PIRSA:19120045

Spring-loading electrons and other shenanigans of superoscillatory wave functions

Kempf, A. (2019). Spring-loading electrons and other shenanigans of superoscillatory wave functions. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/19120045

Kempf, Achim. Spring-loading electrons and other shenanigans of superoscillatory wave functions. Perimeter Institute, Dec. 03, 2019, https://pirsa.org/19120045 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:19120045,
            doi = {10.48660/19120045},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/19120045},
            author = {Kempf, Achim},
            keywords = {Quantum Foundations},
            language = {en},
            title = {Spring-loading electrons and other shenanigans of superoscillatory wave functions},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2019},
            month = {dec},
            note = {PIRSA:19120045 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Achim Kempf

University of Waterloo

Talk number
PIRSA:19120045
Collection
Talk Type
Subject
Abstract

A superoscillatory function is a bandlimited function that, on some interval, oscillates faster than the highest frequency component shown in the function's Fourier transform. Superoscillations can be arbitrarily fast and of arbitrarily long duration but come at the expense of requiring a correspondingly large dynamic range. I will review how superoscillatory wave forms can be constructed and I will discuss the unusual behavior of wave functions that superoscillate. For example, they can describe particles that automatically strongly accelerate when passing through a slit. A postselected stream of them represents a ray that cools the slit walls, raising foundational and thermodynamic questions. Superoscillatory wave forms are already being used for practical applications such as spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit.