Probabilistic Interpretation of Resonant States

Abstract

We provide probabilistic interpretation of resonant states. This we do by showing that the integral of the modulus square of resonance wave functions (i.e., the conventional norm) over a properly expanding spatial domain is independent of time, and therefore leads to probability conservation. This is in contrast with the conventional employment of a bi-orthogonal basis that precludes probabilistic interpretation, since wave functions of resonant states diverge exponentially in space. On the other hand, resonant states decay exponentially in time, because momentum leaks out of the central scattering area. This momentum leakage is also the reason for the spatial exponential divergence of resonant state. It is by combining the opposite temporal and spatial behaviors of resonant states that we arrive at our probabilistic interpretation of these states. The physical need to normalize resonant wave functions over an expanding spatial domain arises because particles leak out of the region which contains the potential range and escape to infinity, and one has to include them in the total count of particle number.

11 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Pramana Journal of Physics as an article in the proceedings of Homi Bhabha Centenary Conference on Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians in Quantum Physics PHHQP VIII; this version are with added references as well as some rewording after reviewer's suggestions

References in corpus (2)

• Quasi-bound states in continuum
• Exact scattering eigenstates, many-body bound states, and nonequilibrium current of an open quantum dot system

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