  We study the problem of computing the probability for the time-of-arrival of
a quantum particle at a given spatial position. We consider a solution to this
problem based on the spectral decomposition of the particle's (Heisenberg)
state into the eigenstates of a suitable operator, which we denote as the
``time-of-arrival'' operator. We discuss the general properties of this
operator. We construct the operator explicitly in the simple case of a free
nonrelativistic particle, and compare the probabilities it yields with the ones
estimated indirectly in terms of the flux of the Schr\"odinger current. We
derive a well defined uncertainty relation between time-of-arrival and energy;
this result shows that the well known arguments against the existence of such a
relation can be circumvented. Finally, we define a ``time-representation'' of
the quantum mechanics of a free particle, in which the time-of-arrival is
diagonal. Our results suggest that, contrary to what is commonly assumed,
quantum mechanics exhibits a hidden equivalence between independent (time) and
dependent (position) variables, analogous to the one revealed by the
parametrized formalism in classical mechanics.
