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Wave-particle duality as an uncertainty relation for the average confidence width

Quantum Physics 2026-06-30 v1 Mathematical Physics

Abstract

We introduce the average confidence width Δax=01Δcx(θx)dθx\Delta_a x=\int_0^1 \Delta_c x (\theta_x) d \theta_x: the confidence width Δcx(θx)\Delta_c x(\theta_x) -- the smallest position interval carrying a fraction θx\theta_x of the probability -- averaged over all levels. It is the first moment of the decreasing rearrangement of ψ2|\psi|^2, an L1L^1 mean-absolute-deviation measure of localization, so the product ΔaxΔap\Delta_{a} x\,\Delta_{a} p is dilation invariant and obeys ΔaxΔapc\Delta_{a} x\,\Delta_{a} p\ge c\,\hbar. Reading 1/Δax1/\Delta_{a} x as a particle character and 1/Δap1/\Delta_{a} p as a wave character, this lower bound on combined spread is identically an upper bound on combined particle-and-wave character: uncertainty and wave-particle duality are two faces of one inequality. A mean-entropy argument with the Bialynicki-Birula-Mycielski relation gives the rigorous cπ/ec\ge\pi/e, while the achievable constant cc^\ast is set by the ground state of the Fourier-invariant operator x+p|x|+|p|, cE021.217c^\ast\le E_0^2\approx 1.217. Hence π/ecE02<4/π\pi/e\le c^\ast\le E_0^2<4/\pi: the optimal state is sub-Gaussian, so the Gaussian -- optimal for the Heisenberg and entropic relations -- is not the duality optimum.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2606.31443,
  title  = {Wave-particle duality as an uncertainty relation for the average confidence width},
  author = {Shengjun Wu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2606.31443},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

7 pages, 4 figures