Tunnelling in asymmetric double-well potentials: varying initial states

✍ Scribed by J.G. Cordes; A.K. Das

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 272 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0749-6036
• DOI: 10.1006/spmi.2000.0964

✦ Synopsis

Tunnelling in a double-well potential has features which are not derivable through a mere extension of the concepts used in the context of a single potential barrier with no confining walls on either side. Furthermore, an asymmetric double-well potential, relevant in many contemporary areas of physics and chemistry, possesses certain distinctive aspects in contrast to the relatively simple case of a symmetric double-well potential. In this paper a self-contained numerical and analytical study of these features is reported, and a theoretical model is presented with special attention being given to a unified treatment of both the symmetric and asymmetric cases. The popularly used pair-state model is critically examined, and the important role of the initial state (which is rarely discussed in the literature) is highlighted with specific examples.