Time delays and advances in classical and quantum systems

Abstract

The paper reviews positive and negative time delays in various processes of classical and quantum physics. In the beginning, we demonstrate how a time-shifted response of a system to an external perturbation appears in classical mechanics and classical electrodynamics. Then we quantify durations of various quantum mechanical processes. The duration of the quantum tunneling is studied. An interpretation of the Hartman paradox is suggested. Time delays and advances appearing in the three-dimensional scattering problem on a central potential are considered. Then we discuss delays and advances appearing in quantum field theory and after that we focus on the issue of time delays and advancements in quantum kinetics. We discuss problems of the application of generalized kinetic equations in simulations of the system relaxation towards equilibrium and analyze the kinetic entropy flow. Possible measurements of time delays and advancements in experiments similar to the recent OPERA neutrino experiment are also discussed.

105 pages, 13 figures, revised version, typos corrected, references added

References in corpus (6)

• Measurement of neutrino velocity with the MINOS detectors and NuMI neutrino beam
• Landau critical velocity in weakly interacting Bose gases
• Detecting quantum backflow by the density of a Bose-Einstein Condensate
• Hydrodynamics of Resonances
• Thermodynamics of resonances and blurred particles
• Nonlocal Form of Quantum Off-Shell Kinetic Equation

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Quantum Thermodynamics: A Nonequilibrium Green's Functions Approach
• Wigner-Smith time-delay matrix in chaotic cavities with non-ideal contacts
• Electron-positron vacuum instability in strong electric fields. Relativistic semiclassical approach
• Fermi liquid, clustering, and structure factor in dilute warm nuclear matter
• Structure formation during phase transitions in strongly interacting matter
• S-wave pion condensation in symmetric nuclear matter
• Nonequilibrium thermodynamics with binary quantum correlations
• Wigner-Smith Time Delay Matrix for Acoustic Scattering: Theory and Phenomenology