The Schrödinger equation: the quantum description of one massive, slow-moving particle To establish a probability wave equation for one photon, it was useful to note that probability density and electromagnetic energy density were proportional. The governing equation for EM radiation fields is the Maxwell wave equation, which is also the governing equation for photon probability wave functions. Converting from EM radiation to photon information is made plausible by identifying energy and momentum operators with time- and space-derivatives, respectively. Thus, the Maxwell wave equation can be interpreted as being equivalent to the energy-momentum relation for photons. Though we don’t have a “Maxwell wave equation” to start with for massive particles, we do have an energy-momentum relation, so borrowing the energy and momentum operators from photons leads to an analogous wave equation for massive particles.
Abstract A discussion of the physical meaning of the Schrödinger wave equation can not only constitute an exciting introduction to some of the more abstract ideas of quantum mechanics, but serves more generally as a useful demonstration of the application of mathematics to modern physics. This frontline uses physical concepts and mathematical techniques that would be accessible to a sufficiently interested secondary school student, in order to derive the simplest, one-dimensional case of the time-independent Schrödinger equation: the derivation relies only upon aspects of Newtonian/wave mechanics, quantum theory, complex numbers and calculus that would be covered in an advanced secondary school syllabus.
This study delves into the realm of Schrödinger equations and wave mechanics, aiming to see if they could provide a foundation comparable in generality to that formulated in the preceding chapter, and to bridge the gap between classical and quantum physics. It begins by deriving a family of Schrödinger-like equations. The study introduces an intuitive approach for deriving an entire spectrum of Schrödinger-like equations, encompassing classical and novel variants, through the utilization of the complex wave function and its conjugate, along with the assumptionsA01, A08. Examining the concepts of the complex wave function
ψ and the multi-vector wave function
Ψ reveals their equal generality, suggesting the applicability of Schrödinger-like equations in the context of multi-vectors, including both
ψ and the phase
Φ . To explore the correspondence principle between quantum and classical mechanics, a well-studied example is dissected in Section 2.4, necessitating the development of a suitable wave function (2.50). The use of the real function [1, (1.50)] to form the complex test function (2.50) is a logical step, and its substitution into the Schrödinger equations aims to yield an identity. The substitution of (2.50) reveals a discrepancy between the left and right sides of the Schrödinger equations (2.25, 2.26), highlighting their inadequacy in describing the classical mechanics example accurately. This observation underscores the limitations of classical Schrödinger equations and their departure from the correspondence principle. Consequently, a more comprehensive set of Schrödinger-like equations (2.58-2.68) is derived, rendering the previously considered equations (2.25, 2.26) irrelevant. Substituting the test function (2.50) into equations (2.58-2.68) demonstrates their soundness and suitability for the example, establishing the correspondence principle between classical and quantum mechanics. Our analysis indicates that the classical set [1, (1.4-1.6)] exhibits a higher degree of generality than the quantum one (2.58-2.68), thereby deferring the definitive validation of this assertion to forthcoming research endeavours. These findings underscore the potential significance of our framework in bridging the gap between quantum and classical mechanics, promising further exploration and validation in future studies.
It is difficult to understand quantum mechanics. A major reason for this is that people do not realize that classical mechanics can be very well described by quantum mechanics. It would all have been much easier if Newton had not developed classical mechanics from the equation relating force, mass, and acceleration of a particle, but had started from a simple form of the Schrödinger wave equation. The equation F=ma could just as well have waited for its derivation from quantum mechanics by Paul Ehrenfest in 1927.
A Return to the Beginning (Inception|) of Physics. The time of Isaac Newton who published in 1687 in the “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” a Universal Fundamental Principle in Physics which was in Harmony with Science and Religion. The Universal Path, the Leitmotiv, the Universal Concept in Physics. Newton found the concept of “Universal Equilibrium” which he formulated in his famous third equation Action = - Reaction. This article presents a New Kind of Physics based on this Universal Fundamental Concept in Physics which results in a New Approach in Quantum Physics and General Relativity.The physical concept of quantum mechanical probability waves has been created during the famous 1927 5th Solvay Conference. During that period there were several circumstances which came together and made it possible to create an unique idea of material waves being complex (partly real and partly imaginary) and describing the probability of the appearance of a physical object (elementary particle). The idea of complex probability waves was new in the beginning of the 20th century. Since then the New Concept has been protected carefully within the Copenhagen Interpretation. When Schrödinger published his famous material wave equation in 1926, he found spherical and elliptical solutions for the presence of the electron within the atom. The first idea of the material waves in Schrödinger’s wave equation was the concept of confined Electromagnetic Waves. But according to Maxwell this was impossible. According to Maxwell’s equations Electromagnetic Waves can only propagate along straight lines and it is impossible that Light (Electromagnetic Waves) could confine with the surface of a sphere or an ellipse. For that reason these material waves in Schrödinger’s wave equation could only be of a different origin than Electromagnetic Waves. Niels Bohr introduced the concept of “Probability Waves” as the origin of the material waves in Schrödinger’s wave equation. And defined the New Concept that the electron was still a particle but the physical presence of the electron in the Atom was equally divided by a spherical probability function.In the New Theory it will be demonstrated that because of a mistake in the Maxwell Equations, in 1927 Confined Electromagnetic waves could not be considered to be the material waves expressed in Schrödinger’s wave equation. The New Theory presents a new equation describing electromagnetic field configurations which are also solutions of the Schrodinger’s wave equation and the relativistic quantum mechanical Dirac Equation and carry mass, electric charge and magnetic spin at discrete values.