Probability density doesn't oscillate with time

solas99
Messages
69
Reaction score
1
why the probability density doesn't oscillate with time?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
It can do - and usually does, for instance, in a stationary state.
What is the situation.
 
For a stationary state the probability density does not oscillate in time.

The wavefunction of a stationary state does evolve in time according to ψ(x,t)=f(x)e-iEt, where f(x) is an eigenfunction of the Hamiltonian, and E is the corresponding eigenvalue. However, the probability density is the "square" of the wavefunction, ψψ*, where the multiplication of e-iEt with the complex conjugatate of eiEt gives e0=1, which doesn't change with time.

The probability density of a general state does evolve in time, because it is the superposition of several eigenfunctions.
 
Last edited:
Oh I get you - I misread.
Yeah - the probability density of a stationary state does not vary with time, which is sort-of why it is a stationary state.
Still need more info to answer OPs question properly.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In her YouTube video Bell’s Theorem Experiments on Entangled Photons, Dr. Fugate shows how polarization-entangled photons violate Bell’s inequality. In this Insight, I will use quantum information theory to explain why such entangled photon-polarization qubits violate the version of Bell’s inequality due to John Clauser, Michael Horne, Abner Shimony, and Richard Holt known as the...
Not an expert in QM. AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is quite different from the classical wave equation. The former is an equation for the dynamics of the state of a (quantum?) system, the latter is an equation for the dynamics of a (classical) degree of freedom. As a matter of fact, Schrödinger's equation is first order in time derivatives, while the classical wave equation is second order. But, AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is a wave equation; only its interpretation makes it non-classical...
I am not sure if this falls under classical physics or quantum physics or somewhere else (so feel free to put it in the right section), but is there any micro state of the universe one can think of which if evolved under the current laws of nature, inevitably results in outcomes such as a table levitating? That example is just a random one I decided to choose but I'm really asking about any event that would seem like a "miracle" to the ordinary person (i.e. any event that doesn't seem to...

Similar threads

Replies
6
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
13
Views
3K
Replies
9
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
23
Views
1K
Back
Top