Talk Like A Physicist

Atom in a Box visualization - interactive quantum wave functions

Atom in a Box (Universal Application, v1.1), (for mac)

This beautiful program raytraces through a three-dimensional cloud density that represents the wavefunction’s probability density and presents its results in real-time (up to 48 frames per second on the latest hardware). The user interface is very interactive and provides a wide degree of flexibility.

It contains all 140 eigenstates up to the n=7 energy level and the allowed spectral transitions between those eigenstates. It also allows a state formed by a superposition (see below) of up to eight of those eigenstates allowing for over 3 trillion possible states. The program can display a wavefunction as a picture of a cloud, use color as phase, plot in red-cyan left/right for 3D glasses, and slice the wavefunction.

As Nick Herbert at A Quantum Mantra points out

Dauger’s program (called Atom in a Box) lets you not only talk (like a physicist) but lets you make your own home movies of quantum wavefunctions, probably the closest humans will get in my lifetime to visualizing “what atoms really look like”. Sophisticated enough to satisfy a real physicist yet easy enough for a normal person to use to toy with the structure of the universe at a very basic level. It’s a great way to learn about quantum mechanics.