在量子力学中，由独立角动量本征态构造出总角动量本征态的过程称为角动量耦合。例如，单个粒子的轨道和自旋会通过自旋-轨道作用相互影响，完整的物理图象必须包括自旋－轨道耦合。或者说，两个具有明确角动量定义的带电粒子会相互作用，这时将两个单粒子角动量耦合为总角动量，是解两粒子体系薛定谔方程的有用步骤。在这两种情况下，单独的角动量都不再是体系的守恒量，但两个角动量加和通常仍然是。在原子光谱中，原子角动量的耦合非常重要。电子自旋角动量的耦合对于量子化学非常重要。在核壳层模型中也普遍存在角动量耦合。

在天文学中，自旋轨道耦合同样反映了天体系统中角动量守恒的一般规律。在简单情况下，角动量的矢量方向被忽略，而自旋轨道耦合为行星等绕自身轴线旋转与绕另一个星体旋转的频率比值。这更多称作轨道共振。常见的相关物理效应为潮汐力。

In quantum mechanics, the procedure of constructing eigenstates of total angular momentum out of eigenstates of separate angular momenta is called angular momentum coupling. For instance, the orbit and spin of a single particle can interact through spin–orbit interaction, in which case the complete physical picture must include spin-orbit coupling. Or two charged particles, each with a well-defined angular momentum, may interact by Coulomb forces, in which case coupling of the two one-particle angular momenta to a total angular momentum is a useful step in the solution of the two-particle Schrödinger equation. In both cases the separate angular momenta are no longer constants of motion, but the sum of the two angular momenta usually still is. Angular momentum coupling in atoms is of importance in atomic spectroscopy. Angular momentum coupling of electron spins is of importance in quantum chemistry. Also in the nuclear shell model angular momentum coupling is ubiquitous.