum of three commuting one-dimensional harmonic-oscillator Hamiltonians. Its product eigenstates arewith energiesEquivalently, the level with $N=n_x+n_y+n_z$ has energy $E_N=\hslash \omega (N+3/2)$, as in the three-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator.

Up to normalization, the ground-state wavefunction isIt is radial, so $\nabla {\Psi }_{000}$ is parallel to the position vector. Since the orbital angular momentum is $L=-i\hslash r\times \nabla$, every component of $L$ annihilates this state. Thereforeand the ground state has $\ell =m=0$.

The first excited level has $N=1$ and is spanned byThe statesatisfies $L_z{\Phi }_0=0$. Applying the ladder operators givesHence convenient $m=\pm 1$ eigenstates areup to normalization and irrelevant overall phases.

Finally, the isotropic Hamiltonian is rotationally invariant. The rotational invariance of a central-potential Hamiltonian givesThese commuting self-adjoint operators can be simultaneously diagonalized within each energy eigenspace, which is why joint eigenstates of $H,L^2,L_z$ must exist.

Use $[AB,C]=A[B,C]+[A,C]B$ and the canonical commutation relation. With $L_i={\epsilon }_{iab}{x}_a{p}_b$,Using these two transformation laws on $L_j={\epsilon }_{jab}{x}_a{p}_b$ givesThese are the orbital angular momentum commutation relations.

NowThe factor $[L_j,L_i]$ is antisymmetric in $j$ and its remaining product is symmetric after the two terms are combined, so the contraction vanishes:

The same commutators show that $p^2=p_j{p}_j$ and $r^2=x_j{x}_j$ are rotational scalars: their commutators with every $L_i$ vanish by contraction of the antisymmetric ${\epsilon }_{ijk}$ with a symmetric product. Therefore $U(r)$ also commutes with every $L_i$, and forwe have $[H,L_i]=0$, henceIn particular $H,L^2,L_3$ are pairwise commuting Hermitian operators. By simultaneous diagonalization, they admit a common eigenbasis, subject to the usual spectral-domain qualifications for unbounded operators. This is the rotational invariance of a central-potential Hamiltonian.