Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2011) 126: 18
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2011-11018-8

Regular Article

Diffraction of Gaussian wave packets by a single slit

¹ Gruppo Nazionale per la Fisica Matematica, Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università, Via Celoria, 16, 20133, Milano, Italy
² GNFM, Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy

^* e-mail: antonio.zecca@mi.infn.it

Received: 22 October 2010
Accepted: 29 January 2011
Published online: 18 February 2011

Abstract

A two-dimensional formulation of particle diffraction by a single slit is proposed within Schrödinger QM. The study is done in terms of Gaussian wave packets. A “confinement” assumption is considered together with a previous “truncation” assumption when the wave packet passes the slit. In the limiting situation of entering Gaussian wave packet peaked in the transverse-momentum probability distribution, the diffraction pattern results in an unaltered central maximum with lateral maxima narrower and higher than in the absence of the confinement assumption. For entering wave packets peaked in the transverse position probability distribution, the diffraction pattern consists of a central Gaussian spot with lateral diffraction maxima, not present in the absence of the “confinement” assumption, whose visibility depends on the configuration of the parameters. With a different analysis, a similar effect was obtained also in G. Kalbermann (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 35, 4599 (2002)). Its experimental verification seems of interest to discriminate between Schrödinger QM and stochastic electrodynamics with spin.