Predictability in a hydrodynamic pilot-wave system: Resolution of walker tunneling

Area of Science:

• Fluid dynamics
• Wave-particle duality
• Macroscopic quantum phenomena

Background:

• Macroscopic walkers, a coupling of droplets and capillary waves, display quantum-like properties.
• Previous research demonstrated unpredictable walker tunneling over submerged barriers.
• Quantum tunneling in quantum mechanics also exhibits unpredictability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate and precisely measure the unpredictable tunneling behavior of macroscopic walkers.
• To identify the underlying mechanisms causing unpredictability in walker tunneling.
• To draw parallels between macroscopic walker tunneling and quantum particle tunneling.

Main Methods:

• Refined time and position measurements to capture fast bouncing dynamics.
• Experimental setup to study walker interaction with submerged barriers.
• Analysis of position-velocity phase-space for trajectory separation.

Main Results:

• Walker tunneling remains unpredictable up to 2.6 mm from the barrier center.
• Separation of reflected and transmitted trajectories observed in phase-space.
• Unpredictability is attributed to changes in vertical dynamics during barrier interaction, not initial conditions or noise.

Conclusions:

• Macroscopic walker tunneling exhibits unpredictability stemming from interaction dynamics.
• The position-velocity phase-space reveals patterns analogous to quantum tunneling under repeated measurements.
• This macroscopic system provides a unique platform for studying quantum-like phenomena.