- #1
Karmerlo
- 14
- 0
What should we use to express free particle in Quantum Mechanics? Wave packet or plane wave? Can free particle be localized in Quantum Mechanics?
It's true that plane waves are generalized eigenfunctions of the momentum operator, nevertheless e.g. in scattering theory (in QM or QFT) you use plane waves a free, incoming particles. So strictly speaking they cannot not realized in nature, but as mathematical idealizations they are useful b/c you get physically correct results.vanhees71 said:Plane waves do not represent states. They are generalized eigenfunctions of the momentum operator, ...
Karmerlo said:What should we use to express free particle in Quantum Mechanics? Wave packet or plane wave? Can free particle be localized in Quantum Mechanics?
Sorry, but I disagree.vanhees71 said:Yes, it cannot be stressed enough: Plane waves do not represent states of particles in [itex]\mathbb{R}^3[/itex].
In scattering theory you don't use plane waves but asymptotically free wave packets to describe the in and out states, supposed these provide the correct asymptotics, i.e., if the interaction potential between the scatterers falls faster than [itex]1/r[/itex]. E.g., in Coulomb scattering the free-particle states are not the apprriate asymptotic states due to the long-range nature of the Coulomb force. There you use "distorted waves" as a generalized basis for the asymptotically free scattering states, i.e., the unbound solutions of the Coulomb-Hamiltonian eigenvalue problem.
The most commonly used mathematical expression for a free particle in Quantum Mechanics is the wave function, also known as the Schrödinger equation. This equation describes the time evolution of a quantum system and can be used to calculate the probability of finding a particle in a certain location at a certain time.
The wave function, denoted by the Greek letter psi (ψ), is a mathematical function that describes the quantum state of a particle. It is used to determine the probability of finding a particle at a given location and time. The absolute square of the wave function represents the probability density of finding the particle at a particular position.
Yes, the wave function can be used to describe both stationary and non-stationary particles. For stationary particles, the wave function remains constant over time, while for non-stationary particles, the wave function changes over time. However, the wave function cannot be used to describe particles that are moving at the speed of light.
The wave function is related to the uncertainty principle in that it allows us to determine the probability of finding a particle in a particular location. The uncertainty principle states that the more precisely we know the position of a particle, the less precisely we can know its momentum, and vice versa. The wave function helps us understand and quantify this uncertainty.
Yes, there are alternative mathematical expressions for a free particle in Quantum Mechanics, such as the momentum space wave function and the position space wave function. These expressions use different variables and representations to describe the quantum state of a particle. However, the wave function is the most commonly used and widely accepted expression for a free particle in Quantum Mechanics.