Spherical Symmetry & Electron Spin: An Exploration

[Happiness]

Can an electron in a spherically symmetrical potential energy function have non-zero spin angular momentum?

 

[Nugatory]

Always - it’s a spin-1/2 particle. This is why we find two electrons in each orbital without violating the exclusion principle.

[Edit: Having just read through the most recent updates to your other thread, this might be a good time to mention that people often say “angular momentum” instead of “orbital angular momentum” when the context makes it clear that we are not considering the spin so the orbital angular momentum is the total angular momentum]

 

[Vanadium 50]

It can also have non-zero orbital angular momentum. n=2, l=1.

 

[ZapperZ]

Can an electron in a spherically symmetrical potential energy function have non-zero spin angular momentum?

Any atom (all of which are solved via a spherically symmetry electric potential) that has net unpaired electrons will exhibit a non-zero spin angular momentum... not to mention, orbital angular momentum. That is why we have ferromagnetism, etc.

Zz.