Quantum Measurements and Delays in Scattering by Zero-Range Potentials

Abstract

Eisenbud–Wigner–Smith delay and the Larmor time give different estimates for the duration of a quantum scattering event. The difference is most pronounced in the case where the de Broglie wavelength is large compared to the size of the scatterer. We use the methods of quantum measurement theory to analyse both approaches and to decide which one of them, if any, describes the duration a particle spends in the region that contains the scattering potential. The cases of transmission, reflection, and three-dimensional elastic scattering are discussed in some detail.