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Next: Apply Ehrenfest's Theorem Up: No Title Previous: Connection to Problem 2

A Wave Packet Moving with Constant Acceleration

Background: This problem shows how Ehrenfest's Theorem may be used to make precise statements about the behavior of quantum expectations, giving results equivalent to those expected from solving the full Time Dependent Schrödinger's Equation, which generally requires much more work. This problem also illustrates the fact that our theory satisfies the demands put on it by the JJ Thomson experiments which measured e/m, namely that the motion of the centers of quantum wave packets follow trajectories which may be described using the familiar equations from 8.01.

In this problem, you will consider a particle subjected to a constant force (V(x)=-Fx), so that its Hamiltonian is given by

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Assignment:





Prof. Tomas Alberto Arias
Thu Mar 20 17:04:34 EST 1997