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    Course Mat.5 PDF

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    Aritra Ghosh
    The uncertainty principle states that the more precisely the position of a particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice versa. This fundamental limit is inherent to the quantum mechanical description of nature. Heisenberg realized that any measurement of a particle necessarily disturbs it, introducing uncertainty. The principle applies not just to position and momentum but also to other conjugate pairs like energy and time - the more precisely energy is known, the less precisely time can be determined. The uncertainty principle has important implications like particles not having well-defined trajectories and explaining why electrons cannot be found within an atom's nucleus.

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    Course Mat.5 PDF

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    Aritra Ghosh
    72 views12 pages
    The uncertainty principle states that the more precisely the position of a particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice versa. This fundamental limit is inherent to the quantum mechanical description of nature. Heisenberg realized that any measurement of a particle necessarily disturbs it, introducing uncertainty. The principle applies not just to position and momentum but also to other conjugate pairs like energy and time - the more precisely energy is known, the less precisely time can be determined. The uncertainty principle has important implications like particles not having well-defined trajectories and explaining why electrons cannot be found within an atom's nucleus.

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    The uncertainty principle states that the more precisely the position of a particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice versa. This fundamental limit is inherent to the quantum mechanical description of nature. Heisenberg realized that any measurement of a particle necessarily disturbs it, introducing uncertainty. The principle applies not just to position and momentum but also to other conjugate pairs like energy and time - the more precisely energy is known, the less precisely time can be determined. The uncertainty principle has important implications like particles not having well-defined trajectories and explaining why electrons cannot be found within an atom's nucleus.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    72 views12 pages

    Course Mat.5 PDF

    Uploaded by

    Aritra Ghosh
    The uncertainty principle states that the more precisely the position of a particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice versa. This fundamental limit is inherent to the quantum mechanical description of nature. Heisenberg realized that any measurement of a particle necessarily disturbs it, introducing uncertainty. The principle applies not just to position and momentum but also to other conjugate pairs like energy and time - the more precisely energy is known, the less precisely time can be determined. The uncertainty principle has important implications like particles not having well-defined trajectories and explaining why electrons cannot be found within an atom's nucleus.

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    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 realised that ...
    ⚫ In the world of very small particles, one cannot
    measure any property of a particle without
    interacting with it in some way
    ⚫ This introduces an unavoidable uncertainty into
    the result
    ⚫ One can never measure all the
    properties exactly

    Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976)


    Measuring the position and momentum
    of an electron
    ⚫ Shine light on electron and detect reflected
    light using a microscope
    ⚫ Minimum uncertainty in position
    is given by the wavelength of the
    light
    ⚫ So to determine the position
    accurately, it is necessary to use
    light with a short wavelength
    ⚫ In order to see the electron, at least one photon must
    bounce off it
    ⚫ During this interaction, momentum is transferred
    from the photon to the electron
    ⚫ Therefore, the light that allows you to accurately
    locate the electron changes the momentum of the
    electron
    Fundamental Trade Off …
    ⚫ Use light with short wavelength:
    ⚫ accurate measurement of position but not
    momentum
    ⚫ Use light with long wavelength:
    ⚫ accurate measurement of momentum but not
    position
    Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle

    ⚫If a measurement of position of a particle is made with precision Δx

    and a simultaneous measurement of linear momentum is made with


    precision Δp then the product of the two uncertainties can never be
    smaller than h/4
    The more accurately you know the position (i.e.,
    the smaller Dx is) , the less accurately you know the momentum
    (i.e., the larger Dp is); and vice versa
    Implications
    ⚫ It is impossible to know both the position and
    momentum exactly, i.e., Dx=0 and Dp=0

    ⚫ These uncertainties are inherent in the physical world


    and have nothing to do with the skill of the observer

    ⚫ Because h is so small, these uncertainties are not


    observable in normal everyday situations
    Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
    involving energy and time

    ⚫ The more accurately we know the energy of a body,


    the less accurately we know how long it possessed
    that energy
    Derivation for uncertainty in energy and time
    h
    position momentum relation D xD p x 
    4
    m  p h
     
    multiply and divide above eqn. by m & p Dx Dp x   
     p  m  4

    From Einstein’s equation E = p2/2m (since E = ½ mv2 and p = mv)


    ∆ E = ∆ p 2p/2m
    = ∆ p (p/m)
    Further ∆ x (m/p) = ∆ x / v = ∆ t since p = mv
    Substituting for ∆ x (m/p) and ∆ p (p/m) in position –
    momentum equation we get h
    DEDt 
    4
    Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
    ___________________________________

    Position & momentum h


    DxDp x 
    4
    h
    Energy & time DEDt 
    4
    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.
    Applications of the uncertainty principle

    ⚫ The non-existence of electron in the nucleus can be


    proved

    ⚫ The binding energy of the hydrogen atom can be


    calculated

    ⚫ Strength of the nuclear force can be estimated

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