Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: The neutron Compton scattering technique (NCS) was used for measuring the atomic momentum distribution, at ~4.6 K, of an hcp zinc single crystal in directions parallel and perpendicular to the hexagonal planes. A strong anisotropy has been observed and interpreted in terms of the anisotropic binding of the atoms in Zn. The data were used for deducing the zero-point mean-square atomic momenta ⟨ p 2 x ⟩ and ⟨ p 2 z ⟩. These were combined with reported measured values of ⟨ x 2 ⟩ and ⟨ z 2 ⟩ obtained by the Mössbauer effect and used to test the predictions of the uncertainty principle for the two products ⟨ p 2 x ⟩⟨ x 2 ⟩ and ⟨ p 2 z ⟩⟨ z 2 ⟩ near 0 K. The measured values of ⟨ p 2 x ⟩ and ⟨ p 2 z ⟩ seem to conform to the requirements of the uncertainty relations to within 3%. The data are compared with those obtained using the nuclear resonance photon scattering (NRPS) technique.
Authors: D Nemirovsky, R Moreh, K H Andersen, J Mayers
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2012584331