Among quantum mechanics, wave optics, and charged-particle beam transport

toward a possible unified formal description

R. Fedele

pp. 255-271

in: Claudio Garola, Arcangelo Rossi (eds), The foundations of quantum mechanics, Berlin, Springer, 1995

Abstract

It is shown that the correspondence between non relativistic Quantum Mechanics and electromagnetic Wave Optics can be implemented in paraxial approximation with the Particle Beam Transport (optics and dynamics). This is done by introducing the recently proposed Thermal Wave Model (TWM) which assumes that the evolution of a charged-particle beam is governed by a Schrödinger-like equation for a complex function, the so-called beam wave function, whose squared modulus is proportional to the particle number density. This implemented correspondence suggests, at least in paraxial approximation, to develop a formal unified framework capable of describing together different optical and dynamical phenomena for better understanding, from a physical point of view, one subject by using the same language and similar concepts developed in the other ones. In addition this unified framework would be useful for transferring the quantum computational techniques into the other quantum-like theories in order to solve concrete physical problems. As an example, a recent relevant application of TWM to the accelerator physics is presented.