I Does a Quantum Field Creation Operator Create Particles at a Given Location?

acegikmoqsuwy
Messages
41
Reaction score
4
Hi,
It appears that the definition of a quantum field creation operator is given by $$\Psi^{\dagger}(\mathbf r) = \sum\limits_{\mathbf k} e^{-i\mathbf k\cdot \mathbf r} a^{\dagger}_{\mathbf k}.$$

But then if we examine how this operator acts on the vacuum state, we get $$\Psi^{\dagger}(\mathbf r) |vac\rangle = \sum\limits_{\mathbf k} e^{-i\mathbf k\cdot \mathbf r} |\mathbf k\rangle.$$

I thought this operator was supposed to create a particle at the given location, but we also have $$|\mathbf r\rangle = \sum\limits_{\mathbf k} e^{i\mathbf k\cdot \mathbf r} |\mathbf k\rangle.$$

These are both different, so in particular, it won't be the case that $$\langle \mathbf r'| \Psi^{\dagger}(\mathbf r)| vac\rangle = \delta^{(3)}(\mathbf r -\mathbf r ').$$

What went wrong?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Never mind, I figured it out. The expansion of an eigenstate of position should instead be $$|\mathbf r\rangle = \sum\limits_{\mathbf k} e^{-i\mathbf k\cdot \mathbf r} |\mathbf k\rangle.$$
 
  • Like
Likes Michael Price, Cryo and Demystifier
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
If we release an electron around a positively charged sphere, the initial state of electron is a linear combination of Hydrogen-like states. According to quantum mechanics, evolution of time would not change this initial state because the potential is time independent. However, classically we expect the electron to collide with the sphere. So, it seems that the quantum and classics predict different behaviours!
According to recent podcast between Jacob Barandes and Sean Carroll, Barandes claims that putting a sensitive qubit near one of the slits of a double slit interference experiment is sufficient to break the interference pattern. Here are his words from the official transcript: Is that true? Caveats I see: The qubit is a quantum object, so if the particle was in a superposition of up and down, the qubit can be in a superposition too. Measuring the qubit in an orthogonal direction might...

Similar threads

Replies
2
Views
786
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
1K
Replies
27
Views
3K
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
1K
Replies
16
Views
4K
Back
Top