Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Unusual Properties of Superoscillating Particles

Achim Kempf, Ferreira, P J S G

Published May 24, 2003• 68 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

It has been found that functions can oscillate locally much faster than their Fourier transform would suggest is possible - a phenomenon called superoscillation. Here, we consider the case of superoscillating wave functions in quantum mechanics. We find that they possess rather unusual properties which raise measurement theoretic, thermodynamic and information theoretic issues. We explicitly determine the wave functions with the most pronounced superoscillations, together with their scaling behavior. We also address the question how superoscillating wave functions could be produced.

Related papers

Unusual properties of superoscillating particles

Achim Kempf, Paulo J S G Ferreira

It has been found that functions can oscillate locally much faster than their Fourier transform would suggest is possible - a phenomenon called superoscillation. Here, we consider the case of superoscillating wave functions in quantum mechanics. We find that they possess rather unusual properties which raise measurement theoretic, thermodynamic and information theoretic issues. We explicitly determine the wave functions with the most pronounced superoscillations, together with their scaling behavior. We also address the question how superoscillating wave functions could be produced.

arXiv:quant-ph/0305148•Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General•Dec 2, 2004•76 citations

Analysis of Superoscillatory Wave Functions

Matt S. Calder, Achim Kempf

Abstract. Surprisingly, differentiable functions are able to oscillate arbitrarily faster than their highest Fourier component would suggest. The phenomenon is called superoscillation. Recently, a practical method for calculating superoscillatory functions was presented and it was shown that superoscillatory quantum mechanical wave functions should exhibit a number of counter-intuitive physical effects. Following up on this work, we here present more general methods which allow the calculation of superoscillatory wave functions with custom-designed physical properties. We give concrete examples and we prove results about the limits to superoscillatory behavior. We also give a simple and intuitive new explanation for the exponential computational cost of superoscillations. 1 2 1.

•Jan 1, 2004•15 citations

Analysis of superoscillatory wave functions

Matt S. Calder, Achim Kempf

Surprisingly, differentiable functions are able to oscillate arbitrarily faster than their highest Fourier component would suggest. The phenomenon is called superoscillation. Recently, a practical method for calculating superoscillatory functions was presented and it was shown that superoscillatory quantum mechanical wave functions should exhibit a number of counter-intuitive physical effects. Following up on this work, we here present more general methods which allow the calculation of superoscillatory wave functions with custom-designed physical properties. We give concrete examples and we prove results about the limits to superoscillatory behavior. We also give a simple and intuitive new explanation for the exponential computational cost of superoscillations.

arXiv:quant-ph/0405065•Journal of Mathematical Physics•Dec 22, 2004•26 citations

Scaling properties of superoscillations and the extension to periodic signals

Eugene Tang, Lovneesh Garg, Achim Kempf

Abstract Superoscillatory wave forms, i.e., waves that locally oscillate faster than their highest Fourier component, possess unusual properties that make them of great interest from quantum mechanics to signal processing. However, the more pronounced the desired superoscillatory behavior is to be, the more difficult it becomes to produce, or even only calculate, such highly fine-tuned wave forms in practice. Here, we investigate how this sensitivity to preparation errors scales for a method for constructing superoscillatory functions which is optimal in the sense that it minimizes the energetic expense. We thereby also arrive at very accurate approximations of functions which are so highly superoscillatory that they cannot be calculated numerically. We then investigate to what extent the scaling and sensitivity results for superoscillatory functions on the real line extend to the experimentally important case of superoscillatory functions that are periodic.

arXiv:1512.00109•Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical•Jul 8, 2016•11 citations

New methods for creating superoscillations

Leilee Chojnacki, Achim Kempf

Abstract Superoscillating functions, i.e. functions that locally oscillate at a rate faster than their highest Fourier component, are of interest for applications from fundamental physics to engineering. Here, we develop a new method which allows one to construct superoscillations of arbitrarily high frequency and arbitrarily long duration in a computationally efficient way. We also present a method for constructing non-singular Schrödinger potentials whose ground state is a superoscillating wave function.

arXiv:1608.03121•Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical•Nov 23, 2016•17 citations

Driving quantum systems with superoscillations

Achim Kempf, Angus Prain

Superoscillations, i.e., the phenomenon that a bandlimited function can temporary oscillate faster than its highest Fourier component, are being much discussed for their potential for “superresolution” beyond the diffraction limit. Here, we consider systems that are driven with a time dependence that is off-resonance for the system, in the Fourier sense. We show that superoscillating sources can temporarily induce resonance during the period when the source is behaving superoscillatory. This observation poses the question as to how the system “undoes” the “false resonance” after the full source has acted and its band limitation is apparent. We discuss several examples of systems that might be capable of distilling the temporary excitation through some non-harmonic effects, such as dissipation or dispersion at high frequencies, opening up the possibility of low frequency detection of “fast” microphysics through superoscillations. We conclude that either superoscillations really can beat the bandlimit and achieve superresolution (“kinematic superresolution”) or the superoscillating high frequency is absorbed and we gain dynamical access to the physics of high frequency processes with low frequency signals (“dynamical superresolution”).

arXiv:1510.04353•Journal of Mathematical Physics•Aug 1, 2017•16 citations
It has been found that functions can oscillate locally much faster than their Fourier transform would suggest is possible - a phenomenon called superoscillation. Here, we consider the case of superoscillating wave functions in quantum mechanics. We find that they possess rather unusual properties which raise measurement theoretic, thermodynamic and information theoretic issues. We explicitly determine the wave functions with the most pronounced superoscillations, together with their scaling behavior. We also address the question how superoscillating wave functions could be produced.
It has been found that functions can oscillate locally much faster than their Fourier transform would suggest is possible - a phenomenon called superoscillation. Here, we consider the case of superoscillating wave functions in quantum mechanics. We find that they possess rather unusual properties which raise measurement theoretic, thermodynamic and information theoretic issues. We explicitly determine the wave functions with the most pronounced superoscillations, together with their scaling behavior. We also address the question how superoscillating wave functions could be produced.
Abstract. Surprisingly, differentiable functions are able to oscillate arbitrarily faster than their highest Fourier component would suggest. The phenomenon is called superoscillation. Recently, a practical method for calculating superoscillatory functions was presented and it was shown that superoscillatory quantum mechanical wave functions should exhibit a number of counter-intuitive physical effects. Following up on this work, we here present more general methods which allow the calculation of superoscillatory wave functions with custom-designed physical properties. We give concrete examples and we prove results about the limits to superoscillatory behavior. We also give a simple and intuitive new explanation for the exponential computational cost of superoscillations. 1 2 1.
Surprisingly, differentiable functions are able to oscillate arbitrarily faster than their highest Fourier component would suggest. The phenomenon is called superoscillation. Recently, a practical method for calculating superoscillatory functions was presented and it was shown that superoscillatory quantum mechanical wave functions should exhibit a number of counter-intuitive physical effects. Following up on this work, we here present more general methods which allow the calculation of superoscillatory wave functions with custom-designed physical properties. We give concrete examples and we prove results about the limits to superoscillatory behavior. We also give a simple and intuitive new explanation for the exponential computational cost of superoscillations.
Abstract Superoscillatory wave forms, i.e., waves that locally oscillate faster than their highest Fourier component, possess unusual properties that make them of great interest from quantum mechanics to signal processing. However, the more pronounced the desired superoscillatory behavior is to be, the more difficult it becomes to produce, or even only calculate, such highly fine-tuned wave forms in practice. Here, we investigate how this sensitivity to preparation errors scales for a method for constructing superoscillatory functions which is optimal in the sense that it minimizes the energetic expense. We thereby also arrive at very accurate approximations of functions which are so highly superoscillatory that they cannot be calculated numerically. We then investigate to what extent the scaling and sensitivity results for superoscillatory functions on the real line extend to the experimentally important case of superoscillatory functions that are periodic.
Abstract Superoscillating functions, i.e. functions that locally oscillate at a rate faster than their highest Fourier component, are of interest for applications from fundamental physics to engineering. Here, we develop a new method which allows one to construct superoscillations of arbitrarily high frequency and arbitrarily long duration in a computationally efficient way. We also present a method for constructing non-singular Schrödinger potentials whose ground state is a superoscillating wave function.
Superoscillations, i.e., the phenomenon that a bandlimited function can temporary oscillate faster than its highest Fourier component, are being much discussed for their potential for “superresolution” beyond the diffraction limit. Here, we consider systems that are driven with a time dependence that is off-resonance for the system, in the Fourier sense. We show that superoscillating sources can temporarily induce resonance during the period when the source is behaving superoscillatory. This observation poses the question as to how the system “undoes” the “false resonance” after the full source has acted and its band limitation is apparent. We discuss several examples of systems that might be capable of distilling the temporary excitation through some non-harmonic effects, such as dissipation or dispersion at high frequencies, opening up the possibility of low frequency detection of “fast” microphysics through superoscillations. We conclude that either superoscillations really can beat the bandlimit and achieve superresolution (“kinematic superresolution”) or the superoscillating high frequency is absorbed and we gain dynamical access to the physics of high frequency processes with low frequency signals (“dynamical superresolution”).