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Spin-weighted Spherical Harmonics
In special functions, a topic in mathematics, spin-weighted spherical harmonics are generalizations of the standard spherical harmonics and—like the usual spherical harmonics—are functions on the sphere. Unlike ordinary spherical harmonics, the spin-weighted harmonics are gauge fields rather than scalar fields: mathematically, they take values in a complex line bundle. The spin-weighted harmonics are organized by degree , just like ordinary spherical harmonics, but have an additional spin weight that reflects the additional symmetry. A special basis of harmonics can be derived from the Laplace spherical harmonics , and are typically denoted by , where and are the usual parameters familiar from the standard Laplace spherical harmonics. In this special basis, the spin-weighted spherical harmonics appear as actual functions, because the choice of a polar axis fixes the gauge ambiguity. The spin-weighted spherical harmonics can be obtained from the standard spherical ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Functions
Special functions are particular mathematical functions that have more or less established names and notations due to their importance in mathematical analysis, functional analysis, geometry, physics, or other applications. The term is defined by consensus, and thus lacks a general formal definition, but the List of mathematical functions contains functions that are commonly accepted as special. Tables of special functions Many special functions appear as solutions of differential equations or integrals of elementary functions. Therefore, tables of integrals usually include descriptions of special functions, and tables of special functions include most important integrals; at least, the integral representation of special functions. Because symmetries of differential equations are essential to both physics and mathematics, the theory of special functions is closely related to the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras, as well as certain topics in mathematical physics. Symbolic c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orthogonal
In mathematics, orthogonality is the generalization of the geometric notion of ''perpendicularity''. By extension, orthogonality is also used to refer to the separation of specific features of a system. The term also has specialized meanings in other fields including art and chemistry. Etymology The word comes from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning "upright", and ('), meaning "angle". The Ancient Greek (') and Classical Latin ' originally denoted a rectangle. Later, they came to mean a right triangle. In the 12th century, the post-classical Latin word ''orthogonalis'' came to mean a right angle or something related to a right angle. Mathematics Physics * In optics, polarization states are said to be orthogonal when they propagate independently of each other, as in vertical and horizontal linear polarization or right- and left-handed circular polarization. * In special relativity, a time axis determined by a rapidity of motion is hyperbolic-orthogonal to a space axis of s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spherical Basis
In pure mathematics, pure and applied mathematics, particularly quantum mechanics and computer graphics and their applications, a spherical basis is the basis (linear algebra), basis used to express spherical tensors. The spherical basis closely relates to the description of angular momentum in quantum mechanics and spherical harmonic functions. While spherical polar coordinates are one orthogonal coordinates, orthogonal coordinate system for expressing vectors and tensors using polar and azimuthal angles and radial distance, the spherical basis are constructed from the standard basis and use complex numbers. In three dimensions A vector A in 3D Euclidean space can be expressed in the familiar Cartesian coordinate system in the standard basis e''x'', e''y'', e''z'', and Coordinate vector, coordinates ''Ax'', ''Ay'', ''Az'': or any other coordinate system with associated basis (linear algebra), basis set of vectors. From this extend the scalars to allow multiplication by co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3-j Symbol
In quantum mechanics, the Wigner 3-j symbols, also called 3''-jm'' symbols, are an alternative to Clebsch–Gordan coefficients for the purpose of adding angular momenta. While the two approaches address exactly the same physical problem, the 3-''j'' symbols do so more symmetrically. Mathematical relation to Clebsch–Gordan coefficients The 3-''j'' symbols are given in terms of the Clebsch–Gordan coefficients by : \begin j_1 & j_2 & j_3 \\ m_1 & m_2 & m_3 \end \equiv \frac \langle j_1 \, m_1 \, j_2 \, m_2 , j_3 \, (-m_3) \rangle. The ''j'' and ''m'' components are angular-momentum quantum numbers, i.e., every (and every corresponding ) is either a nonnegative integer or half-odd-integer. The exponent of the sign factor is always an integer, so it remains the same when transposed to the left, and the inverse relation follows upon making the substitution : : \langle j_1 \, m_1 \, j_2 \, m_2 , j_3 \, m_3 \rangle = (-1)^ \sqrt \begin j_1 & j_2 & ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wigner D-matrix
The Wigner D-matrix is a unitary matrix in an irreducible representation of the groups SU(2) and SO(3). It was introduced in 1927 by Eugene Wigner, and plays a fundamental role in the quantum mechanical theory of angular momentum. The complex conjugate of the D-matrix is an eigenfunction of the Hamiltonian of spherical and symmetric rigid rotors. The letter stands for ''Darstellung'', which means "representation" in German. Definition of the Wigner D-matrix Let be generators of the Lie algebra of SU(2) and SO(3). In quantum mechanics, these three operators are the components of a vector operator known as ''angular momentum''. Examples are the angular momentum of an electron in an atom, electronic spin, and the angular momentum of a rigid rotor. In all cases, the three operators satisfy the following commutation relations, : _x,J_y= i J_z,\quad _z,J_x= i J_y,\quad _y,J_z= i J_x, where ''i'' is the purely imaginary number and Planck's constant has been set equal to one. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Covariant Derivative
In mathematics, the covariant derivative is a way of specifying a derivative along tangent vectors of a manifold. Alternatively, the covariant derivative is a way of introducing and working with a connection on a manifold by means of a differential operator, to be contrasted with the approach given by a principal connection on the frame bundle – see affine connection. In the special case of a manifold isometrically embedded into a higher-dimensional Euclidean space, the covariant derivative can be viewed as the orthogonal projection of the Euclidean directional derivative onto the manifold's tangent space. In this case the Euclidean derivative is broken into two parts, the extrinsic normal component (dependent on the embedding) and the intrinsic covariant derivative component. The name is motivated by the importance of changes of coordinate in physics: the covariant derivative transforms covariantly under a general coordinate transformation, that is, linearly via the Jacobia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eigenfunction
In mathematics, an eigenfunction of a linear operator ''D'' defined on some function space is any non-zero function f in that space that, when acted upon by ''D'', is only multiplied by some scaling factor called an eigenvalue. As an equation, this condition can be written as Df = \lambda f for some scalar eigenvalue \lambda. The solutions to this equation may also be subject to boundary conditions that limit the allowable eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. An eigenfunction is a type of eigenvector. Eigenfunctions In general, an eigenvector of a linear operator ''D'' defined on some vector space is a nonzero vector in the domain of ''D'' that, when ''D'' acts upon it, is simply scaled by some scalar value called an eigenvalue. In the special case where ''D'' is defined on a function space, the eigenvectors are referred to as eigenfunctions. That is, a function ''f'' is an eigenfunction of ''D'' if it satisfies the equation where λ is a scalar. The solutions to Equation may also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dolbeault Operator
In mathematics, a complex differential form is a differential form on a manifold (usually a complex manifold) which is permitted to have complex number, complex coefficients. Complex forms have broad applications in differential geometry. On complex manifolds, they are fundamental and serve as the basis for much of algebraic geometry, Kähler metric, Kähler geometry, and Hodge theory. Over non-complex manifolds, they also play a role in the study of almost complex structures, the theory of spinors, and CR structures. Typically, complex forms are considered because of some desirable decomposition that the forms admit. On a complex manifold, for instance, any complex ''k''-form can be decomposed uniquely into a sum of so-called (''p'', ''q'')-forms: roughly, wedges of ''p'' exterior derivative, differentials of the holomorphic coordinates with ''q'' differentials of their complex conjugates. The ensemble of (''p'', ''q'')-forms becomes the primitive object of study, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Differential Operator
In mathematics, a differential operator is an operator defined as a function of the differentiation operator. It is helpful, as a matter of notation first, to consider differentiation as an abstract operation that accepts a function and returns another function (in the style of a higher-order function in computer science). This article considers mainly linear differential operators, which are the most common type. However, non-linear differential operators also exist, such as the Schwarzian derivative. Definition An order-m linear differential operator is a map A from a function space \mathcal_1 to another function space \mathcal_2 that can be written as: A = \sum_a_\alpha(x) D^\alpha\ , where \alpha = (\alpha_1,\alpha_2,\cdots,\alpha_n) is a multi-index of non-negative integers, , \alpha, = \alpha_1 + \alpha_2 + \cdots + \alpha_n, and for each \alpha, a_\alpha(x) is a function on some open domain in ''n''-dimensional space. The operator D^\alpha is interpreted as D^\alp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Complex Projective Line
In mathematics, the Riemann sphere, named after Bernhard Riemann, is a model of the extended complex plane: the complex plane plus one point at infinity. This extended plane represents the extended complex numbers, that is, the complex numbers plus a value \infty for infinity. With the Riemann model, the point \infty is near to very large numbers, just as the point 0 is near to very small numbers. The extended complex numbers are useful in complex analysis because they allow for division by zero in some circumstances, in a way that makes expressions such as 1/0=\infty well-behaved. For example, any rational function on the complex plane can be extended to a holomorphic function on the Riemann sphere, with the poles of the rational function mapping to infinity. More generally, any meromorphic function can be thought of as a holomorphic function whose codomain is the Riemann sphere. In geometry, the Riemann sphere is the prototypical example of a Riemann surface, and is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Serre Twist
In mathematics, the tautological bundle is a vector bundle occurring over a Grassmannian in a natural tautological way: for a Grassmannian of k-dimensional subspaces of V, given a point in the Grassmannian corresponding to a k-dimensional vector subspace W \subseteq V, the fiber over W is the subspace W itself. In the case of projective space the tautological bundle is known as the tautological line bundle. The tautological bundle is also called the universal bundle since any vector bundle (over a compact space) is a pullback of the tautological bundle; this is to say a Grassmannian is a classifying space for vector bundles. Because of this, the tautological bundle is important in the study of characteristic classes. Tautological bundles are constructed both in algebraic topology and in algebraic geometry. In algebraic geometry, the tautological line bundle (as invertible sheaf) is :\mathcal_(-1), the dual of the hyperplane bundle or Serre's twisting sheaf \mathcal_(1). The hype ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
