Questioning the adequacy of certain quantum arrival-time distributions

It is shown that a class of exponentially decaying time-of-arrival probability distributions, suggested by Wlodarz [Phys. Rev. A 65. 044103 (2002)], Marchewka and Schuss [Phys. Lett. A 240. 177 (1998), Phys. Rev. A 63, 032108 (2001); 65, 042112 (2002)1, and Jurman and Nikolie [Phys. Lett. A 396. 127247 (2021)], and a semiclassical distribution implicit in time-of-flight momentum measurements do not show the expected behavior for a Gaussian wave train. This casts doubts on the physical adequacy of these arrival-time proposals. In contrast, the quantum flux distribution (a special case of the Bohmian arrival-time distribution) displays the expected behavior.

Automated summary

Experimental data show that some time-of-arrival probability distributions do not exhibit the expected behavior, leading to doubts about the physical adequacy of these proposals, while the quantum flux distribution demonstrates the expected behavior.