Loading video...

Video Failed to Load

There was a problem loading this video. This could be due to a temporary network issue or the video might be unavailable.

This is a Rubidium Rydberg wavepacket reshaped by an external electric field. The electron is not shown as a particle. The surface represents regions of high probability density, |Ψ|², while the colours show the quantum phase, arg(Ψ).

Mathelirium

79,840 subscribers

12,514 views • 3 days ago •via X (Twitter)

Anya Rossi• Live Now

Private livecam show

14 Comments

Master User3 days ago

if a white father declines to send his son to twerking class, the government can use amber alerts to take his children

A.M.3 days ago

it would be enjoyable to no have to look up the math on your post.

Pode3 days ago

Wonder what it would look like inside a Bose Einstein condensate of rubidium atoms.

Chris3 days ago

@grok tell us more about wavepacket reshaped by an external electric field and the math and coupling and dynamics

starbaser2 days ago

👂

Mathelirium2 days ago

😎

starbaser2 days ago

😆

Adam Cornell2 days ago

Not a single electron was ever sent anywhere. The fields flux though.

Doug McNabb2 days ago

what does a proton wave packet look like?

WuBu ⪋ WaefreBeorn 🇺🇸 👑2 days ago

ayo you are so close

🇺🇸3 days ago

😍

Idan Beck2 days ago

These simulations are awesome - unsolicited idea from a recovering graphics dev, curious if signed distance functions might prove better for visualization here vs. marching cubes

Yanny2 days ago

@grok explain Rydberg wave packets.

Web3 Philosopher2 days ago

Looks like higher dimensional geometry

Related Videos

This is Lithium, visualized as a quantum wavepacket. The bright structures are 3D isosurfaces of the outer electron’s probability density, while colour represents the complex phase. Unlike Hydrogen, Lithium’s valence electron moves in a screened potential created by the nucleus and the closed 1s² core. The animation solves that effective Schrödinger problem and follows a coherent mixture of s- and p-type Rydberg states as they beat, breathe, shift and reform around the core.

This is Lithium, visualized as a quantum wavepacket. The bright structures are 3D isosurfaces of the outer electron’s probability density, while colour represents the complex phase. Unlike Hydrogen, Lithium’s valence electron moves in a screened potential created by the nucleus and the closed 1s² core. The animation solves that effective Schrödinger problem and follows a coherent mixture of s- and p-type Rydberg states as they beat, breathe, shift and reform around the core.

Mathelirium

174,119 views • 7 days ago

This is a visualization of a Rydberg wavepacket. In simple terms it is a way of showing an electron in a very highly excited quantum state. The Math comes from the Schrödinger equation for hydrogen where the electron is described by a wavefunction rather than as a tiny ball moving on a fixed path. The yellow sphere at the centre is the proton, not the electron. The colored 3D surface around it shows places where the electron is more likely to be, i.e. a probability cloud.

This is a visualization of a Rydberg wavepacket. In simple terms it is a way of showing an electron in a very highly excited quantum state. The Math comes from the Schrödinger equation for hydrogen where the electron is described by a wavefunction rather than as a tiny ball moving on a fixed path. The yellow sphere at the centre is the proton, not the electron. The colored 3D surface around it shows places where the electron is more likely to be, i.e. a probability cloud.

Mathelirium

17,580 views • 27 days ago

A Bonus render of Electron Holography for our Quantum Mechanics Lecture Series. We’re staging a TEM-style electron holography shot as a single 3D scene. A coherent electron wave ψ(x,y,t) enters from the left as a localized packet, gets split by a thin biprism phase wedge, then bends around a central nanoring that stands in for an enclosed magnetic flux. The wave evolves by Schrödinger dynamics, so its intensity ρ=|ψ|² is literally the electron detection probability density, while the probability current j=(1/m)Im(ψ*∇ψ) acts like a conserved flow of that density across the plane. The main surface is a living whose height tracks |ψ| and whose skin color cycles with arg(ψ). On top of it, luminous current ribbons trace streamlines of v=j/(ρ+ε), so you can see how phase gradients steer the flow around the ring and back into interference. High above, a tilted detector/hologram screen shows the off-axis fringe image you’d measure (intensity after mixing with a reference wave), while a porcelain bead marks the centroid ⟨x⟩(t) and flux threads through the ring pulse in sync with the Aharonov-Bohm phase knob φ_AB(t). See our lecture series for details. #QuantumMechanics #ElectronHolography #MathematicalPhysics #Physics

A Bonus render of Electron Holography for our Quantum Mechanics Lecture Series. We’re staging a TEM-style electron holography shot as a single 3D scene. A coherent electron wave ψ(x,y,t) enters from the left as a localized packet, gets split by a thin biprism phase wedge, then bends around a central nanoring that stands in for an enclosed magnetic flux. The wave evolves by Schrödinger dynamics, so its intensity ρ=|ψ|² is literally the electron detection probability density, while the probability current j=(1/m)Im(ψ*∇ψ) acts like a conserved flow of that density across the plane. The main surface is a living whose height tracks |ψ| and whose skin color cycles with arg(ψ). On top of it, luminous current ribbons trace streamlines of v=j/(ρ+ε), so you can see how phase gradients steer the flow around the ring and back into interference. High above, a tilted detector/hologram screen shows the off-axis fringe image you’d measure (intensity after mixing with a reference wave), while a porcelain bead marks the centroid ⟨x⟩(t) and flux threads through the ring pulse in sync with the Aharonov-Bohm phase knob φ_AB(t). See our lecture series for details. #QuantumMechanics #ElectronHolography #MathematicalPhysics #Physics

Mathelirium

14,252 views • 8 months ago

This is a simulation of a Hydrogen electron described by a superposition of several highly excited Rydberg states. The superposition forms a localized quantum wavepacket that moves around the atom, spreads, splits, and later reforms as the different energy components return to phase.

This is a simulation of a Hydrogen electron described by a superposition of several highly excited Rydberg states. The superposition forms a localized quantum wavepacket that moves around the atom, spreads, splits, and later reforms as the different energy components return to phase.

Mathelirium

41,498 views • 29 days ago

Why Does Quantum Mechanics Use a Complex Wavefunction? Schrödinger’s equation doesn’t start from mystery. It starts from a very specific bet. The state of a particle is a complex field ψ(x,t), and whatever time-evolution rule we choose has to move ψ forward while preserving total probability. So the basic question is simple. What equation should ψ satisfy so that |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, the way mass density does in fluid flow? What is ψ? Think of ψ(x,t) as an amplitude attached to the statement the particle is at position x at time t. It’s not a probability. It’s the thing you add first, and only at the end do you square it: p(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² Because ψ is complex, it has magnitude and phase. Write it as ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)) Then r² = |ψ|² is the density, and the phase θ ends up controlling the flow through the probability current. Where does Schrödinger’s equation come from? Start with two empirical inputs that tie waves to particles: E = ħ ω p = ħ k Here ħ is Planck’s constant divided by 2π. It’s the conversion factor between frequency and energy, and between wavenumber and momentum. A plane wave with angular frequency ω and wavevector k is ψ(x,t) = A exp(i(k·x − ωt)) Now watch what derivatives do to this wave: ∂ψ/∂t = −i ω ψ ∇ψ = i k ψ ∇²ψ = −|k|² ψ Multiply by ħ and you get: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ħ ω ψ = E ψ −i ħ ∇ψ = ħ k ψ = p ψ −ħ² ∇²ψ = ħ² |k|² ψ = p² ψ So for plane waves, the operators Ê = i ħ ∂/∂t p̂ = −i ħ ∇ act like energy and momentum. Now bring in the classical, nonrelativistic energy bookkeeping: E = p²/(2m) + V(x) Kinetic plus potential. That’s it. Turn it into an equation for ψ by replacing E and p with the operators above: Ê ψ = (p̂²/(2m) + V) ψ Since p̂² = (−i ħ ∇)·(−i ħ ∇) = −ħ² ∇², this becomes i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V(x) ) ψ That’s the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. This derivation is a controlled heuristic. Match the plane-wave identities to the measured relations E = ħω and p = ħk, then impose the same energy bookkeeping you trust in classical mechanics. Why this is the right kind of rule If ψ is the state, we need a rule that preserves total probability: ∫ |ψ(x,t)|² dx = 1 Schrödinger evolution does, and you can see it by deriving a continuity equation. Let ρ(x,t) = |ψ|² = ψ*ψ. Differentiate: ∂ρ/∂t = ψ* ∂ψ/∂t + ψ ∂ψ*/∂t Use Schrödinger and its complex conjugate. The potential terms cancel, and what’s left can be rearranged into ∂ρ/∂t + ∇·j = 0 with probability current j = (ħ/(2mi)) ( ψ* ∇ψ − ψ ∇ψ* ) That’s the cleanest way to say what ψ is. |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, the phase drives a current, and the time evolution is fixed, up to V, by combining wave relations with energy bookkeeping: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V ) ψ #QuantumMechanics #SchrodingerEquation #WaveFunction #BornRule #Physics #MathematicalPhysics

Why Does Quantum Mechanics Use a Complex Wavefunction? Schrödinger’s equation doesn’t start from mystery. It starts from a very specific bet. The state of a particle is a complex field ψ(x,t), and whatever time-evolution rule we choose has to move ψ forward while preserving total probability. So the basic question is simple. What equation should ψ satisfy so that |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, the way mass density does in fluid flow? What is ψ? Think of ψ(x,t) as an amplitude attached to the statement the particle is at position x at time t. It’s not a probability. It’s the thing you add first, and only at the end do you square it: p(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² Because ψ is complex, it has magnitude and phase. Write it as ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)) Then r² = |ψ|² is the density, and the phase θ ends up controlling the flow through the probability current. Where does Schrödinger’s equation come from? Start with two empirical inputs that tie waves to particles: E = ħ ω p = ħ k Here ħ is Planck’s constant divided by 2π. It’s the conversion factor between frequency and energy, and between wavenumber and momentum. A plane wave with angular frequency ω and wavevector k is ψ(x,t) = A exp(i(k·x − ωt)) Now watch what derivatives do to this wave: ∂ψ/∂t = −i ω ψ ∇ψ = i k ψ ∇²ψ = −|k|² ψ Multiply by ħ and you get: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ħ ω ψ = E ψ −i ħ ∇ψ = ħ k ψ = p ψ −ħ² ∇²ψ = ħ² |k|² ψ = p² ψ So for plane waves, the operators Ê = i ħ ∂/∂t p̂ = −i ħ ∇ act like energy and momentum. Now bring in the classical, nonrelativistic energy bookkeeping: E = p²/(2m) + V(x) Kinetic plus potential. That’s it. Turn it into an equation for ψ by replacing E and p with the operators above: Ê ψ = (p̂²/(2m) + V) ψ Since p̂² = (−i ħ ∇)·(−i ħ ∇) = −ħ² ∇², this becomes i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V(x) ) ψ That’s the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. This derivation is a controlled heuristic. Match the plane-wave identities to the measured relations E = ħω and p = ħk, then impose the same energy bookkeeping you trust in classical mechanics. Why this is the right kind of rule If ψ is the state, we need a rule that preserves total probability: ∫ |ψ(x,t)|² dx = 1 Schrödinger evolution does, and you can see it by deriving a continuity equation. Let ρ(x,t) = |ψ|² = ψψ. Differentiate: ∂ρ/∂t = ψ ∂ψ/∂t + ψ ∂ψ/∂t Use Schrödinger and its complex conjugate. The potential terms cancel, and what’s left can be rearranged into ∂ρ/∂t + ∇·j = 0 with probability current j = (ħ/(2mi)) ( ψ ∇ψ − ψ ∇ψ* ) That’s the cleanest way to say what ψ is. |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, the phase drives a current, and the time evolution is fixed, up to V, by combining wave relations with energy bookkeeping: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V ) ψ #QuantumMechanics #SchrodingerEquation #WaveFunction #BornRule #Physics #MathematicalPhysics

Mathelirium

20,781 views • 7 months ago

Lecture 2 on our Quantum Mechanics Series Schrödinger’s equation doesn’t start from mystery. It starts from a very specific bet…the state of a particle is a complex field ψ(x,t), and whatever dynamics we write down must move ψ forward in time in a way that preserves total probability. We ask a basic question…what equation should ψ satisfy so that |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, the way mass density does in fluid flow? What is ψ? Think of ψ(x,t) as the amplitude assigned to “the particle is at position x at time t”. It’s not a probability. It’s the object you add first, and only at the end do you square p(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² Because ψ is complex, it has magnitude and phase. Write it in polar form ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)) Then r² = |ψ|² is the density, and θ will end up controlling flow (the probability current). Where does Schrödinger’s equation come from? Start with two empirical inputs about waves and particles: E = ħ ω p = ħ k Here ħ (“h-bar”) is Planck’s constant divided by 2π. It’s the unit conversion factor between the wave description (frequency ω, wavevector k) and the particle description (energy E, momentum p). In units, ħ has units of joule-seconds, so multiplying ω (1/seconds) gives energy (joules), and multiplying k (1/meters) gives momentum (kg·m/s). It’s the number that tells you how much energy or momentum you get per unit frequency or wavenumber. A plane wave with angular frequency ω and wavevector k is ψ(x,t) = A exp(i(k·x − ω t)) Now notice what derivatives do to this wave: ∂ψ/∂t = −i ω ψ ∇ψ = i k ψ ∇²ψ = −|k|² ψ Multiply those identities by ħ: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ħ ω ψ = E ψ −i ħ ∇ψ = ħ k ψ = p ψ −ħ² ∇²ψ = ħ² |k|² ψ = p² ψ So for plane waves, the operators Ê = i ħ ∂/∂t p̂ = −i ħ ∇ act like energy and momentum! Now use the classical nonrelativistic energy relation: E = p²/(2m) + V(x) This is bookkeeping for a particle moving slow enough that relativity can be ignored. The term p²/(2m) is kinetic energy. If p = mv, then p²/(2m) = (m²v²)/(2m) = (1/2)mv². The term V(x) is potential energy. It depends on position because forces come from spatially varying energy. A slope in V pushes the particle. Examples: for a charged particle in an electric potential φ(x), V(x) = q φ(x). Near Earth, V(z) = mgz. The point is total energy equals kinetic plus potential. Turn that into an equation for ψ by replacing E and p with the operators above: Ê ψ = (p̂²/(2m) + V) ψ Compute p̂² = (−i ħ ∇)·(−i ħ ∇) = −ħ² ∇², so we get i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V(x) ) ψ That is the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The derivation here is a controlled heuristic: we matched the plane-wave identities to the measured relations E = ħω and p = ħk, then imposed the same energy bookkeeping as classical mechanics. Why this equation is the right kind of rule If ψ is the state, we need a rule that preserves total probability: ∫ |ψ(x,t)|² dx = 1 Schrödinger evolution does. You can see it by deriving a continuity equation. Let ρ(x,t) = |ψ|² = ψ* ψ. Take a time derivative: ∂ρ/∂t = ψ* ∂ψ/∂t + ψ ∂ψ*/∂t Use Schrödinger and its complex conjugate: ∂ψ/∂t = (1/(i ħ)) ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇²ψ + Vψ ) ∂ψ*/∂t = (−1/(i ħ)) ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇²ψ* + Vψ* ) Plug in. The V terms cancel exactly, and what remains can be rearranged into a divergence: ∂ρ/∂t + ∇·j = 0 where the probability current is j = (ħ/(2mi)) ( ψ* ∇ψ − ψ ∇ψ* ) This is the best way to explain ehat ψ is: |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, and the phase of ψ is what drives the current j. So in this series, ψ isn’t a slogan. It’s the object whose modulus squared is the density, whose phase generates flow, and whose time evolution is fixed (up to V) by matching wave relations to energy bookkeeping: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( -ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V ) ψ #QuantumMechanics #SchrodingerEquation #WaveFunction #BornRule #Physics #MathematicalPhysics

Lecture 2 on our Quantum Mechanics Series Schrödinger’s equation doesn’t start from mystery. It starts from a very specific bet…the state of a particle is a complex field ψ(x,t), and whatever dynamics we write down must move ψ forward in time in a way that preserves total probability. We ask a basic question…what equation should ψ satisfy so that |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, the way mass density does in fluid flow? What is ψ? Think of ψ(x,t) as the amplitude assigned to “the particle is at position x at time t”. It’s not a probability. It’s the object you add first, and only at the end do you square p(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² Because ψ is complex, it has magnitude and phase. Write it in polar form ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)) Then r² = |ψ|² is the density, and θ will end up controlling flow (the probability current). Where does Schrödinger’s equation come from? Start with two empirical inputs about waves and particles: E = ħ ω p = ħ k Here ħ (“h-bar”) is Planck’s constant divided by 2π. It’s the unit conversion factor between the wave description (frequency ω, wavevector k) and the particle description (energy E, momentum p). In units, ħ has units of joule-seconds, so multiplying ω (1/seconds) gives energy (joules), and multiplying k (1/meters) gives momentum (kg·m/s). It’s the number that tells you how much energy or momentum you get per unit frequency or wavenumber. A plane wave with angular frequency ω and wavevector k is ψ(x,t) = A exp(i(k·x − ω t)) Now notice what derivatives do to this wave: ∂ψ/∂t = −i ω ψ ∇ψ = i k ψ ∇²ψ = −|k|² ψ Multiply those identities by ħ: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ħ ω ψ = E ψ −i ħ ∇ψ = ħ k ψ = p ψ −ħ² ∇²ψ = ħ² |k|² ψ = p² ψ So for plane waves, the operators Ê = i ħ ∂/∂t p̂ = −i ħ ∇ act like energy and momentum! Now use the classical nonrelativistic energy relation: E = p²/(2m) + V(x) This is bookkeeping for a particle moving slow enough that relativity can be ignored. The term p²/(2m) is kinetic energy. If p = mv, then p²/(2m) = (m²v²)/(2m) = (1/2)mv². The term V(x) is potential energy. It depends on position because forces come from spatially varying energy. A slope in V pushes the particle. Examples: for a charged particle in an electric potential φ(x), V(x) = q φ(x). Near Earth, V(z) = mgz. The point is total energy equals kinetic plus potential. Turn that into an equation for ψ by replacing E and p with the operators above: Ê ψ = (p̂²/(2m) + V) ψ Compute p̂² = (−i ħ ∇)·(−i ħ ∇) = −ħ² ∇², so we get i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V(x) ) ψ That is the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The derivation here is a controlled heuristic: we matched the plane-wave identities to the measured relations E = ħω and p = ħk, then imposed the same energy bookkeeping as classical mechanics. Why this equation is the right kind of rule If ψ is the state, we need a rule that preserves total probability: ∫ |ψ(x,t)|² dx = 1 Schrödinger evolution does. You can see it by deriving a continuity equation. Let ρ(x,t) = |ψ|² = ψ* ψ. Take a time derivative: ∂ρ/∂t = ψ* ∂ψ/∂t + ψ ∂ψ/∂t Use Schrödinger and its complex conjugate: ∂ψ/∂t = (1/(i ħ)) ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇²ψ + Vψ ) ∂ψ/∂t = (−1/(i ħ)) ( −ħ²/(2m) ∇²ψ* + Vψ* ) Plug in. The V terms cancel exactly, and what remains can be rearranged into a divergence: ∂ρ/∂t + ∇·j = 0 where the probability current is j = (ħ/(2mi)) ( ψ* ∇ψ − ψ ∇ψ* ) This is the best way to explain ehat ψ is: |ψ|² behaves like a conserved density, and the phase of ψ is what drives the current j. So in this series, ψ isn’t a slogan. It’s the object whose modulus squared is the density, whose phase generates flow, and whose time evolution is fixed (up to V) by matching wave relations to energy bookkeeping: i ħ ∂ψ/∂t = ( -ħ²/(2m) ∇² + V ) ψ #QuantumMechanics #SchrodingerEquation #WaveFunction #BornRule #Physics #MathematicalPhysics

Mathelirium

40,835 views • 8 months ago

Lecture 3 of our Quantum Mechanics series. Lecture 2 gave us the one clean privilege quantum theory offers: treat ψ(x,t) as the state and ρ(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² as probability, because Schrödinger evolution forces ρ to obey a continuity equation. Lecture 3 is what that continuity equation is really telling you. If ρ behaves like a fluid, then the only question that matters is: What is the velocity field? Write ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)). The magnitude r sets how much probability is sitting there. The phase θ sets where it tries to go. When you unpack the current j = Im(ψ* ∇ψ), it collapses to j = (ρ/m) ∇θ, which means the flow lines you draw are literally contours of phase geometry. Then the constraint that makes the picture bite: ψ has to be single-valued, so θ can’t wind by an arbitrary amount. Around any closed loop the total phase change must be 2π n, with n an integer. That’s why vortices aren’t features you add...they’re defects the math permits, in quantized units. In the render you see both layers at once...the 3D surface shows |ψ| breathing while the phase skin slides, and the 2D panel exposes the engine...current lines steering around discrete vortex charges. The math breakdown We write the state as a complex field ψ(x,t) on the plane (x in R²). The Born rule defines the probability density ρ(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² Schrödinger evolution (ħ = 1 units) is i ∂ψ/∂t = [ −(1/2m) ∇² + V(x,t) ] ψ Now derive conservation of probability. Start with ρ = ψ*ψ: ∂ρ/∂t = ψ* (∂ψ/∂t) + ψ (∂ψ*/∂t) Use Schrödinger and its complex conjugate: ∂ψ/∂t = (1/i) [ −(1/2m) ∇²ψ + Vψ ] ∂ψ*/∂t = (−1/i) [ −(1/2m) ∇²ψ* + Vψ* ] Substitute. The V terms cancel, and the remaining terms rearrange into the continuity equation ∂ρ/∂t + ∇·j = 0 with probability current j = (1/2mi) ( ψ* ∇ψ − ψ ∇ψ* ) = (1/m) Im(ψ* ∇ψ) So "probability density" really behaves like a conserved fluid density with flux j. Now expose the phase mechanism. Write ψ in polar form ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)) Compute the gradient ∇ψ = exp(iθ) (∇r + i r ∇θ) Then ψ* ∇ψ = r (∇r + i r ∇θ) Taking the imaginary part gives Im(ψ* ∇ψ) = r² ∇θ = ρ ∇θ So the current becomes j = (ρ/m) ∇θ That’s the steering-wheel statement: Phase gradient sets the flow direction and speed (modulated by density and m). Finally, quantized vortices. Because ψ must be single-valued, going around any closed loop must return the same complex value. That forces the phase winding to be an integer multiple of 2π: ∮ ∇θ · dl = 2π n with n in Z n is the vortex charge. Vortex cores sit where ρ ≈ 0 (phase is undefined), and the current streamlines circulate around them. #QuantumMechanics #Wavefunction #SchrodingerEquation #BornRule #ProbabilityCurrent #ContinuityEquation #Phase #Vortices #TopologicalDefects #ComplexAnalysis #MathematicalPhysics #Mathematics #Physics

Lecture 3 of our Quantum Mechanics series. Lecture 2 gave us the one clean privilege quantum theory offers: treat ψ(x,t) as the state and ρ(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² as probability, because Schrödinger evolution forces ρ to obey a continuity equation. Lecture 3 is what that continuity equation is really telling you. If ρ behaves like a fluid, then the only question that matters is: What is the velocity field? Write ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)). The magnitude r sets how much probability is sitting there. The phase θ sets where it tries to go. When you unpack the current j = Im(ψ* ∇ψ), it collapses to j = (ρ/m) ∇θ, which means the flow lines you draw are literally contours of phase geometry. Then the constraint that makes the picture bite: ψ has to be single-valued, so θ can’t wind by an arbitrary amount. Around any closed loop the total phase change must be 2π n, with n an integer. That’s why vortices aren’t features you add...they’re defects the math permits, in quantized units. In the render you see both layers at once...the 3D surface shows |ψ| breathing while the phase skin slides, and the 2D panel exposes the engine...current lines steering around discrete vortex charges. The math breakdown We write the state as a complex field ψ(x,t) on the plane (x in R²). The Born rule defines the probability density ρ(x,t) = |ψ(x,t)|² Schrödinger evolution (ħ = 1 units) is i ∂ψ/∂t = [ −(1/2m) ∇² + V(x,t) ] ψ Now derive conservation of probability. Start with ρ = ψψ: ∂ρ/∂t = ψ (∂ψ/∂t) + ψ (∂ψ/∂t) Use Schrödinger and its complex conjugate: ∂ψ/∂t = (1/i) [ −(1/2m) ∇²ψ + Vψ ] ∂ψ/∂t = (−1/i) [ −(1/2m) ∇²ψ* + Vψ* ] Substitute. The V terms cancel, and the remaining terms rearrange into the continuity equation ∂ρ/∂t + ∇·j = 0 with probability current j = (1/2mi) ( ψ* ∇ψ − ψ ∇ψ* ) = (1/m) Im(ψ* ∇ψ) So "probability density" really behaves like a conserved fluid density with flux j. Now expose the phase mechanism. Write ψ in polar form ψ(x,t) = r(x,t) exp(i θ(x,t)) Compute the gradient ∇ψ = exp(iθ) (∇r + i r ∇θ) Then ψ* ∇ψ = r (∇r + i r ∇θ) Taking the imaginary part gives Im(ψ* ∇ψ) = r² ∇θ = ρ ∇θ So the current becomes j = (ρ/m) ∇θ That’s the steering-wheel statement: Phase gradient sets the flow direction and speed (modulated by density and m). Finally, quantized vortices. Because ψ must be single-valued, going around any closed loop must return the same complex value. That forces the phase winding to be an integer multiple of 2π: ∮ ∇θ · dl = 2π n with n in Z n is the vortex charge. Vortex cores sit where ρ ≈ 0 (phase is undefined), and the current streamlines circulate around them. #QuantumMechanics #Wavefunction #SchrodingerEquation #BornRule #ProbabilityCurrent #ContinuityEquation #Phase #Vortices #TopologicalDefects #ComplexAnalysis #MathematicalPhysics #Mathematics #Physics

Mathelirium

38,203 views • 8 months ago

Erwin Schrödinger’s 1926 equation changed the game by turning Quantum Mechanics into wave dynamics. That move gave Physics a new way to think. Instead of forcing a particle onto one sharp path, it lets a complex wavefunction evolve in time, with its shape and phase holding the structure of the phenomenon. What makes this so striking is that Schrödinger’s equation does not start from vague mystery. It starts from a precise and daring idea The state of a particle is a complex field ψ(x,t), and the dynamics must push ψ forward in a way that preserves total probability.

Erwin Schrödinger’s 1926 equation changed the game by turning Quantum Mechanics into wave dynamics. That move gave Physics a new way to think. Instead of forcing a particle onto one sharp path, it lets a complex wavefunction evolve in time, with its shape and phase holding the structure of the phenomenon. What makes this so striking is that Schrödinger’s equation does not start from vague mystery. It starts from a precise and daring idea The state of a particle is a complex field ψ(x,t), and the dynamics must push ψ forward in a way that preserves total probability.

Mathelirium

54,894 views • 5 months ago

A Quantum Current Chooses a Path A single electron enters a microscopic interferometer, but its wavefunction travels through two routes at once. One branch crosses a resonant quantum dot while the other moves freely around a ring threaded by magnetic flux. The probability current is j = (ℏ/m) Im(ψ*∇ψ) - (q/m)A|ψ|², while the enclosed flux creates the Aharonov-Bohm phase Δφᴬᴮ = qΦ/ℏ. The quantum dot adds the resonant phase δ(E) = atan2(Γ, E - E₀), producing Fano interference when the two paths recombine. Wave packets split, become temporarily trapped, form circulating current vortices, reverse direction after a flux quench, and finally escape through the drain in a coherent burst. The glowing threads are material curves transported by v = j/ρ, revealing how invisible quantum phase controls the flow. #QuantumMechanics #AharonovBohmEffect #QuantumInterference #QuantumDot #ProbabilityCurrent #MesoscopicPhysics #PhysicsAnimation #Physics

A Quantum Current Chooses a Path A single electron enters a microscopic interferometer, but its wavefunction travels through two routes at once. One branch crosses a resonant quantum dot while the other moves freely around a ring threaded by magnetic flux. The probability current is j = (ℏ/m) Im(ψ*∇ψ) - (q/m)A|ψ|², while the enclosed flux creates the Aharonov-Bohm phase Δφᴬᴮ = qΦ/ℏ. The quantum dot adds the resonant phase δ(E) = atan2(Γ, E - E₀), producing Fano interference when the two paths recombine. Wave packets split, become temporarily trapped, form circulating current vortices, reverse direction after a flux quench, and finally escape through the drain in a coherent burst. The glowing threads are material curves transported by v = j/ρ, revealing how invisible quantum phase controls the flow. #QuantumMechanics #AharonovBohmEffect #QuantumInterference #QuantumDot #ProbabilityCurrent #MesoscopicPhysics #PhysicsAnimation #Physics

Mathelirium

16,684 views • 2 months ago

Quantum Probability Surface Goes Negative A Schrödinger-Cat state is built from two separated coherent wavepackets, |ψ⟩=N(|α⟩+|−α⟩), and its Wigner function reveals the part of Quantum Mechanics that ordinary probability cannot show. The two bright lobes behave like classical possibilities, while the interference between them carves negative valleys into phase space, where W(x,p)<0. In this animation, the surface height is the signed Wigner function. So, gold rises above zero, cyan sinks below it, and the blades between them expose the nonclassical structure of the wavefunction. #QuantumMechanics #WignerFunction #SchrodingerCat #Physics #QuantumArt #ScienceVisualization

Quantum Probability Surface Goes Negative A Schrödinger-Cat state is built from two separated coherent wavepackets, |ψ⟩=N(|α⟩+|−α⟩), and its Wigner function reveals the part of Quantum Mechanics that ordinary probability cannot show. The two bright lobes behave like classical possibilities, while the interference between them carves negative valleys into phase space, where W(x,p)<0. In this animation, the surface height is the signed Wigner function. So, gold rises above zero, cyan sinks below it, and the blades between them expose the nonclassical structure of the wavefunction. #QuantumMechanics #WignerFunction #SchrodingerCat #Physics #QuantumArt #ScienceVisualization

Mathelirium

12,603 views • 3 months ago

What does a hydrogen atom’s |ψ|² actually look like as the quantum numbers change? This animation shows the electron probability density morphing in real time through superpositions α|nlm⟩ + β|n′l′m′⟩ while n, l, and m shift between allowed values.

What does a hydrogen atom’s |ψ|² actually look like as the quantum numbers change? This animation shows the electron probability density morphing in real time through superpositions α|nlm⟩ + β|n′l′m′⟩ while n, l, and m shift between allowed values.

Matheorems

10,305 views • 1 month ago

This is a living map of a complex rational field: cool regions are root-dominant (|R| 1), where R is the complex rational function. Phase stripes come from arg S (the logarithmic derivative of our complex field R) and particles surf the Newton flow. 🤩🤗😍

This is a living map of a complex rational field: cool regions are root-dominant (|R| 1), where R is the complex rational function. Phase stripes come from arg S (the logarithmic derivative of our complex field R) and particles surf the Newton flow. 🤩🤗😍

Mathelirium

29,237 views • 11 months ago

An intense pulse of laser light enters a plasma and what follows is almost unbelievable. The laser pushes plasma electron aside, carving out a charged cavity. As the plasma rushes back, it creates an electric wake that can trap and accelerate another bunch of electrons. This is known as Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) and is being explored for future accelerator Physics. For this animation, we used a reduced particle-in-cell (PIC) method, coupling particle motion to the self-consistent plasma field on a computational mesh.

An intense pulse of laser light enters a plasma and what follows is almost unbelievable. The laser pushes plasma electron aside, carving out a charged cavity. As the plasma rushes back, it creates an electric wake that can trap and accelerate another bunch of electrons. This is known as Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) and is being explored for future accelerator Physics. For this animation, we used a reduced particle-in-cell (PIC) method, coupling particle motion to the self-consistent plasma field on a computational mesh.

Mathelirium

35,595 views • 25 days ago

Watch hydrogen atom wavefunctions smoothly transition between quantum states (n,l,m) This is the actual probability density of finding the electron; not just static orbitals, but the real quantum dance as it morphs between energy levels.

Watch hydrogen atom wavefunctions smoothly transition between quantum states (n,l,m) This is the actual probability density of finding the electron; not just static orbitals, but the real quantum dance as it morphs between energy levels.

Mathematica

68,975 views • 5 months ago

This is Quantum Chaos inside a Bunimovich stadium. The motion is governed by the Schrödinger equation. The whirlpools in the flow are Quantum phase vortices.

This is Quantum Chaos inside a Bunimovich stadium. The motion is governed by the Schrödinger equation. The whirlpools in the flow are Quantum phase vortices.

Mathelirium

33,807 views • 29 days ago

Did you know that a charged particle can actually outrun light? Not light in a vacuum of course. That limit still stands. But inside a dielectric, light travels more slowly. If an electron moves through that material faster than the local phase velocity, something incredible happens... the EM field can no longer rearrange itself smoothly around the particle. A coherent shock front forms. This is known as Cherenkov radiation, named after Russian physicist Pavel Cherenkov who experimentally observed the effect in the 1930s.

Did you know that a charged particle can actually outrun light? Not light in a vacuum of course. That limit still stands. But inside a dielectric, light travels more slowly. If an electron moves through that material faster than the local phase velocity, something incredible happens... the EM field can no longer rearrange itself smoothly around the particle. A coherent shock front forms. This is known as Cherenkov radiation, named after Russian physicist Pavel Cherenkov who experimentally observed the effect in the 1930s.

Mathelirium

97,079 views • 26 days ago

When you let the Mathematics and the Physics do their thing… you get something beautiful.🤩🙌🏻😍 We evolve a two-component quantum field (ψ1, ψ2) under a coupled Gross-Pitaevskii/Schrödinger flow: split-step Fourier time stepping, self-gravity via a Poisson solve, and coherent Rabi mixing between components. Then we render the same state twice...a 3D density sheet (height driven by ρ) with molten-gold shading, and a lifted square detector plane carrying the exact same 2D texture. From ψ1, ψ2 we form the total density ρ = |ψ1|^2 + |ψ2|^2 and total current j = Im(ψ*∇ψ) summed across components, then the flow field v = j/(ρ+ε). Tracer comets are just Lagrangian particles advected by that v, so they’re literally riding the probability/current geometry the PDE is producing. The punchline moment is the Kibble-Zurek quench. Miscibility breaks, domains nucleate, and the separating walls ignite using the Bloch order parameter. Support us by buying a coffee #QuantumMechanics #GrossPitaevskii #KibbleZurek #SchrodingerEquation #QuantumFluids #NonlinearDynamics #ComputationalPhysics #PhysicsVisualization

When you let the Mathematics and the Physics do their thing… you get something beautiful.🤩🙌🏻😍 We evolve a two-component quantum field (ψ1, ψ2) under a coupled Gross-Pitaevskii/Schrödinger flow: split-step Fourier time stepping, self-gravity via a Poisson solve, and coherent Rabi mixing between components. Then we render the same state twice...a 3D density sheet (height driven by ρ) with molten-gold shading, and a lifted square detector plane carrying the exact same 2D texture. From ψ1, ψ2 we form the total density ρ = |ψ1|^2 + |ψ2|^2 and total current j = Im(ψ*∇ψ) summed across components, then the flow field v = j/(ρ+ε). Tracer comets are just Lagrangian particles advected by that v, so they’re literally riding the probability/current geometry the PDE is producing. The punchline moment is the Kibble-Zurek quench. Miscibility breaks, domains nucleate, and the separating walls ignite using the Bloch order parameter. Support us by buying a coffee #QuantumMechanics #GrossPitaevskii #KibbleZurek #SchrodingerEquation #QuantumFluids #NonlinearDynamics #ComputationalPhysics #PhysicsVisualization

Mathelirium

16,451 views • 8 months ago

A Quantum wave takes two paths around an enclosed magnetic flux and reunites with a phase offset that no local magnetic field measurement can explain. Threads represent the probability current.

A Quantum wave takes two paths around an enclosed magnetic flux and reunites with a phase offset that no local magnetic field measurement can explain. Threads represent the probability current.

Mathelirium

30,622 views • 1 month ago

Now, we move on to Sodium, where the quantum geometry becomes even richer. Here, the valence electron is built from a coherent superposition of s, p, and d Rydberg states. Because these three families experience the Sodium core differently, their energies are shifted by different quantum defects. Their phases therefore drift apart and reunite at different rates.

Now, we move on to Sodium, where the quantum geometry becomes even richer. Here, the valence electron is built from a coherent superposition of s, p, and d Rydberg states. Because these three families experience the Sodium core differently, their energies are shifted by different quantum defects. Their phases therefore drift apart and reunite at different rates.

Mathelirium

27,447 views • 6 days ago

The High-Dimensional Ball Is Full, but Its Probability Mass Lives Near the Boundary High-dimensional probability is weird. As the dimension grows, a uniform point in the ball does not usually land deep inside. Most of the mass gets pushed into a very thin shell near the boundary.

The High-Dimensional Ball Is Full, but Its Probability Mass Lives Near the Boundary High-dimensional probability is weird. As the dimension grows, a uniform point in the ball does not usually land deep inside. Most of the mass gets pushed into a very thin shell near the boundary.

Mathelirium

30,972 views • 5 months ago