Angular Momentum Hydrogen Atom Problem: Physically Explained When L=0

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
2 replies · 1K views
LagrangeEuler
Messages
711
Reaction score
22
In quantum mechanics hydrogen atom problem ##L=\sqrt{l(l+1)}\hbar##. What that means physically when ##L=0##?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
L = 0 is only possible when l = 0 which means that the wave function has no angular dependence and spherically symmetric.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: vanhees71
And also for a particle moving in some potential energy other than the hydrogenic ##V\propto 1/r##, the energy eigenfunctions with ##L=0## are spherically symmetric. These systems include the 3D harmonic oscillator ##V(x,y,z) = C(x^2 + y^2 + z^2 )## and the spherical potential well where ##V(r) = 0## if ##r<R## and ##V(r) = V_0## when ##r\geq R##.