Time-of-arrival states

J. Oppenheim, B. Reznik, and W. G. Unruh
Phys. Rev. A 59, 1804 – Published 1 March 1999
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Abstract

Although one can show formally that a time-of-arrival operator cannot exist, one can modify the low-momentum behavior of the operator slightly so that it is self-adjoint. We show that such a modification results in the difficulty that the eigenstates are drastically altered. In an eigenstate of the modified time-of-arrival operator, the particle, at the predicted time of arrival, is found far away from the point of arrival with probability 1/2.

  • Received 17 July 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.59.1804

©1999 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

J. Oppenheim1,*, B. Reznik2,†, and W. G. Unruh3,‡

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T1Z1
  • 2Theoretical Division, T-6, MS B288, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
  • 3CIAR Gravity and Cosmology Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T1Z1

  • *Electronic address: jono@physics.ubc.ca
  • Electronic address: reznik@t6-serv.lanl.gov
  • Electronic address: unruh@physics.ubc.ca

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Vol. 59, Iss. 3 — March 1999

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