The Definition of Waves in Quantum Mechanics

[snackster17]

I hear the term Wave used in extreme frequencies whenever Quantum Mechanics is discussed but I am not entirely sure what exactly is a wave.
Can a wave be thought as a particle whose position is unspecified with multiple areas where it may impact the surface of another object.
Or is a wave a group of particles bundled up?
thanks.

 

[arkajad]

A wave is a wave. It is a function on the configuration space (3n-dimensional for an n-particle system), not in the ordinary space. It has values in some vector space. For an electron with spin it will be 2 or 4 dimensional complex.

There are different kind of waves. Almost every parameter of a physical system can sometimes behave in a wavy way.

The "waves" in quantum theory of one particle determine the probabilities of the response of particle's detectors (you can try to detect position, momentum, energy, spin). Their generation and propagation depends on the whole experimental situation. The rest is in the math.

 

[zonde]

Wave is collective behavior of particles that can not be explained by independent behavior of each particle separately.

 

[granpa]

A wave in quantum mechanics is something that behaves like a wave.

Think 'oscillatory'.

 

[nismaratwork]

I just want to be clear, are we talking about "wave" or "wavefuntion"? The former is Granpa's reading, the latter is the probabilistic reading of Zonde (I think)

 

[Reylan]

Wave-particle duality may be a misnomer and Field-particle duality may be the right term.

 

[nismaratwork]

Wave-particle duality may be a misnomer and Field-particle duality may be the right term.

Then again, it might not be.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

I hear the term Wave used in extreme frequencies whenever Quantum Mechanics is discussed but I am not entirely sure what exactly is a wave.
Can a wave be thought as a particle whose position is unspecified with multiple areas where it may impact the surface of another object.
Or is a wave a group of particles bundled up?
thanks.

The oscillating quantity in a quantum mechanics wavefunction (which is a wave) is an abstract number such that when it is squared, the new number is the probability that the system is in a particular state. A state may contain everything that is measurable about one or many particles including their locations, momenta, and energies.

Put another way, the oscillating quantity is the root of the probability of having a specific series of numbers describing a physical system, at time t (usually).

 

[Reylan]

Then again, it might not be.

Yet another form of uncertainty?

 

[nismaratwork]

Yet another form of uncertainty?

No, I was dismissing what you said in a sarcastic fashion, if I recall. This was nearly 2 weeks ago... but that's how I remember it.

 

[Reylan]

No, I was dismissing what you said in a sarcastic fashion, if I recall. This was nearly 2 weeks ago... but that's how I remember it.

Your dismissal that necessitated sarcasm is well appreciated... but you could have done better without it.

 

[nismaratwork]

Your dismissal that necessitated sarcasm is well appreciated... but you could have done better without it.

Perhaps... it was a 6 word post 2 weeks ago, it's not ringing a lot of bells for me.