Monday, 20 April 2020

quantum mechanics - Interpreting group velocity of free particle wave packet


I am trying to understand the concept of group velocity of a free particle wave packet: Ψ(x,t)=12πϕ(k)eikxeik2t2mdk.


Where ω(k)=k22m. Assuming that ϕ(k) is narrowly peaked about some particular value k0 we can Taylor expand ω(k) about k0 to get ω(k)=k02m+k0m(kk0)+2m(kk0)2. Then after defining variable κ:=kk0 we get Ψ(x,t)12πeik20t2meik20tmϕ(κ+k0)ei(κ+k0)(xk0tm)dk.


This integral is the superposition of waves of the form ei(κ+k0)(xk0tm). However notice that each of these waves have the same speed k0m. Then in terms of the energy vgroup=dω(k0)dk=k0m=2E0m. Hence for stationary state Ψk0 we have that vgroup=2vphase.


Apparently we can then evaluate the group velocity for each k, hence vgroup=dω(k)dk.


Question: I understand the above calculation. But qualitatively I don't understand how the group velocity can be a function of k as opposed to just a single value (independent of k) which describes how fast the envelope propagates? I know that each stationary state has it's own phase velocity but I thought that superimposing these waves of different speeds produces an envelope which travels at a single velocity vgroup?




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