Novel Outlook on the Eigenvalue Problem for the Orbital Angular Momentum Operator

Abstract

Based on the novel prescription for the power of a complex number, a new expression for the eigenfunction of the operator of the third component of the angular momentum is presented. These functions are normalizable, single valued and are invariant under the rotations at 2\pi for any, not necessary integer m - the eigenvalue of the operator of the third component of the angular momentum. For any real m these functions form an orthonormal set, therefore they may serve as a quantum mechanical eigenfunctions. The eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the operator of the angular momentum operator squared, derived for the two different prescriptions for the square root are reported. The normalizable eigenfunctions of the operator of the angular momentum operator squared are presented in terms of hypergeometric functions, admitting integer as well as non-integer eigenvalues. It is shown that the purely integer spectrum is not the most general solution but is just the artifact of a particular choice of the Legendre functions as the pair of linearly independent solutions of the eigenvalue problem for the operator of the angular momentum operator squared.