Projectile motion of surface gravity water wave packets: An analogy to quantum mechanics

TL;DR

This paper investigates the phase evolution of Gaussian surface gravity water wave packets with initial momentum, drawing analogies to quantum mechanics, and highlights the unique ability to measure both amplitude and phase in water waves.

Contribution

It introduces a method to analyze phase contributions in water wave packets, providing insights into quantum analogies and leveraging water waves' measurable amplitudes and phases.

Findings

Phase contributions depend on initial momentum and external potentials.

Water waves enable direct measurement of both amplitude and phase.

The study establishes a link between water wave behavior and quantum mechanics.

Abstract

We study phase contributions of wave functions that occur in the evolution of Gaussian surface gravity water wave packets with nonzero initial momenta propagating in the presence and absence of an effective external linear potential. Our approach takes advantage of the fact that in contrast to matter waves, water waves allow us to measure both their amplitudes and phases.