Exact and simple formulas for the linearization coefficients of products of orthogonal polynomials and physical application

Abstract

We obtain exact, simple and very compact expressions for the linearization coefficients of the products of orthogonal polynomials; both the conventional Clebsch-Gordan-type and the modified version. The expressions are general depending only on the coefficients of the three-term recursion relation of the linearizing polynomials. These are more appropriate and useful for doing numerical calculations when compared to other exact formulas found in the mathematics literature, some of which apply only to special class of polynomials while others may involve the evaluation of intractable integrals. As an application in physics, we present a remarkable phenomenon where nonlinear coupling in a physical system with pure continuous spectrum generates a mixed spectrum of continuous and discrete energies.