Surprises in the suddenly-expanded infinite well

DOI10.1088/1751-8113/41/7/075301zbMATH Open1138.81374arXiv0709.1101OpenAlexW3099683151MaRDI QIDQ5454300FDOQ5454300

Authors: Claude Aslangul 

Publication date: 28 March 2008

Published in: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: I study the time-evolution of a particle prepared in the ground state of an infinite well after the latter is suddenly expanded. It turns out that the probability density $|Psi(x,t){|}^2$ shows up quite a surprising behaviour: for definite times, {it plateaux} appear for which $|Psi(x,t){|}^2$ is constant on finite intervals for $x$. Elements of theoretical explanation are given by analyzing the singular component of the second derivative $partia{l}_{xx}Psi(x,t)$. Analytical closed expressions are obtained for some specific times, which easily allow to show that, at these times, the density organizes itself into regular patterns provided the size of the box in large enough; more, above some critical time-dependent size, the density patterns are independent of the expansion parameter. It is seen how the density at these times simply results from a construction game with definite rules acting on the pieces of the initial density.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0709.1101

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05)

Cited In (5)

• Condition for sudden approximation and its application in the problem of compression of an infinite well
• The quantum square well with moving boundaries: a numerical analysis
• Controllability of a 2D quantum particle in a time-varying disc with radial data
• Increase of temperature of an ideal nondegenerate quantum gas in a suddenly expanding box due to energy quantization
• Asymptotic behaviour of a particle in a uniformly expanding potential well

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