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Laguerre Polynomials link to the Schrodinger Equation

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I'm struggling to come to the solution regarding Laguerre polynomials for determining the radial component to insert into the Schrodinger equation.

I know it's similar to determining the Hermite and Legendre polynomials and I found those to be okay.

I'm struggling from slide 10 onwards in the first attachment and was wondering if anyone was able to help talk me through it or if someone knows a decent textbook on Laguerre polynomials. The recommended textbook for the course (Brandsen and Jochiam Quantum Mechanics) doesn't really help explain it.
Reply 1
Original post by StephenP063
I was wondering if anyone could help me. I'm struggling to come to the solution regarding Laguerre polynomials for determining the radial component to insert into the Schrodinger equation.

I know it's similar to determining the Hermite and Legendre polynomials and I found those to be okay.

I'm struggling from slide 10 onwards in the first attachment and was wondering if anyone was able to help talk me through it or if someone knows a decent textbook on Laguerre polynomials. The recommended textbook for the course (Brandsen and Jochiam Quantum Mechanics) doesn't really help explain it.


I have complete forgotten Laguerre polynomials (I do not even remember the equation) and at the moment I am on holiday in beautiful Greece, so I have no access to my office.

The best book with loads of worked examples on this subject is
Special Functions and Orthogonal Polynomials by Refaat El Attar

You can get a second hand copy for around a tenner or see if you can borrow a copy. what I do not know is whether your issue is not "Laguerre" but the context in which you have to apply it.
Reply 2
Just realised my attachments haven't linked with my original post - I can only assume they were too large.

Okay I'll have a look at that thanks! I had a look at the Math Methods book for science and engineering but it's a bit too vague so will have a look at the one you've suggested.

Well I'm looking at it from a physicist's perspective so the deep maths has been avoided on the course and it is purely the application of the polynomials in determining specific values for energy levels in an atomic system. There is a maths course available which goes into the detail for physicists at my uni but I can't take it due to other course requirements unfortunately.
Reply 3
Original post by StephenP063
Just realised my attachments haven't linked with my original post - I can only assume they were too large.

Okay I'll have a look at that thanks! I had a look at the Math Methods book for science and engineering but it's a bit too vague so will have a look at the one you've suggested.

Well I'm looking at it from a physicist's perspective so the deep maths has been avoided on the course and it is purely the application of the polynomials in determining specific values for energy levels in an atomic system. There is a maths course available which goes into the detail for physicists at my uni but I can't take it due to other course requirements unfortunately.


I would recommend trying to get hold of a general text on either differential equations or mathematical methods for physics/engineering/physicists/physical sciences.

there are some good (classic) books by
Boas
Arfken & Weber
Riley, Hobson & Bence
which may help you

but I don't know what access you have to library facilities etc at the moment.

At worst case you could just Google Laguerre polynomials - the principles are going to be exactly the same as Legendre, Hermite, Bessel, Chebyshev etc!

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