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In chapter 4 of "Modern Quantum Mechanics" by Sakurai, in the section where the SO(4) symmetry in Coulomb potential is discussed, the following commutation relations are given:
## [L_i,L_j]=i\hbar \varepsilon_{ijk} L_k##
## [M_i,L_j]=i\hbar \varepsilon_{ijk}M_k##
## [M_i,M_j]=-i\hbar \varepsilon_{ijk} \frac 2 m H L_k ##
Where H is the Hamiltonian ##H=\frac{\mathbf p^2}{2m}-\frac{Ze^2}{r} ## and ## \mathbf M=\frac{1}{2m} (\mathbf p \times \mathbf L-\mathbf L \times \mathbf p)-\frac{Ze^2}{r}\mathbf r ## and ## \mathbf L ## is the angular momentum operator.
Then there is following paragraph:
There are two things that aren't clear for me!
1) Scattering states can also be eigenkets of the Hamiltonian so why do we need to consider the subspace of bound states only?
2) Its true that for eigenkets of the Hamiltonian, we can just replace it with energy, but within the subpsace of bound states we still have superpositions of these bound states with different energies which are not eigenkets of the Hamiltonian so it seems to me, because of these superposition states, we can't simply replace Hamiltonian with energy.
Thanks
## [L_i,L_j]=i\hbar \varepsilon_{ijk} L_k##
## [M_i,L_j]=i\hbar \varepsilon_{ijk}M_k##
## [M_i,M_j]=-i\hbar \varepsilon_{ijk} \frac 2 m H L_k ##
Where H is the Hamiltonian ##H=\frac{\mathbf p^2}{2m}-\frac{Ze^2}{r} ## and ## \mathbf M=\frac{1}{2m} (\mathbf p \times \mathbf L-\mathbf L \times \mathbf p)-\frac{Ze^2}{r}\mathbf r ## and ## \mathbf L ## is the angular momentum operator.
Then there is following paragraph:
To be sure, (4.1.25), (4.1.26), and (4.1.27)[the above commutation relations] do not form a closed algebra, due to the presence of H in (4.1.27), and that makes it difficult to identify these operators as generators of a continuous symmetry. However, we can consider the problem of specific bound states. In this case, the vector space is truncated only to those that are eigenstates of H, with eigenvalue E < O. In that case, we replace H with E in (4.1.27), and the algebra is closed.
There are two things that aren't clear for me!
1) Scattering states can also be eigenkets of the Hamiltonian so why do we need to consider the subspace of bound states only?
2) Its true that for eigenkets of the Hamiltonian, we can just replace it with energy, but within the subpsace of bound states we still have superpositions of these bound states with different energies which are not eigenkets of the Hamiltonian so it seems to me, because of these superposition states, we can't simply replace Hamiltonian with energy.
Thanks