See if it commutes with <math>\hat L^2</math>
Center of mass coordinates assume that the collective center of mass is at rest.
The total momentum <math>\sum_i P_i = 0</math> |
The center of mass (CM) is decoupled from relative motion, so the Hamiltonian can be written in terms of CM coordinates. This cuts the number of dimensions of the problem in half, simplifying the mathematics.
The central potential is that which describes the potential in the Hydrogen atom: V(r) = -e^2/r. The potential depends only on r, so the Hamiltonian commutes with L^2 (the sqaured angular momentum operator). This fact allows the separation of variables for solving the SE and lets us know that the Hamiltonian and L^2 share a common set of eigenfunctions (namely, the spherical harmonics).
See this Wikipedia page.