Quantum Surface Gravity Waves Model Inverted Harmonic Oscillator

Researchers have experimentally realized a parabolic potential barrier using surface gravity water waves, creating a system that mirrors the behavior of the inverted harmonic oscillator, a cornerstone of quantum mechanics. This unusual setup allows for the study of quantum mechanical wave packets using everyday, visible waves, offering a new way to visualize scattering phenomena. The team observed a clear “separatrix” in the wave dynamics, a boundary separating wave packets blocked or transmitted based on their energy relative to the potential. Researchers have also measured the variation in momentum in this process. This work, led by Georgi Gary Rozenman and colleagues from Tel Aviv University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the German Aerospace Center,…