Physical Interpretation of Wavefunction Phase in Quantum Mechanics

• Grant number: 23/15082-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Alexys Bruno Alfonso
• Grantee: João Pedro Breveglieri da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

At a given time, the state of a quantum system is completely characterized by its complex-valued wavefunction. However, the physical interpretation of of the wavefunction, as proposed by Born, is usually restricted to the probability density associated to its squared absolute value. Several textbooks on Quantum Mechanics that approach the probability current density give some attetion to the gradient of the wavefunction phase, but do not claim that it is an essential part of the interpretation of the wavefunction. The present Research Project aims to analyze and discuss the physical interpretation of the phase of the wavefunction in the Schrödinger, Pauli, and Dirac formulations, for a single particle.