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How were the real spherical harmonics derived?

The complex spherical harmonics:

$ Y_l^m( \theta, \phi ) = K_l^m P_l^m( \cos{ \theta } ) e^{im\phi} $

But the "real" spherical harmonics are given on this wiki page as

$ Y_{lm} = \begin{cases} \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} ( Y_l^m + (-1)^mY_l^{-m} ) & \text{if } m > 0 \\ Y_l^m & \text{if } m = 0 \\ \frac{1}{i \sqrt{2}}( Y_l^{-m} - (-1)^mY_l^m) & \text{if } m < 0 \end{cases} $

  • Note: $Y_{lm} $ is the real spherical harmonic function and $Y_l^m$ is the complex-valued version (defined above)

What's going on here? Why are the real spherical harmonics defined this way and not simply as $ \Re{( Y_l^m )} $ ?

  • 0
    Something to do with [Laplace's equation](http://mathworld.wolfram.com/LaplacesEquationSphericalCoordinates.html)?2012-05-19

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The page actually suggests the answer when it says "The harmonics with $m > 0$ are said to be of cosine type, and those with $m < 0$ of sine type." Recall how one switches between the complex exponential functions $\{e^{imx}\colon m\in \mathbb Z\}$ and the trigonometric functions: it's done with the formulas $\cos mx=\frac{e^{imx}+e^{-imx}}{2}$ and $\sin mx=\frac{e^{imx}-e^{-imx}}{2i}$ Taking only real parts would not give you the sines.

Since $\cos (-mx)=\cos mx$ and $\sin(-mx)=-\sin mx$, we don't need all values of $m$ in both families. We can remove the redundant functions and enumerate the entire trigonometric basis by $m\in\mathbb Z$ as follows: $\{\cos mx\colon m\ge 0\}\cup \{\sin mx\colon m<0\}$. This is essentially what the wiki page does.

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As far as I remember, real Spherical Harmonics are real functions that still have an eigenvalue respect to L operator (angular moment). They are no longer eigenfunctions of L_z operator (M value, as they mix m and -m). On another hand, real Spherical Harmonics are also orthonormal.

Real part of Spherical Harmonics are not eigenfunctions of L operator, nor orthonormal.

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Why are the real spherical harmonics defined this way and not simply as $\Re{(Y_l^m)}$?

Well yes it is! The real spherical harmonics can be rewritten as followed: $Y_{lm} = \begin{cases} \sqrt{2}\Re{(Y_l^m)}=\sqrt{2}N_l^m\cos{(m\phi)}P_l^m(\cos \theta) & \text{if } m > 0 \\ Y_l^0=N_l^0P_l^0(\cos \theta) & \text{if } m = 0 \\ \sqrt{2}\Im{(Y_l^m)}=\sqrt{2}N_l^{|m|}\sin{(|m|\phi)}P_l^{|m|}(\cos \theta) & \text{if } m < 0 \end{cases} $

(Some texts denote lowercase $y$ for real harmonics). If you look at the table, the negative $m$ is the imaginary part of the positive $m$ (but not vice versa).