S=1 and I=1: How Can L be Anything Other than 0?

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  • Thread starter Plaetean
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In summary, the addition of quantum angular momentum ##\mathbf{I} = \mathbf{L} + \mathbf{S}## yields possible values of ##I = |L-S|,|L-S|+1,\ldots,L+S-1,L+S##. In the context of the given problem, with ##S=1##, the possible values for ##I## are 0, 1, and 2, which correspond to ##L = 0,1,2##. This can be seen by plugging in ##S=1## into the equation and solving for ##I##. However, in general, the addition of spins can result in different total spin values, such as
  • #1
Plaetean
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My notes say:

http://i.imgur.com/Z0v7Psi.png

The particular part I don't understand is that we know I = 1, and the text says:

for S = 1, I can be equal to 1 for L = 0, 1, 2.If we know I = 1 and S = 1, how can L be anything other than 0?

Thanks as always!
 
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  • #2
Addition of quantum angular momentum ##\mathbf{I} = \mathbf{L} + \mathbf{S}## yields, for the possible value of ##I##,
$$I = |L-S|,|L-S|+1,\ldots,L+S-1,L+S$$.
If you plug in ##S=1## to the above equation, you should see that ##I## can be unity only if ##L = 0,1,2##.
 
  • #3
Thank you!
 
  • #4
blue_leaf77 said:
Addition of quantum angular momentum ##\mathbf{I} = \mathbf{L} + \mathbf{S}## yields, for the possible value of ##I##,
$$I = |L-S|,|L-S|+1,\ldots,L+S-1,L+S$$.
If you plug in ##S=1## to the above equation, you should see that ##I## can be unity only if ##L = 0,1,2##.

Can you elaborate how to look at this kind of problem when solving?
How exactly do you plug in ##S=1## in this equation and get only 0,1,2 as solutions for L?
 
  • #5
Given ##L = S = 1##, the possible total angular momenta are
$$
I = |1-1|,|1-1|+1,1+1 = 0,1,2
$$
To put it in a simple way, the min total angular momenta is ##|L-S|## while the maximum is ##L+S##. Between these values the angular momenta are spaced uniformly at unit increment.
 
  • #6
In general I don't like what these notes say... For S=0 indeed you have antiparallel spins... but that is too vague since you can have antiparallel spin configuration for S=1 too...
In particular the spin states are (I give it as [itex]|S, S_z>[/itex] in the LHS and [itex]|pn>[/itex] spins in the RHS ):
S=1
[itex]|1,1> = |\uparrow_p \uparrow_n>[/itex]
[itex]|1,0> =\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\Big( |\uparrow_p \downarrow_n> +|\downarrow_p \uparrow_n> \Big) [/itex]
[itex]|1,-1> = |\downarrow_p \downarrow_n>[/itex]
S=0
[itex]|0,0> =\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\Big( |\uparrow_p \downarrow_n> -|\downarrow_p \uparrow_n> \Big) [/itex]

As you can see, with adding two spins 1/2 you can either get either total spin 1 (triplet) or 0 (singlet)...in an extension of your question, how did the addition of two 1/2s resulted to something that is 0?
What will happen if you add three spins 1/2?
 
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1. What is the meaning of S=1 and I=1 in this context?

In this context, S=1 refers to the number of susceptible individuals in a population, while I=1 represents the number of infected individuals.

2. How does L affect the spread of a disease?

L, or the number of latent individuals, can affect the spread of a disease by potentially increasing the number of infected individuals. Latent individuals may not show symptoms of the disease, but can still transmit it to others.

3. Can L be 0 in this scenario?

Yes, L can be 0 in this scenario. This would mean that there are no latent individuals in the population, and only susceptible and infected individuals.

4. What factors can influence the value of L in a population?

The value of L can be influenced by various factors, such as the virulence of the disease, the duration of the latent period, and the effectiveness of preventative measures such as vaccinations.

5. How can L be anything other than 0 if S=1 and I=1?

Even though S=1 and I=1, the value of L can still be greater than 0 if there are other infected individuals in the population who are not yet showing symptoms. Additionally, the value of L can change over time as individuals move between susceptible, infected, and latent states.

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