6-j Symbol

6-j Symbol

Wigner's 6-j symbols were introduced by Eugene Paul Wigner in 1940, and published in 1965. They are defined by a sum over products of four 3jm symbols,

\begin{Bmatrix} j_1 & j_2 & j_3\\ j_4 & j_5 & j_6 \end{Bmatrix} = \sum_{m_i} (-1)^S \begin{pmatrix} j_1 & j_2 & j_3\\ m_1 & m_2 & -m_3 \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} j_1 & j_5 & j_6\\ -m_1 & m_5 & m_6 \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} j_4 & j_5 & j_3\\ m_4 & -m_5 & m_3 \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} j_4 & j_2 & j_6\\ -m_4 & -m_2 & -m_6 \end{pmatrix} .

with phase . The summation is over all six mi, effectively confined by the selection rules of the 3jm symbols. They are related to Racah's W-coefficients by

\begin{Bmatrix} j_1 & j_2 & j_3\\ j_4 & j_5 & j_6 \end{Bmatrix} = (-1)^{j_1+j_2+j_4+j_5}W(j_1j_2j_5j_4;j_3j_6).

They have higher symmetry than Racah's W-coefficients.

Read more about 6-j Symbol:  Symmetry Relations, Special Case, Orthogonality Relation, Asymptotics

Famous quotes containing the word symbol:

    “Whatever we inherit from the fortunate
    We have taken from the defeated
    What they had to leave us—a symbol:
    A symbol perfected in death.”
    —T.S. (Thomas Stearns)