Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The wave function of an initially very localized free particle. In quantum physics, a wave function (or wavefunction) is a mathematical description of the quantum state of an isolated quantum system. The most common symbols for a wave function are the Greek letters ψ and Ψ (lower-case and capital psi, respectively). Wave functions are complex ...
The concept of universal wavefunction was introduced by Hugh Everett in his 1956 PhD thesis draft The Theory of the Universal Wave Function. [8] It later received investigation from James Hartle and Stephen Hawking [ 9 ] who derived the Hartle–Hawking solution to the Wheeler–deWitt equation to explain the initial conditions of the Big Bang ...
unit varies depending on context magnetic flux: weber (Wb) electric potential: volt (V) Higgs field work function: psi: wave function: m −3/2: omega: electric resistance ohm: angular frequency: radian per second (rad/s) angular velocity radian per second (rad/s)
The wave function changes, according to this school of thought, because new information is available. The post-measurement wave function generally cannot be known prior to the measurement, but the probabilities for the different possibilities can be calculated using the Born rule.
A so-called eigenmode is a solution that oscillates in time with a well-defined constant angular frequency ω, so that the temporal part of the wave function takes the form e −iωt = cos(ωt) − i sin(ωt), and the amplitude is a function f(x) of the spatial variable x, giving a separation of variables for the wave function: (,) = ().
The simplest approach is to focus on the description in terms of plane matter waves for a free particle, that is a wave function described by =, where is a position in real space, is the wave vector in units of inverse meters, ω is the angular frequency with units of inverse time and is time.
The result is that, if energy is measured in units of ħω and distance in units of √ ħ/(mω), then the Hamiltonian simplifies to = +, while the energy eigenfunctions and eigenvalues simplify to Hermite functions and integers offset by a half, = =!
Diagram illustrating the relationship between the wavenumber and the other properties of harmonic waves. In the physical sciences, the wavenumber (or wave number), also known as repetency, [1] is the spatial frequency of a wave, measured in cycles per unit distance (ordinary wavenumber) or radians per unit distance (angular wavenumber).