2010/06/14 by Clovis Jacinto de Matos, de Matos, Clovis Jacinto
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #General Physics (physics.gen-ph) #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #physics.gen-ph #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1006.2657
3 pages
arxiv created 2010/06/14 · openalex publication_date 2010/06/14 · arxiv updated 2010/06/15 · openalex created_date 2022/09/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The propagation of the wave function of a particle is characterised by a\ngroup and a phase velocity. The group velocity is associated with the\nparticle's classical velocity, which is always smaller than the speed of light,\nand the phase velocity is associated with the propagation speed of the wave\nfunction phase and is treated as being unphysical, since its value is always\ngreater than the speed of light. Here we show, using Sciama's Machian\nformulation of rest mass energy, that this physical interpretation, for the\ngroup and the phase velocity of the wave function, is only valid if the weak\nequivalence principle strictly holds for the propagating particle, except for\nthe photon. In case this constraint is released the phase velocity of the wave\nfunction could acquire a physical meaning in quantum condensates.\n