Abstract
We discuss the propagation of wave packets through interacting environments. Such environments generally modify the dispersion relation or shape of the wave function. To study such effects in detail, we define the distribution function which describes the arrival time T of a packet at a detector located at point X. We calculate for wave packets traveling through a tunneling barrier and find that our results actually explain recent experiments. We compare our results with Nelson’s stochastic interpretation of quantum mechanics and resolve a paradox previously apparent in Nelson’s viewpoint about the tunneling time.
- Received 28 December 1999
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.62.022101
©2000 American Physical Society