Note that I slowed down the initial collapse (before zooming in) to bring out some of the structure
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞
In Quantum Mechanics, is not a "point particle" following some trajectory
The free particle is actually a propagating "wave packet" that spreads out over time
This spread corresponds to uncertainty in position
Check out my neat gif! 
pic.twitter.com/51vKvjSnPq
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The governing equation of the time evolution of a free particle is its wave function Ψ(x,t).
The gif I made is the real part of this equationpic.twitter.com/f3xEHBpPAN
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The plotted function in the gif is called a Gaussian Wave Packet
It's also known as a "minimum uncertainty wave packet"
This naming is because if you calculate ΔxΔp for this wave function it equals precisely ℏ/2Show this thread
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Cool, but somehow looks weird, is that just the real part?
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yea, I should mention that. I just plotted the real part of Ψ
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Maybe this is because it's only the real part, but what causes the amplitude of the wave packet to dampen over time? This seems to imply that it "vanishes" after some time? Or am I seeing this incorrectly?
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The wave packet doesn't vanish, it just becomes extremely broad meaning that the probability of finding it at any position x is constant. This however implies a delta function in momentum space.
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What about open source particles?
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But isnt that wave packet made up of infinite number of secondary waves as predicted by Fourier Transform....and if so what does it signify..besides uncertainty
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