PH101

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

Lecture 3
 Recap
❑ Bohr’s model to explain the atomic spectra
✓ The angular momentum is quantized.
✓ The orbit is stationary in nature.
❑ De Broglie Hypothesis:
✓ Wave-particle duality:
✓ Every particle or system of particles can be defined in quantum mechanical terms and
therefore have wave-like properties.

❑ The quantum wavelength of an object is:

 = h/p (p is momentum)
Typical macroscopic objects
❑ masses ~ kg; velocities ~ m/s → p  1 kg·m/s
❑   10-34 meters (too small to matter in macro environment!!)
❑ Typical “quantum” objects
electron (10-30 kg) at thermal velocity (105 m/s) →   10-8 m
❑ so  is 100 times larger than an atom: very relevant to an electron!

Derivation of the Bohr’s postulate of quantization of orbital angular momentum using De-
Broglie Hypothesis.

Wave nature of electron is required to understand the quantized angular momentum.

 Representation of Matter through waves

OR

Using
 Representation of Matter through waves
Consider the superposition of two waves as shown in the figure.
Representation of Matter through waves

Matter particle moving with velocity v0

Wave representation of Matter particle moving

with velocity v0
 Representation of Matter through waves
In principle one can generalise the previous calculation to obtain the form of the most general wave packet.

However, we can obtain an interesting insight about the wave packet by simply considering the superposition of two
waves which can also be generalised to many waves.
Representation of Matter through waves

Check !!!
Representation of Matter through waves

Check !!!
Group velocity of the material wave: Example
 Representation of Matter through waves: Uncertainty Principle
Representation of wave in the real space

Representation in the wave number space (Fourier Space)

❑ If wave is spread in the real space, it will be more localized in the wave number (or
momentum space).
❑ However, Gaussian wave packet in real space will have the form Gaussian wave-
packet in the wave number space. And the relation between spread in real and
momentum space is given by

However, the wave packet is not exactly the Gaussian and the relation
comes as
Derivation of Minimum Uncertainty relation for Gaussian Wavepacket
Derivation of Minimum Uncertainty relation for Gaussian Wavepacket Contd..
Derivation of Minimum Uncertainty relation for Gaussian Wavepacket Contd..
Derivation of Minimum Uncertainty relation for Gaussian Wavepacket Contd..
 Uncertainty Principle
It is impossible to know both the exact position and exact
momentum of an object at the same time.

Representation of wave in position space

Representation of wave in wavenumber space

 Uncertainty Principle

Werner Heisenberg
German
1901-1976

It was in Copenhagen, in 1927, that Heisenberg developed his

uncertainty principle, while working on the mathematical
foundations of quantum mechanics.