Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle

___________________________________

The Uncertainty Principle is an important
consequence of the wave-particle duality of
matter and radiation and is inherent to the
quantum description of nature
Simply stated, it is impossible to know both
the exact position and the exact momentum
of an object simultaneously
A fact of Nature!





Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
__________________________________


Uncertainty in Position :

Uncertainty in Momentum:











x
x
p
2
h
p x
x


Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
- applies to all conjugate variables
___________________________________

Position & momentum



Energy & time









2
h
p x
x

2
h
t E
Uncertainty Principle and the Wave Packet
___________________________________






p
h

2
h
p x
x

If is large, is small

p
p

x
x



Some consequences of the Uncertainty
Principle
___________________________________

The path of a particle (trajectory) is not well-
defined in quantum mechanics

Electrons cannot exist inside a nucleus

Atomic oscillators possess a certain amount of
energy known as the zero-point energy, even at
absolute zero.




Why isnt the uncertainty principle apparent
to us in our ordinary experience?
Plancks constant, again!!
___________________________________



Plancks constant is so small that the
uncertainties implied by the principle are
also too small to be observed. They are
only significant in the domain of
microscopic systems
J.s 10 x 6 . 6
34
h
2
h
p x
x



Summary
___________________________________
Matter and radiation have a dual nature of
both wave and particle

The matter wave associated with a particle has a
de Broglie wavelength given by






p
h


Summary (contd.)
___________________________________
A (localized) particle can be represented by a group
of waves called a wave packet


The group velocity of the wave packet is

The phase velocity of the wave packet is



v
c
v
p
2

v v
g



Summary (contd.)
___________________________________
Heisenbergs uncertainty principle is an important
consequence of the wave-particle duality of matter and
radiation and is inherent to the quantum description of
nature

It applies to all conjugate variables and also to the
notion of the wave packet







2
h
p x
x

2
h
t E

Are matter waves for real?!
__________________________________
In 1927 Davisson and Germer showed that electrons can
diffract they act like waves

Big application Electron Microscopes









Are matter waves for real?!
__________________________________
Double slit experiment with electrons (1989)
(www.hqrd.hitachi.co.jp/em/doubleslit.cfm)








Are matter waves for real?!
__________________________________
Today, advances in technology have led to
matter wave interference experiments being
demonstrated successfully not only with
electrons but neutrons, atoms, and big and
small molecules!

Infact, the largest molecule showing
interference has almost a 100 atoms!





Are matter waves for real?!
__________________________________

C
60
molecules (Fullerenes or Bucky Balls) have a wave
nature! (A. Zeilinger et al, Vienna, 1999)




Biomolecules have it too!
Porphyrin
(2003)

Are matter waves for real?!
__________________________________


What next? Matter wave interference for a
Virus?!



Matter waves are real.
_______________________________


If there is wave, there must be a wave
equation

The Schrdinger Equation