For a non-relativistic particle, we consider the evolution of wave functions that consist of polynomial segments, usually joined smoothly together. These spline wave functions are compact (that is, they are initially zero outside a finite region), but they immediately extend over all available space as they evolve. The simplest splines are the square and triangular wave functions in one dimension, but very complicated splines have been used in physics. In general the evolution of such spline wave functions can be expressed in terms of antiderivatives of the propagator; in the case of a free particle or an oscillator, all the evolutions are expressed exactly in terms of Fresnel integrals. Some extensions of these methods to two and three dimensions are discussed.
For a non-relativistic particle, we consider the evolution of wave functions that consist of polynomial segments, usually joined smoothly together. These spline wave functions are compact (that is, they are initially zero outside a finite region), but they immediately extend over all available space as they evolve. The simplest splines are the square and triangular wave functions in one dimension, but very complicated splines have been used in physics. In general the evolution of such spline wave functions can be expressed in terms of antiderivatives of the propagator; in the case of a free particle or an oscillator, all the evolutions are expressed exactly in terms of Fresnel integrals. Some extensions of these methods to two and three dimensions are discussed.
For a nonrelativistic quantum system of N particles, the wave function is a function of 3N spatial coordinates and one temporal coordinate. The relativistic generalization of this wave function is a function of N time variables known as the multitime wave function, and its evolution is described by N Schrödinger equations, one for each time variable. To guarantee the existence of a nontrivial common solution of these N equations, the N Hamiltonians must satisfy a compatibility condition known as the integrability condition. In this work, the integrability condition is expressed in terms of Lagrangians. The time evolution of a wave function with N time variables is derived in Feynman’s picture of quantum mechanics. However, these evolutions are compatible if and only if the N Lagrangians satisfy a certain relation called the consistency condition, which can be expressed in terms of Wilson line. As a consequence of this consistency condition, the evolution of the wave function gives rise to a key feature called the “path-independence” property on the space of time variables. This suggests that one must consider all possible paths not only on the space of dependent variables (spatial variables) but also on the space of independent variables (temporal variables). Geometrically, this consistency condition can be regarded as a zero-curvature condition and the multitime evolutions can be treated as compatible parallel transport processes on the flat space of time variables.
Abstract Moments are expectation values over wave functions (or averages over a set of classical particles) of products of powers of position and momentum. For the harmonic oscillator, the evolution in the quantum case is very closely related to that of the classical case. Here we consider the non-relativistic evolution of moments of all orders for the oscillator in one dimension and investigate invariant combinations of the moments. In particular, we find an infinite set of invariants that enable us to express the evolution of any moment in terms of sinusoids. We also find explicit expressions for the inverse of these relations, thus enabling the expression of the evolution of any moment in terms of the initial set of moments. More detailed attention is given to moments of the third and fourth order in terms of the invariant combinations.
The evolution of the free-particle wave function in one dimension is the same as scalar Fresnel diffraction from a one-dimensional structure. Quantum mechanics courses often explore the propagation of Gaussian wave packets, but the diffractionlike mathematics is sufficiently tractable to investigate the propagation of other wave packets, both numerically and analytically. More importantly, the diffraction analogy facilitates the development of an intuitive understanding of the role that the initial phase plays in free-particle wave packet evolution. This article considers some of the effects of the initial phase function on the subsequent evolution of free-particle wave packets in the position representation. These considerations reinforce the idea that the classical mechanics limit embodied in the correspondence principle and formalized in the Ehrenfest theorem is necessarily an incomplete representation of quantum behavior.
In non-relativistic quantum mechanics of N particles in three spatial dimensions, the wave function ψ ( q 1 , ..., q N , t ) is a function of 3 N position coordinates and one time coordinate. It is an obvious idea that in a relativistic setting, such functions should be replaced by ϕ (( t 1 , q 1 ), ..., ( t N , q N )), a function of N space-time points called a multi-time wave function because it involves N time variables. Its evolution is determined by N Schrödinger equations, one for each time variable; to ensure that simultaneous solutions to these N equations exist, the N Hamiltonians need to satisfy a consistency condition. This condition is automatically satisfied for non-interacting particles, but it is not obvious how to set up consistent multi-time equations with interaction. For example, interaction potentials (such as the Coulomb potential) make the equations inconsistent, except in very special cases. However, there have been recent successes in setting up consistent multi-time equations involving interaction, in two ways: either involving zero-range ( δ potential) interaction or involving particle creation and annihilation. The latter equations provide a multi-time formulation of a quantum field theory. The wave function in these equations is a multi-time Fock function, i.e., a family of functions consisting of, for every n = 0, 1, 2, ..., an n -particle wave function with n time variables. These wave functions are related to the Tomonaga–Schwinger approach and to quantum field operators, but, as we point out, they have several advantages.
This chapter begins by exploiting the Einstein–de Broglie relation and the notion of symbol, as defined in Eq. (3.6.6). The following steps are the local and global conservation laws associated to the Schrödinger equation, the probabilistic interpretation of the wave function, the spreading of wave packets and transformation properties of wave functions. The solution of the Schrödinger equation for a given initial condition is then studied. For this purpose, one first expands the initial condition in terms of eigenfunctions of the Hamiltonian operator. This is then ‘propagated’ to determine the evolution of the wave function. Thus, one is led to consider the Green kernel of the Schrödinger equation, and the boundary conditions on the wave function that lead to complete knowledge of stationary states. A dynamics involving an isometric non-unitary operator is also studied. The chapter ends with an elementary introduction to harmonic oscillators and to the JWKB method in wave mechanics, plus examples on the Bohr–Sommerfeld quantization. From classical to wave mechanics The correspondence between differential operators and polynomials in k relies on the notion of the symbol defined in Eq. (3.6.6). Now we are aiming to pass from a function on phase space, i.e. the classical Hamiltonian, to an operator which, by analogy, is called the Hamiltonian operator. Such a transition is non-trivial because the map from symbols to operators contains some ambiguity. Such a transition is always possible if polynomials in p have constant coefficients. When this is not the case, i.e. if the coefficients are functions on the configuration space, there is an obvious ambiguity in the association of an operator with xp or px , for instance.