PHY-1701
Heisenberg Uncertainty
Principle
(Nobel Prize,1932)
Dr. Arpan Kumar Nayak
Department of Physics
School of Advanced Sciences
WERNER HEISENBERG (1901 -
1976) was one of the greatest
physicists of the twentieth century.
He is best known as a founder of
quantum mechanics, the new
physics of the atomic world, and
especially for the uncertainty
principle in quantum theory.
 Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

It is impossible to determine simultaneously with

unlimited precision the position and momentum of a
particle.
h
x p x 
4

2
Measuring Position and Momentum of an Electron

 Shine light on electron and detect

reflected light using a microscope

BEFORE
 Minimum uncertainty in position ELECTRON-
PHOTON
is given by the wavelength of the light COLLISION
 So to determine the
Position accurately, it is
necessary to use light with
incident
a short wavelength photon

electron
Measuring Position and Momentum of an Electron

 By Planck’s law E = hc/λ, a photon with a

short wavelength has a large energy
 Thus, it would impart a large AFTER
ELECTRON-
‘kick’ to the electron PHOTON
COLLISION
 But to determine its momentum accurately,
electron must only be given a small kick
 This means using light of
long wavelength ! scattered
photon

recoiling
electron
 What we understand??
 It is impossible to know both the position and momentum
exactly, i.e., Δx=0 and Δp=0

 These uncertainties are inherent in the physical world and

have nothing to do with the skill of the observer

 Because h is so small, these uncertainties are not

observable in normal everyday situations
Example of Baseball

 A pitcher throws a 0.1-kg baseball at 40 m/s

 So momentum is 0.1 x 40 = 4 kg m/s

 Suppose the momentum is measured to an accuracy

of 1 percent , i.e.,

Δp = 0.01 p = 4 x 10-2 kg m/s

Example of Baseball (cont’d)
 The uncertainty in position is then

 No wonder one does not observe the

effects of the uncertainty principle in
everyday life!
Example of Electron
 Same situation, but baseball replaced by an
electron which has mass 9.11 x 10-31 kg
traveling at 40 m/s

 So momentum = 3.6 x 10-29 kg m/s

and its uncertainty = 3.6 x 10-31 kg m/s

 The uncertainty in position is then

Energy Uncertainty
The energy uncertainty of a Gaussian wave packet is

combined with the angular frequency relation

 Energy-Time Uncertainty Principle: .

Physical Origin of the Uncertainty Principle
Heisenberg (Bohr) Microscope
 The measurement itself
introduces the uncertainty
 When we “look” at an object we
see it via the photons that are
detected by the microscope
 These are the photons that are
scattered within an angle 2θ and
collected by a lens of diameter D
 Momentum of electron is changed
 Consider single photon, this will
introduce the minimum
uncertainty
Bohr Microscope-continued
(a)Limitation in determing the position of electron

=half angle subtended by the objective at the object i.e.

electron
(b)Limitation in determining the momentum of the electron

If photon is scattered along OQ,Then

If photon is scattered along OP,Then
.
Applications of Heisenberg uncertainty Principle-
Non existence of electron in the nucleus

Size of Nucleus =10-14 m

If electron is present in the nucleus uncertainty
in the position of electron is =10-14 m
The minimum momentum of the electron must be at
least equal to uncertainty in momentum
 The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that it is
impossible to know both the momentum and the position
of a particle at the same time.
 This limitation is critical when dealing with small particles
such as electrons.
 But it does not matter for ordinary-sized objects such as
cars or airplanes.
 To locate an electron, you might strike it with a photon.
 The electron has such a small mass that striking it with a
photon affects its motion in a way that cannot be
predicted accurately.
 The very act of measuring the position of the electron
changes its momentum, making its momentum uncertain.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty
Principle
Before collision: A photon
strikes an electron during an
attempt to observe the
electron’s position.

 After collision: The impact

changes the electron’s
momentum, making it
uncertain.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
 If we want accuracy in position, we must use short
wavelength photons because the best resolution we can
get is about the wavelength of the radiation used.

 Short wavelength radiation implies high frequency, high

energy photons.

 When these collide with the electrons, they transfer more

momentum to the target.

 If we use longer wavelength, i.e less energetic photons,

we compromise resolution and position.
CONTENT
 Schrödinger’s wave equation
 Time independent equations
 Time dependent equations

 Physical significance of wave function

 Particle in a one dimensional box

WAVE FUNCTION
A variable quantity which characterizes de
Broglie waves is known as wave function and
is denoted by the symbol  . The value of the
wave function associated with a moving particle at
point (x,y,z) and time ‘t’ gives the probability of
finding the particle at that time and at that point.
Properties of Valid Wave Functions

23
Properties of Valid Wave Functions

24
Properties of Valid Wave Functions

25
 Properties of Valid Wave Functions
6) In order to avoid infinite probabilities, the wave function must be finite
everywhere.
7) In order to avoid multiple values of the probability, the wave function must be
single valued.
8) For finite potentials, the wave function and its derivative must be continuous.
This is required because the second-order derivative term in the wave equation
must be single valued. (There are exceptions to this rule when V is infinite.)
9) In order to normalize the wave functions, they must approach zero as x
approaches infinity.

 Solutions that do not satisfy these properties do not generally correspond

to physically realizable circumstances.

26
Normalization and Probability
 The probability P(x) dx of a particle being between x and (x + dx) was
given in the equation

 The probability of the particle being between x1 and x2 is given by

 The wave function must also be normalized so that the probability of

the particle being somewhere on the x axis is 1.