Underbarrier interference and Euclidean resonance

TL;DR

This paper investigates how underbarrier interference in inhomogeneous thin wires or films can lead to Euclidean resonance, significantly enhancing quantum tunneling probabilities beyond the conventional exponential decay expectation.

Contribution

It introduces the concept that inhomogeneity-induced interference can cause Euclidean resonance, dramatically altering tunneling behavior in static potential barriers.

Findings

Interference of underbarrier paths can create large amplitude trans-barrier states.

Tunneling probability can be substantially higher than expected from classical exponential decay.

Euclidean resonance can occur in static barriers due to inhomogeneity and transverse quantization.

Abstract

Quantum tunneling from a thin wire or a thin film through a static potential barrier in a zero magnetic field is studied. The wire or the film should satisfy a condition of transverse quantization of levels and be inhomogeneous. Depending on a form of the inhomogeneity the tunneling scenario can dramatically differ from the conventional scheme of an exponential decay of a probability density inside the barrier. This happens due to interference of various underbarrier paths, which are collected at some points giving rise to a trans-barrier state of a large amplitude. As a result, the tunneling probability through an almost classical barrier can be not exponentially small. This is a phenomenon of Euclidean resonance studied earlier for tunneling across nonstationary barriers.