Skip to main content
Physics

Return to Answer

Addition
Source Link
akhmeteli
akhmeteli
  • 27.5k
  • 2
  • 28
  • 67

As momentum is conserved for a free particle, it is not obvious to me that the momentum becomes more certain for a Gaussian wave packet. Neither is it obvious to me that an initially Gaussian wave packet will remain Gaussian.

EDIT (02/11/2018): According to http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/EvolutionOfAGaussianWavePacket/ , an initially Gaussian wave packet can remain Gaussian (at least in some cases), but the momentum uncertainty does not depend on time.

As momentum is conserved for a free particle, it is not obvious to me that the momentum becomes more certain for a Gaussian wave packet. Neither is it obvious to me that an initially Gaussian wave packet will remain Gaussian.

As momentum is conserved for a free particle, it is not obvious to me that the momentum becomes more certain for a Gaussian wave packet. Neither is it obvious to me that an initially Gaussian wave packet will remain Gaussian.

EDIT (02/11/2018): According to http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/EvolutionOfAGaussianWavePacket/ , an initially Gaussian wave packet can remain Gaussian (at least in some cases), but the momentum uncertainty does not depend on time.

Source Link
akhmeteli
akhmeteli
  • 27.5k
  • 2
  • 28
  • 67

As momentum is conserved for a free particle, it is not obvious to me that the momentum becomes more certain for a Gaussian wave packet. Neither is it obvious to me that an initially Gaussian wave packet will remain Gaussian.