This article reviews positive and negative time delays in various processes of classical and quantum physics. In the beginning, we demonstrate how a time-shifted response of a system to an external perturbation appears in classical mechanics and classical electrodynamics. Then we quantify durations of various quantum mechanical processes. The duration of the quantum tunneling is studied, and an interpretation of the Hartmann paradox is suggested. Time delays and advances appearing in the three-dimensional scattering problem on a central potential are considered. We then discuss delays and advances appearing in quantum field theory and after that we focus on the issue of time delays and advancements in quantum kinetics. We discuss problems of the application of generalized kinetic equations in simulations of the system relaxation toward equilibrium and analyze the kinetic entropy flow. Possible measurements of time delays and advancements in experiments similar to the recent OPERA neutrino experiment are also discussed.
This article reviews positive and negative time delays in various processes of classical and quantum physics. In the beginning, we demonstrate how a time-shifted response of a system to an external perturbation appears in classical mechanics and classical electrodynamics. Then we quantify durations of various quantum mechanical processes. The duration of the quantum tunneling is studied, and an interpretation of the Hartmann paradox is suggested. Time delays and advances appearing in the three-dimensional scattering problem on a central potential are considered. We then discuss delays and advances appearing in quantum field theory and after that we focus on the issue of time delays and advancements in quantum kinetics. We discuss problems of the application of generalized kinetic equations in simulations of the system relaxation toward equilibrium and analyze the kinetic entropy flow. Possible measurements of time delays and advancements in experiments similar to the recent OPERA neutrino experiment are also discussed.
The problem of time delay in one-dimensional quantum-mechanical scattering by a potential barrier is studied in the framework of time-dependent scattering theory. It is shown how the concept of sojourn time can be used to define three separate time delays: the time delay for transmission through the barrier, the time delay for reflection, and the total time delay (i.e., averaged over transmission and reflection). In addition to the anticipated dependence on the S matrix and its energy derivative, the time delays depend on certain parameters which can be interpreted as describing positions of detectors in a gedanken-experiment measurement. The problem of defining separate time delays for transmission and reflection appears to be rooted in the foundations of quantum theory and its interpretation.
This article addresses topics regarding time measurements performed on quantum systems. The motivation is linked to the advent of 'attophysics' which makes feasible to follow the motion of electrons in atoms and molecules, with time resolution at the attosecond (1 as = 10 −18 s) level, i.e. at the natural scale for electronic processes in these systems. In this context, attosecond 'time-delays' have been recently measured in experiments on photoionization and the question arises if such advances could cast a new light on the still active discussion on the status of the time variable in quantum mechanics. One issue still debatable is how to decide whether one can define a quantum time operator with eigenvalues associated to measurable 'time-delays', or time is a parameter, as it is implicit in the Newtonian classical mechanics. One objective of this paper is to investigate if the recent attophysics-based measurements could shed light on this parameter-operator conundrum. To this end, we present here the main features of the theory background, followed by an analysis of the experimental schemes that have been used to evidence attosecond 'time-delays' in photoionization. Our conclusion is that these results reinforce the view that time is a parameter which cannot be defined without reference to classical mechanics.
For temporal magnitudes describing, in details, processes of particles scattering for a long time at each necessity case a particular, ad hoc reception were used. However the desirability of general approach basing on concepts of quantum field theory and uniting two main problems, durations of delay at scattering and of formation of arisen states, seems evident. We show that the Ward-Takahashi identity allows the defining of general temporal function in the frame of QED, real part of which describes the duration of delay of scattered particle on scatterer and imaginary part describes the duration of formation ("dressing") of outgoing bare particle. The functions of same form can be revealed in the known QED descriptions of processes, i.e. they arise in the course of standard calculations, but are not entered artificially. These functions submit to the operator of duration determinable by the reciprocal analogue of the Schroedinger equation, operator of which is canonically conjugated with Hamiltonian. Definition of temporal functions leads to the developing of such kinetic theories: theory of optical dispersion (with the decision of certain known paradoxes), theory of multiphoton processes (definitions of their thresholds and saturations) and theory of phase transitions (determination of general correlation radii and the full system of critical indices). The determination of temporal functions demonstrates also the instanton-type nature of tunneling processes, makes clear sense of the adiabatic hypothesis of quantum theory and some renormalization schemes. In an application to the problem of charge nullification they lead to a restriction of allowable number of fermions of the theory.
Elastic scattering of a wave can be quantified by a shift in the phase with respect to the phase of the incoming wave. A qualitative measure of the time during which the effect occurs is given by the Wigner time delay. The tunneling time is known to saturate with increasing tunneling barrier width (Hartman effect). Here, we analyze the elastic quantum mechanical scattering in a deformed one-dimensional Riemannian manifold, particularly with respect to the Wigner time delay and conclude on the Hartman effect. It is shown that scattering due to local curvature variations results in imperfect conduction and leads to a Wigner time delay that at low energies, is in variance with the classical time delay that is inferred from the arc length. At moderate and high energies, however, classical and quantum time delays coincide.
Some new results are presented and recent developments are reviewed on the study of Time in quantum physics as an observable, canonically conjugate to energy. Operators for the observable Time are investigated in particle and photon quantum theory. In particular, this paper deals with the Hermitian (more precisely, maximal Hermitian, but non-self-adjoint) operator for Time which appears: (i) for particles, in ordinary nonrelativistic quantum mechanics; and (ii) for photons (i.e. in first-quantization quantum electrodynamics). In conclusion, various recent and possible future applications of the time quantum analysis for tunnelling processes, nuclear collisions and systems with (quasi)discrete energy spectra are indicated.
The time of passage of the transmitted wave packet in a tunneling collision of a quantum particle with a square potential barrier becomes independent of the barrier width in a range of barrier thickness. This is the Hartman effect, which has been frequently associated with ``superluminality.'' A fundamental limitation on the effect is set by nonrelativistic ``causality conditions.'' We demonstrate first that the causality conditions impose more restrictive bounds on the negative time delays (time advancements) when no bound states are present. These restrictive bounds are in agreement with a naive, and generally false, causality argument based on the positivity of the ``extrapolated phase time,'' one of the quantities proposed to characterize the duration of the barrier's traversal. Nevertheless, square wells may in fact lead to much larger advancements than square barriers. We point out that close to the thresholds of new bound states, the time advancement increases considerably, while, at the same time, the transmission probability is large, which facilitates the possible observation of the enhanced time advancement.