Are These Wavefunctions Orthonormal in Spherical Coordinates?

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter MontavonM
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Wavefunctions
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 · 6K views
MontavonM
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Given 2 wavefunctions with respect to (r,theta,phi)...

To prove that the functions are orthonormal, you would let the first w.function = Y(psi) and the 2nd = Y* (psi star), then you would integrate --> SY*Y dr dtheta dphi (integral of psi* times psi) dr dtheta dphi.

Correct?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
yeah, over a whole period, or the appropriate bounds.
 
MontavonM said:
Given 2 wavefunctions with respect to (r,theta,phi)...

To prove that the functions are orthonormal, you would let the first w.function = Y(psi) and the 2nd = Y* (psi star), then you would integrate --> SY*Y dr dtheta dphi (integral of psi* times psi) dr dtheta dphi.

Correct?

That looks like the wrong measure for spherical polar coordinates.
I would have expected something like:
[tex] \int_0^{2\pi} d\phi \int_0^\pi \sin\theta \; d\theta \int_0^\infty \bar f g \, r^2 dr [/tex]
where f,g are functions of [itex]r,\theta,\phi[/itex].

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volume_integral