Physics 710-712 April 23, 2010

Problem Set 19

Problem 15.2.2:
(1): 12 1 = 23 12 , so j1 = 12 and j2 = 1 implies j { 32 , 12 }. Since there is a unique
state with m = 23 we must have
  
(|jmi )  32 32 =  12 12 , 11 ( |j1 m1 , j2 m2 i).

(1)
  q    
Then, J  23 32 = ~ ( 32 + 23 )( 32 23 + 1) 32 21 = ~ 3 32 12 , so

3 1 1   1 
J  32 23 = (J1 + J2 ) 21 21 , 11


22
=
~ 3 ~ 3
q 
1 1 1 1 1
1 1  p 1 1 
= ( 2 + 2 )( 2 2 + 1) 2 2 , 11 + (1 + 1)(1 1 + 1) 2 2 , 10
 
3

1  1 1 2
= 2 2 , 11 +  21 12 , 10 .
 
(2)
3 3
   
Then  21 21 is the state orthogonal to  23 12 , so

1 1 1 1 1 2
=  2 2 , 10  21 12 , 11 ,
 

22
(3)
3 3
where the sign is chosen to follow rule (4) on p. 413 of the text. From eqns. (1), (2),
and (3) we read off the Clebsch-Gordon coefficients

h 21 21 , 11| 32 32 i = 1,
q
h 12 12 , 11| 32 12 i = 1 ,
3
h 21 12 , 11| 12 21 i = 2
3
,
q
h 12 21 , 10| 32 12 i = 2
3
, h 21 12 , 10| 12 21 i = 1 .
3

Then rule (5) on p. 413 gives the rest:

h 21 12 , 1 1| 23 32 i = 1,
q
h 12 12 , 1 1| 23 12 i = 1 ,
3
h 21 12 , 1 1| 21 21 i = 2
3
,
q
h 12 12 , 10| 23 12 i = 2
3
, h 12 21 , 10| 21 21 i = 13 .

All others are zero.

(2): 1 1 = 2 1 0, so j1 = j2 = 1 implies j {2, 1, 0}. Since there is a unique
state with m = 2 we have
|22i = |11, 11i. (4)
Since J |22i = 2~|21i,
1 1 1 |10, 11i 1 |11, 10i.
|21i = J |22i
2~
= 2~
(J1 + J2 )|11, 11i = 2
+ 2
(5)

Since J |21i = 6~|20i,

|20i = 1 (J1 + J2 )(|10, 11i + |11, 10i) 1

6~ 2
1
(J1 |10, 11i + J2 |10, 11i + J1 |11, 10i
= 2 3~
+ J2 |11, 10i)

= 21 3 ( 2|1 1, 11i + 2|10, 10i + 2|10, 10i + 2|11, 1 1i)
q
1
=
6
|1 1, 11i + 23 |10, 10i + 16 |11, 1 1i. (6)

|11i is the state orthogonal to |21i, so

|11i = 1 |11, 10i 1 |10, 11i, (7)

2 2

and J |11i = 2~|10i so

|10i = 1 (J1 + J2 )(|11, 10i |10, 11i) 1

2~ 2
1
= 2~
(J1 |11, 10i + J 2 |11, 10i J1 |10, 11i J2 |10, 11i)
1

= 2
( 2|10, 10i + 2|11, 1 1i 2|1 1, 11i 2|10, 10i)
= |11, 1 1i 1 |1 1, 11i.
1
(8)
2 2

Finally, |00i is perpendicular to both |20i and |10i. Say |00i = a|11, 1 1i + b|10, 10i +
c|1 1, 11i. Then

0 = h00|20i = 1 (a + 2b + c),
6
0 = h00|10i = 1 (a c),
2

which together imply a = b = c. Then normalizing |00i implies a = 1/ 3, so

|00i = 1 |11, 1 1i 1 |10, 10i + 1 |1 1, 11i. (9)

3 3 3

From eqns. (49) by taking inner products and by using rule (5) on p. 413 we get all
the Clebsch-Gordon coefficients.

Problem 15.2.3:
1
2
21 1
2
= 1
2
( 21 12 ) = 1
2
(1 0) = ( 12 1) ( 21 0) = ( 32 12 ) 1
2
3
= 2
21 21 .