Quantum Average Momentum Compared with Classical Statistical Pressure Part IV Interference in Terms of Probabilistic Impulses
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In Part III we considered the quantum free particle wavefunction exp(ipx) as consisting of two parts cos(px) and sin(px) treated as two different dimensions. We also argued that each, is a probability distribution in space and so associated with an internal force. One may notice that exp(ipx) does not contain time, but still predicts the direction of motion. Given that one cannot consider x(t) within a wavelength hbar/p even though on average the particle moves as x=p/m t, there is no real sense of time within a wavelength. Extending this idea, one repeats cos(px) humps. Given that the particle is moving, one must somehow juxtapose two spatial probability densities. The derivative of the distribution is proportional to average momentum and so one may see the notion of action-reaction occurring between cos(px) and sin(px) and within cos(px) and sin(px) accounting for the sign changes with x. We argue that d/dx cos(px) regions which change sign imply that the impulse direction changes.
Furthermore, cos(px) has regions near the endpoints of the wavelength which have very low values (close to zero) which is fine if one has two juxtapositioned distributions. If, however, one creates a single particle bound state, exp(ipx) and exp(-ipx) for a(p)=a(-p) (a specific parity) give the appearance of a cancelation leaving the impression of 2cos(px) i.e a single “static” distribution. This occurs because there is no internal time in the picture and so p and -p probabilities add. The so-called canceled pieces have not really disappeared. as will be argued, they simply do not contribute to an average impulse which is what experiments apparently detect. Thus “negative” quantum probability is linked to impulse in the opposite direction, we argue. Thus interference is really linked to the notion of probabilistic impulses i.e. p exp(ipx) even though exp(ipx) is used as a kind of probability.
exp(ipx) contains internal action-reaction impulse hits which have experimental consequences as we argue is shown in a reflection/refraction problem, but are also linked with impulse hits associated with p. Thus there are two sets of forces to deal with. This, we argue, explains why one writes the energy conservation equation AA/c1=BB/c1+CC/c2 for reflection/refraction where A,B,C represent the incident, reflected and refracted rays and AA simply shows that intensity/flux is positive as two equations: A+B=C and Ap - pB = p2C with E=pc. The two equations,, needed to solve for B,C in terms of A,, describe the internal force in exp(ipx) and the probabilistic impulse p exp(ipx).
For a single particle bound state, one considers a linear combination of free particle states indicating that impulse hits represent the underlying physics. Given the apparent spatial invariance of a free particle exp(ipx), one may wonder how a kinetic energy profile appears. We argue that different p values yield different peak points for maximum impulse hits and these are out of synch leading to a spatial distribution of KE(x) or d/dx KE(x) which is equivalent to -dV/dx =Force where V(x) is the potential.