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arXiv:cond-mat/0107495 · Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics

Coherent oscillations and incoherent tunneling in a one-dimensional asymmetric double-well potential

Viktor A. Benderskii, Efim I Kats

Published Feb 21, 2002• 16 citations
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Abstract

For a model one-dimensional asymmetric double-well potential we calculated the so-called survival probability (i.e., the probability for a particle initially localized in one well to remain there). We use a semiclassical (WKB) solution of the Schrödinger equation. It is shown that behavior essentially depends on transition probability, and on a dimensionless parameter Lambda that is a ratio of characteristic frequencies for low-energy nonlinear in-well oscillations and interwell tunneling. For the potential describing a finite motion (double-well) one has always a regular behavior. For Lambda<<1, there are well defined resonance pairs of levels and the survival probability has coherent oscillations related to resonance splitting. However, for Lambda>>1 there are no oscillations at all for the survival probability, and there is almost an exponential decay with the characteristic time determined by Fermi golden rule. In this case, one may not restrict himself to only resonance pair levels. The number of levels perturbed by tunneling grows proportionally to square root of [Lambda] (in other words, instead of isolated pairs there appear the resonance regions containing the sets of strongly coupled levels). In the region of intermediate values of Lambda one has a crossover between both limiting cases, namely, the exponential decay with subsequent long period recurrent behavior.

DOI
10.1103/physreve.65.036217

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Coherent oscillations and incoherent tunnelling in one - dimensional asymmetric double - well potential

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For a model 1d asymmetric double-well potential we calculated so-called survival probability (i.e. the probability for a particle initially localised in one well to remain there). We use a semiclassical (WKB) solution of Schroedinger equation. It is shown that behaviour essentially depends on transition probability, and on dimensionless parameter which is a ratio of characteristic frequencies for low energy non-linear in-well oscillations and inter wells tunnelling. For the potential describing a finite motion (double-well) one has always a regular behaviour. For the small value of the parameter there is well defined resonance pairs of levels and the survival probability has coherent oscillations related to resonance splitting. However for the large value of the parameter no oscillations at all for the survival probability, and there is almost an exponential decay with the characteristic time determined by Fermi golden rule. In this case one may not restrict oneself to only resonance pair levels. The number of perturbed by tunnelling levels grows proportionally to the value of this parameter (by other words instead of isolated pairs there appear the resonance regions containing the sets of strongly coupled levels). In the region of intermediate values of the parameter one has a crossover between both limiting cases, namely the exponential decay with subsequent long period recurrent behaviour.

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For a model one-dimensional asymmetric double-well potential we calculated the so-called survival probability (i.e., the probability for a particle initially localized in one well to remain there). We use a semiclassical (WKB) solution of the Schrödinger equation. It is shown that behavior essentially depends on transition probability, and on a dimensionless parameter Lambda that is a ratio of characteristic frequencies for low-energy nonlinear in-well oscillations and interwell tunneling. For the potential describing a finite motion (double-well) one has always a regular behavior. For Lambda<<1, there are well defined resonance pairs of levels and the survival probability has coherent oscillations related to resonance splitting. However, for Lambda>>1 there are no oscillations at all for the survival probability, and there is almost an exponential decay with the characteristic time determined by Fermi golden rule. In this case, one may not restrict himself to only resonance pair levels. The number of levels perturbed by tunneling grows proportionally to square root of [Lambda] (in other words, instead of isolated pairs there appear the resonance regions containing the sets of strongly coupled levels). In the region of intermediate values of Lambda one has a crossover between both limiting cases, namely, the exponential decay with subsequent long period recurrent behavior.
For a model 1d asymmetric double-well potential we calculated so-called survival probability (i.e. the probability for a particle initially localised in one well to remain there). We use a semiclassical (WKB) solution of Schroedinger equation. It is shown that behaviour essentially depends on transition probability, and on dimensionless parameter which is a ratio of characteristic frequencies for low energy non-linear in-well oscillations and inter wells tunnelling. For the potential describing a finite motion (double-well) one has always a regular behaviour. For the small value of the parameter there is well defined resonance pairs of levels and the survival probability has coherent oscillations related to resonance splitting. However for the large value of the parameter no oscillations at all for the survival probability, and there is almost an exponential decay with the characteristic time determined by Fermi golden rule. In this case one may not restrict oneself to only resonance pair levels. The number of perturbed by tunnelling levels grows proportionally to the value of this parameter (by other words instead of isolated pairs there appear the resonance regions containing the sets of strongly coupled levels). In the region of intermediate values of the parameter one has a crossover between both limiting cases, namely the exponential decay with subsequent long period recurrent behaviour.
Abstract The out-of-equilibrium quantum dynamics of an interacting Bose gas trapped in a one-dimensional asymmetric double-well potential is studied by solving the many-body Schrödinger equation numerically accurately. We examine how the gradual loss of symmetry of the confining trap affects the macroscopic quantum tunneling dynamics of the system between the two wells. In an asymmetric double well, the two wells are not equivalent anymore, say, the left well is deeper than the right one. Accordingly, we analyze the dynamics by initially preparing the condensate in both the left and the right wells. The dynamics of the system is characterized by the time evolution of a few physical quantities of increasing many-body complexity, namely, the survival probability, depletion and fragmentation, and the many-particle position and momentum variances. In particular, we have examined the frequencies and amplitudes of the oscillations of the survival probabilities, the time scale for the development of fragmentation and its degree, and the growth and oscillatory behavior of the many-particle position and momentum variances. There is an overall suppression of the oscillations of the survival probabilities in an asymmetric double well, except for resonant values of asymmetry for which the one-body ground state energy in the right well matches with one of the one-body excited states in the left well, thereby resulting in resonantly enhanced tunneling from the right well ground state. Overall, depending on whether the condensate is initially prepared in the left or right well, the repulsive inter-atomic interactions affect the survival probabilities differently. For a sufficiently strong repulsive interaction, the system is found to become fragmented. The degree of fragmentation depends both on the asymmetry of the trap and the initial well in which the condensate is prepared in a non-trivial manner. Furthermore, we show that the phenomenon of resonantly enhanced tunneling can be accompanied by a large degree of fragmentation (depletion) for the strong (weak) interaction. The many-particle position and momentum variances follow the density oscillations of the system in the asymmetric double well and bears prominent signatures of the degree of depletion or fragmentation, depending on the strength of the interactions. These quantities further exhibit a fine structure signifying a breathing-mode oscillation. Finally, a universality of fragmentation for systems made of different numbers of particles but the same interaction parameter is also found and its dependence on the asymmetry is investigated. The phenomenon is robust despite the asymmetry of the junction and admits a macroscopically-large fragmented condensate characterized by a diverging many-particle position variance. This is as far as one can get from the dynamics of the density in the junction.
We numerically investigate quantum dynamics in a one-dimensional double-well system emphasizing influence of a parametrically polychromatic perturbation on the dynamics. It is found that time dependence of transition probability for an initially localized wave packet between the wells shows two types of motion, coherent and incoherent motion, depending on the perturbation parameters. As the strength and/or the number of frequency components of the perturbation increase, coherent motion changes into incoherent one. The former is related to coherent tunneling of the wave packet due to coherence; the latter is related to a delocalized state caused by decoherence. In coherent motion, by virtue of coherence of the dynamics, the expectation value and the standard deviation of a dynamical variable such as the energy of the system show oscillatory time dependence around the initial values. On the contrary in incoherent motion, because of the decoherence, the time dependence fluctuates irregularly around a certain value after a rapid increase due to the resonance. We find that negativity of the Wigner function also show similar time dependence in each type of motion. We compare the classification of the quantum dynamics based on regularity of the time dependence with the one of corresponding classical dynamics based on the Lyapunov exponent. The classifications of the quantum and classical dynamics overlap well in the parameter space. Furthermore, we confirm decoherence of quantum dynamics in a kicked double-well system.
The roles of spatial symmetry and strength of external time-dependent perturbation on the dynamics of a quantum particle, initially localized in one of the wells of an asymmetric double-well potential are studied using the recently developed techniques incorporating quantum theory of motion and time-dependent Fourier grid Hamiltonian methods. The model used here includes a mimic of the related experimental situations which is considered as a perturbation to the static double-well potential. Analysis of localized and delocalized phase space structures and corresponding time-profile of tunneling probability reveal the recipe toward controlling the tunneling oscillations by modulating the parameters of applied perturbation. A study on a stochastic pulsating potential also reveals the root to the quantum localization, even in moderate field strength.
We consider the one-dimensional Schrödinger operator in the semiclassical regime assuming that its double-well potential is the sum of a finite "physically given" well and a square shape probing well whose width or depth can be varied (tuned). We study the dynamics of initial state localized in the physical well. It is shown that if the probing well is not too close to the physical one and if its parameters are specially tuned, then the {\it tunnel catch effect} appears, i.e. the initial state starts tunneling oscillations between the physical and probing wells. The asymptotic formula for the probability of finding the state in the probing well is obtained. We show that the observation of the tunnel catch effect can be used to determine the energy level of the initial state, and we obtain the corresponding asymptotic formula for the initial state energy. We also calculate the leading term of the tunneling splitting of energy levels in this double well potential.
We study resonances and time decay in a quantum waveguide with two semitransparent barriers. The model is first analyzed as a one-dimensional Schrödinger operator with two delta interactions and then extended to a two-dimensional strip, where transverse Dirichlet modes reduce the problem, channel by channel, to the one-dimensional setting. We derive explicit scattering amplitudes and characterize resonance poles by analytic continuation. In the strong-barrier regime ρ=α−1→0+, the real parts of the resonances approach the eigenvalues of the decoupled cavity, while the imaginary parts are negative and of order α−2, so the lifetimes grow like α2. We also study the time evolution on short, intermediate, and long time scales: the survival probability is quadratic at short times, in accordance with the quantum Zeno effect; the intermediate regime is resonance-dominated and approximately exponential; and the long-time behavior is governed by the low-energy threshold and becomes algebraic. Numerical simulations complement the analysis by confirming these regimes and by showing the breakdown of exponential decay. They also provide an empirical fit for the breakdown time tbr in terms of the barrier strength α and the distance d1 between the barriers.