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Reflection and transmission probabilities from various potentials using quasilinearization and WKB approximation techniques

Kittinut Singhanat

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum tunneling is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics. In this phenomenon, Quantum particle can go through potential barrier that potential energy is higher than total energy of quantum particle. Physicists are interested in transmitted and reflected value of Quantum particle that is transmission and reflection probabilities. Then, Schrödinger equation is used to find transmission and reflection probabilities by directly solving. However, some potential barriers are too complex to solve directly. Then, we use another method to solve more complex problem. That method is called "quasilinearization''. Quasilinearization method (QLM) is a numerical method to solve nonlinear differential equations. In this thesis, we compare the quasilinearization method with the well-known WKB approximation method. The results show that the transmission and reflection probabilities calculated by the QLM and WKB approximation have the same trend as the transmission and reflection probabilities calculated from the exact solution.

DOI
10.58837/chula.the.2025.784

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•Jan 1, 2002•0 citations
Quantum tunneling is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics. In this phenomenon, Quantum particle can go through potential barrier that potential energy is higher than total energy of quantum particle. Physicists are interested in transmitted and reflected value of Quantum particle that is transmission and reflection probabilities. Then, Schrödinger equation is used to find transmission and reflection probabilities by directly solving. However, some potential barriers are too complex to solve directly. Then, we use another method to solve more complex problem. That method is called "quasilinearization''. Quasilinearization method (QLM) is a numerical method to solve nonlinear differential equations. In this thesis, we compare the quasilinearization method with the well-known WKB approximation method. The results show that the transmission and reflection probabilities calculated by the QLM and WKB approximation have the same trend as the transmission and reflection probabilities calculated from the exact solution.
Quantum mechanics is a theory that can explain phenomena of atom-sized matter or smaller, which classical mechanics cannot do. The central equation of quantum mechanics is the Schrödinger equation. Mathematically, the Schrödinger equation is a second order partial differential equation which tells us how a wave function changes with time. For most problems in quantum mechanics, the Schrödinger equation cannot present exact solutions, except for a few idealized systems in which the Schrödinger equation can be solved exactly. Therefore, approximation methods are needed to find solutions to the Schrödinger equation. In this paper, systems in stationary states are of special interest, in which the Schrödinger equation is reduced to the time-independent Schrödinger equation. One of the approximation methods that work for systems in stationary states is the WKB approximation. In this paper, transmission probabilities for various potentials are calculated using the WKB approximation. The potentials studied in this paper are composed of the asymmetric square-well potential, the hyperbolic tangent potential, the squared hyperbolic secant potential, and the double squared hyperbolic secant potential.
The Schrödinger equation is a fundamental equation in physics for describing quantum mechanical behavior. It is a partial differential equation that shows how a wave function of a physical system evolves over time. In addition, it is associated with the kinetic energy and the potential energy, both of which contribute towards the total energy. This paper explains mathematical aspect of the Schrödinger equation. The concept of the WKB approximation has also been reviewed, which is an important method in finding the approximate solutions for the wave function. In addition, the paper also shows how to derive the transmission and reflection probabilities in relation to a one-dimensional quantum problem, called a “tunneling problem”, which occurs when a classical particle passes through a region where total energy is less than its potential energy. The WKB approximation can be used as a basis for formally writing down the exact solutions. Furthermore, it gives a high accuracy for the propagation of waves with high frequency or short wavelength.
People are familiar with quantum mechanical reflection and transmission coefficient. In all those cases corresponding potentials are usually assumed as of constant height and depth. For the cases of varying potential, corresponding reflection and transmission coefficients can be found out using WKB approximation method. But due to change of barrier height, reflection and transmission coefficients should be changed from point to point. Here we show the analytical expressions of the instantaneous reflection and transmission coefficients. Here as if we apply the WKB approximation at each point, so we call it as Instantaneous WKB method or IWKB method. Once we know the forward and backward wave amplitudes we can find out corresponding wave function by calculating Eiconal. For the case of analytically complicated potential corresponding differential equation seems to be unsolvable analytically. If the potentials are well behaved then obviously these could be replaced by functions of simple expression of same behaviour which can be integrated analytically and the equation is now possible to solve analytically.
Based on the similarity between time-independent Schrodinger equation and Helmholtz equation, the analytical transfer matrix method was utilized to analyze macroscopic quantum tunneling effect, and the potential filed and eigenvalue were corresponded to the refractive index and propagation constant, respectively.Without solving the Schrodinger equation and any approximation,the exact analytic expressions of reflection coefficient and reflection probability of the particle were obtained.Initial results show the equations obtained here are exact and have clear physical meanings.It is expected to be applied in the researches of many basic quantum phenomena,such as quantum tunneling effect,quantum reflection, quantum particles and tunneling resonance.
According to classical physics theories, a moving particle cannot move to an environment with greater potential energy than its total energy during movement. But according to quantum theories, this event is well known. This event is called tunneling. Tunneling is a probability, and it is measured by a transmission coefficient. Correct calculation of this coefficient is very important because very sensitive and important instruments have been developed based on this event, and many events in nature can be explained by tunneling. This coefficient is generally calculated by semi-classical approaches (WKB) and the known formula is an approximate formula. In previous publications, the general transmission coefficient of a potential barrier with arbitrary form is calculated by a simple method without any approximation. The results are applied to calculate the half-life values of the nuclei that emit alpha particles. The half-life values obtained from our calculations and the classical method (WKB) have been compared, and it has been found that the new half-life values are exactly consistent with the experimental values. In this article, this general transmission coefficient is applied to calculate transmission coefficient for an arbitrary form external electrical field barrier (cold emission by the metal). The values obtained from our calculations and those of classical method (WKB) have been compared.
Tunneling phenomenon is one of the wondrous events that take place particularly in quantum mechanics and it has no counterpart in classical physics. We focus on its two important implications : tunneling time and tunneling probability. There has been no consensus on tunneling times among the tunneling time community for last seven decades. So far, most of the attempts to calculate tunneling times have apparently been centered on a simple rectangular barrier example. We implement the tunneling times with the most widely accepted approach, which is using physical Larmor clock, into a nonsymmetrical barrier and a double barrier. It results in different and unique insights into the usual understanding of tunneling time. Three characteristics tunneling time expressions are thoroughly studied in these quantum structures. The difference between dwell time and phase-delay time is once again approved. The unique characteristics of the phase-delay time, which was thought to be exactly similar to dwell time when we assign higher energies to the particles, is also revealed in the nonsymmetrical barrier that it should actually be regarded as a distinct feature from the dwell time. The singularity of reflection time in rectangular barrier is no longer valid in nonsymmetrical barrier. The finiteness of reflection time fairly shows that different quantum structures might bear some taboo breaking results. Since a double barrier involves much more complicated features and calculations, the calculation of tunneling times under this barrier is praiseworthy. The dwell time is the most crucial, troublesome and distinctive tunneling time element to look into for a double barrier. Besides the dwell and phase-delay time, we also calculate the three characteristic times as well as the reflection time for a double barrier. Another area that we study within the context of tunneling phenomenon is the tunneling probability. Recently, there has been ground shaking attempts in modifying the conventional WKB formulae. We follow one of the modified versions of WKB formulae in order to be able to calculate the tunneling probability through different quantum structures where conventional WKB formulae fail. These generalized WKB connection formulae are applied to some complex quantum potentials by seeking aid from the Green's function and the path integral approach. One of the biggest problems in quantum mechanics (visualization) is partially overcome through implementing the method of diagrammatic representations that make the life easier in understanding the events happening in the quantum world when we attempt to calculate the transmission and reflection probabilities. This part therefore has a pedagogical sense too in terms of interpreting the results in a diagrammatic way with the help of the path integral approach.