37,204 research outputs found
Time-of-Arrival States
Although one can show formally that a time-of-arrival operator cannot exist,
one can modify the low momentum behaviour of the operator slightly so that it
is self-adjoint. We show that such a modification results in the difficulty
that the eigenstates are drastically altered. In an eigenstate of the modified
time-of-arrival operator, the particle, at the predicted time-of-arrival, is
found far away from the point of arrival with probability 1/2.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figure
Time-of-arrival in quantum mechanics
We study the problem of computing the probability for the time-of-arrival of
a quantum particle at a given spatial position. We consider a solution to this
problem based on the spectral decomposition of the particle's (Heisenberg)
state into the eigenstates of a suitable operator, which we denote as the
``time-of-arrival'' operator. We discuss the general properties of this
operator. We construct the operator explicitly in the simple case of a free
nonrelativistic particle, and compare the probabilities it yields with the ones
estimated indirectly in terms of the flux of the Schr\"odinger current. We
derive a well defined uncertainty relation between time-of-arrival and energy;
this result shows that the well known arguments against the existence of such a
relation can be circumvented. Finally, we define a ``time-representation'' of
the quantum mechanics of a free particle, in which the time-of-arrival is
diagonal. Our results suggest that, contrary to what is commonly assumed,
quantum mechanics exhibits a hidden equivalence between independent (time) and
dependent (position) variables, analogous to the one revealed by the
parametrized formalism in classical mechanics.Comment: Latex/Revtex, 20 pages. 2 figs included using epsf. Submitted to
Phys. Rev.
Time of Arrival from Bohmian Flow
We develop a new conception for the quantum mechanical arrival time
distribution from the perspective of Bohmian mechanics. A detection probability
for detectors sensitive to quite arbitrary spacetime domains is formulated.
Basic positivity and monotonicity properties are established. We show that our
detection probability improves and generalises earlier proposals by Leavens and
McKinnon. The difference between the two notions is illustrated through
application to a free wave packet.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Journ. Phys. A; representation of
ref. 5 improved (thanks to Rick Leavens
Time-of-arrival lightning activity location system
System fixes location of charge buildup in clouds. It provides range, azimuth, and elevation in real-time so that warning of charge buildup can be implemented
Measurement of Time-of-Arrival in Quantum Mechanics
It is argued that the time-of-arrival cannot be precisely defined and
measured in quantum mechanics. By constructing explicit toy models of a
measurement, we show that for a free particle it cannot be measured more
accurately then , where is the initial kinetic
energy of the particle. With a better accuracy, particles reflect off the
measuring device, and the resulting probability distribution becomes distorted.
It is shown that a time-of-arrival operator cannot exist, and that approximate
time-of-arrival operators do not correspond to the measurements considered
here.Comment: References added. To appear in Phys. Rev.
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