Wigner D-matrix

The Wigner D-matrix (also known as the Wigner rotation matrix) is a square matrix, of dimension $2j+1$, given by

$D_{m'm}^{j}(\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma ):=\langle jm'|{\mathcal {R}}(\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma )|jm\rangle =e^{-im'\alpha }d_{m'm}^{j}(\beta )e^{-im\gamma }$

where $\alpha ,\;\beta ,$ and $\gamma \;$ are Euler angles, and where $d_{m'm}^{j}(\beta )$, known as Wigner's reduced d-matrix, is given by

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \begin{array}{lcl} d^j_{m'm}(\beta) &=& D^j_{m'm}(0,\beta,0) \\ &=& \langle jm' |e^{-i\beta j_y} | jm \rangle\\ &=& [(j+m')!(j-m')!(j+m)!(j-m)!]^{1/2} \sum_s \frac{(-1)^{m'-m+s}}{(j+m-s)!s!(m'-m+s)!(j-m'-s)!} \\ &&\times \left(\cos\frac{\beta}{2}\right)^{2j+m-m'-2s}\left(\sin\frac{\beta}{2}\right)^{m'-m+2s} \end{array} }

This represents a rotation of Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \theta} about the (inital frame) Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle Y} axis.

Relation with spherical harmonic functions

The D-matrix elements with second index equal to zero, are proportional to spherical harmonics (normalized to unity)

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle D^{\ell}_{m 0}(\alpha,\beta,\gamma)^* = \sqrt{\frac{4\pi}{2\ell+1}} Y_{\ell}^m (\beta, \alpha )}

External links

• Wigner D-matrix page on Wikipedia

References

1. E. P. Wigner, Gruppentheorie und ihre Anwendungen auf die Quantenmechanik der Atomspektren, Vieweg Verlag, Braunschweig (1931).
2. Holger Dachsel "Fast and accurate determination of the Wigner rotation matrices in the fast multipole method", Journal of Chemical Physics 124 144115 (2006)