How does a quantum harmonic oscillator oscillate?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 2K views
closet mathemetician
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
A classical harmonic oscillator follows a smooth, sinusoidal path of oscillation. Since on a quantum level energy levels are discrete, does a quantum harmonic oscillator actually oscillate in the everyday sense?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
closet mathemetician said:
does a quantum harmonic oscillator actually oscillate in the everyday sense?
No, it doesn't.

In classical physics x=x(t) is moving around. In qm what is moving around with the classical frequency is the qm operator x(t) in the Heisenberg picture.