Space-time particle wave packets: New class of matter in motion
Abstract
Shaping a wave packet jointly in space and time can lead to dramatic departures from the traditional behavior of wave packets in which the spatial and temporal degrees of freedom are independent of each other. To date, we have observed a host of such departures for ‘space-time’ wave packets in the optical domain, including arbitrary group velocities of laser pulses in free space and anomalous refraction at planar interfaces. These surprising phenomena have been realized so far with massless photons. However, the underlying mechanism for their realization is solely dependent on the coupling of spatial and temporal degrees of freedom, and independent of the nature of the wave itself. Therefore, it is conceivable that such non-intuitive effects can be produced using massive particles, whether charged or neutral (such as electrons and neutrons), whose wave packets are described by the Schrödinger or Dirac equations. We propose to study space-time matter wave packets for neutral and charged particles, thereby establishing a new form of matter in motion. It is anticipated that extending the space-time wave-packet concept to massive particles – rather than massless fields – will lead to a paradigm shift in our conception of matter in motion. Specifically, I will study the impact of sculpting the particle wave-packet in space and time on the following effects: dispersion-free, propagation-invariant particle wave-packets localized in all dimensions; tunable particle group velocity independently of its energy; and force-free accelerating particles – in absence of external electromagnetic or gravitational fields. In this proposed effort, besides studying these counter-intuitive fundamental effects, I will also produce a roadmap for their experimental realization. Current technology for shaping an electron wave packet allows for the realization of such phenomena. We thereby stand to revolutionize our understanding of the fundamental categories of matter and motion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- HQ00342010025
Entities
People
- Ayman F Abouraddy
Organizations
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- University of Central Florida
- Washington Headquarters Services