Gao, Shan (2013) Is an electron a charge cloud? A reexamination of Schrödinger's charge density hypothesis. [Preprint]

Preview

PDF electroncloud_v9.pdf - Submitted Version Download (303kB)

Abstract

This article re-examines Schrödinger's charge density hypothesis, according to which the charge of an electron is distributed in the whole space, and the charge density in each position is proportional to the modulus squared of the wave function of the electron there. It is demonstrated that the charge distribution of a quantum system can be measured by protective measurements as expectation values of certain observables, and the results as predicted by quantum mechanics confirm Schrödinger's original hypothesis. Moreover, the physical origin of the charge distribution is also investigated. It is argued that the charge distribution of a quantum system is effective, that is, it is formed by the ergodic motion of a localized particle with the charge of the system.

---

Export/Citation:

EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Gao, Shan sgao7319@uni.sydney.edu.au
Keywords:	Schrödinger, electron cloud, charge cloud, charge density hypothesis, protective measurement, ergodic motion, particles
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Chemistry Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Sociology
Depositing User:	Dr. Shan Gao
Date Deposited:	22 Apr 2013 19:10
Last Modified:	22 Apr 2013 19:10
Item ID:	9696
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Chemistry Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Sociology
Date:	21 March 2013
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9696

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item