Statistical Approach to Tunneling Time in Attosecond Experiments

TL;DR

This paper introduces an entropic tunneling time formula based on a statistical approach, which aligns well with experimental data and avoids superluminal implications, applicable across various quantum tunneling phenomena.

Contribution

The paper proposes a novel entropic tunneling time formula derived from a statistical perspective, addressing the lack of a universal tunneling time computation method.

Findings

Good agreement with laser-driven He ionization measurements

Provides accurate range estimates for electron transfer reactions

Applicable to photon and phonon tunneling phenomena

Abstract

Tunneling, transport of particles through classically forbidden regions, is a pure quantum phenomenon. It governs numerous phenomena ranging from single-molecule electronics to donor-acceptor transition reactions. The main problem is the absence of a universal method to compute tunneling time. This problem has been attacked in various ways in the literature. Here, in the present work, we show that a statistical approach to the problem, motivated by the imaginary nature of time in the forbidden regions, lead to a novel tunneling time formula which is real and subluminal (in contrast to various known time definitions implying superluminal tunneling). This entropic tunneling time, as we call it, shows good agreement with the tunneling time measurements in laser-driven He ionization. Moreover, it sets an accurate range for long-range electron transfer reactions. The entropic tunneling time is general enough to extend to the photon and phonon tunneling phenomena.