Quantum simulation of a particle scattering in a lattice

The video shows a quantum simulation made by solving the Schrödinger equation for a particle scattering in three different lattices.

It can be seen that despite the complex behavior within the periodic lattice, the diffracted wavefunction at the output is well resolved, a well-known fact in electron crystallography.

This made QMsolve, an open-source python open-source package for visualizing and solving the Schrödinger equation.

In the visualization, the color hue shows the phase of the wave function of the particle ψ(x,y), while the opacity shows the amplitude.

#SchrödingerEquation #QuantumPhysics #QMsolve

[BrentLeVasseur]

In this simulation, the atoms are static and unmoving, which is not realistic. In reality, the atoms are vibrating themselves, and the vibrational frequency will cause additional scattering, absorption, or cancelation effects. In the case of absorption, the energy state of an atom changes, and in the cases of scattering, the energy state stays the same. So some atoms may change states and others not. This simulation is closer to what a sound wave does when colliding with static hard surface objects, but even with sound waves, the hard surface collision objects will resonate as a result of the collisions with the sound wave to create secondary sympathetic resonances, which would in turn induce tertiary sympathetic resonances from near by objects. What this simulation is doing is showing the most basic scattering of a wave without any residual effects that would normally occur in real life.

[sillygoofygoofball]

using colour to represent the complex phase of the wfn is so nice and pretty

[salvadorvillarreal]

It would be very interesting if you also changed the momentum and/or angle of the particle to see how Bragg diffraction of a single particle looks like

[gustavgnoettgen]

"An observer! Quick, scatter!"

[Mike-xqib]

Looking at this, it occurs to me that we don't actually see the particle, we only see it's effect on the medium of space it travels through.

[iainmackenzieUK]

I will use this for my A level Physics students - to show (amongst other things) how a diffraction pattern may be used to identify the structure of a molecule/ atomic array

[Razzer_racer]

Look at all of those scattery particle bits!

[lattelab]

Would be interesting to use a larger lattice and spectrally decompose the wave to see the bands and band gaps of the lattice. And also determine localization lengths of disordered lattices.

[DV_Cruz]

Reminds me of those simulations of how it looks like to trip on psychedelics

[streamofconsciousness]

The wider spacing, it made a Man and that turned into a Angel. Wild.

[StarFury]

Astonishing animation, and the music is just fantastic. Reminds me of Vangelis.

[rolandmeyer]

Now show us particle scattering in lettuce.

[loxonin]

A single elemental particle such as an electron should be a plane wave instead of a wave packet. Since it is a wave packet in this video, it is composed of many wave numbers. In practice, this is the typical situation of (transmission) scanning electron microscopy.

[anonym]

why does the circle move faster than the colored waves? even fading out one in the back and forminh new layer at the front

[offYears]

cool how there seems to be a lensing effect around each vertex

[syntaxed]

What does the lattice represent? matter particles?

[zekmek]

How is it possible for an atom to collide with an arrangement of other atoms without them moving? I mean, an atom arriving on this wall is the same thing as this wall arriving on this atom, right? And the atoms in this wall should also react as waves, have the same behavior, right? we should see waves interacting with waves and not a wave interacting with a wall of particles, I tell myself

[TheBigBanggggg]

EVERY PICTURE OF THE SUBATOMIC WORLD IS JUST A FANTASY.

[IAMHEATHER.C]

Meditation lead me here. I wish I understood whats happening here like most of this comment section.😭 It's memorizing!

[Dalmonius]

I know nothing about quantum physics and this is probably a dumb comment but I wonder how would the simulation look like if that were two atoms (or particles) colliding instead of a particle against a lattice.