A mechanical analog of quantum bradyons and tachyons
Abstract
We present a mechanical analog of a quantum wave-particle duality: a vibrating string threaded through a freely moving bead or `masslet'. For small string amplitudes, the particle movement is governed by a set of non-linear dynamical equations that couple the wave field to the masslet dynamics. Under specific conditions, the particle achieves a regime of {\it transparency} in which the field and the particle's dynamics appear decoupled. In that special case, the particle conserves its momentum and a guiding wave obeying a Klein-Gordon equation, with real or imaginary mass, emerges. Similar to the double-solution theory of de Broglie, this guiding wave is locked in phase with a modulating group-wave co-moving with the particle. Interestingly, both subsonic and supersonic particles can fall into a quantum regime as with the slower-than-light bradyons and hypothetical, faster-than-light tachyons of particle physics.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2002.08147,
title = {A mechanical analog of quantum bradyons and tachyons},
author = {Aurelien Drezet and Pierre Jamet and Donatien Bertschy and Arnaud Ralko and Cedric Poulain},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2002.08147},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
10 pages, 3 figures, 1 video (Supp. Mat)