Quantum Theory of Tunneling

Download or read book Quantum Theory of Tunneling written by Mohsen Razavy and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2013-12-17 with total page 792 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this revised and expanded edition, in addition to a comprehensible introduction to the theoretical foundations of quantum tunneling based on different methods of formulating and solving tunneling problems, different semiclassical approximations for multidimensional systems are presented. Particular attention is given to the tunneling of composite systems, with examples taken from molecular tunneling and also from nuclear reactions. The interesting and puzzling features of tunneling times are given extensive coverage, and the possibility of measurement of these times with quantum clocks are critically examined. In addition, by considering the analogy between evanescent waves in waveguides and in quantum tunneling, the times related to electromagnetic wave propagation have been used to explain certain aspects of quantum tunneling times. These topics are treated in both non-relativistic as well as relativistic regimes. Finally, a large number of examples of tunneling in atomic, molecular, condensed matter and nuclear physics are presented and solved. Contents:A Brief History of Quantum TunnelingSome Basic Questions Concerning Quantum TunnelingSimple Solvable ProblemsTime-Dependence of the Wave Function in One-Dimensional TunnelingSemiclassical ApproximationsGeneralization of the Bohr–Sommerfeld Quantization Rule and Its Application to Quantum TunnelingGamow's Theory, Complex Eigenvalues, and the Wave Function of a Decaying StateTunneling in Symmetric and Asymmetric Local Potentials and Tunneling in Nonlocal and Quasi-Solvable BarriersClassical Descriptions of Quantum TunnelingTunneling in Time-Dependent BarriersDecay Width and the Scattering TheoryThe Method of Variable Reflection Amplitude Applied to Solve Multichannel Tunneling ProblemsPath Integral and Its Semi-Classical Approximation in Quantum TunnelingHeisenberg's Equations of Motion for TunnelingWigner Distribution Function in Quantum TunnelingDecay Widths of Siegert States, Complex Scaling and Dilatation TransformationMultidimensional Quantum TunnelingGroup and Signal VelocitiesTime-Delay, Reflection Time Operator and Minimum Tunneling TimeMore About Tunneling TimeTunneling of a System with Internal Degrees of FreedomMotion of a Particle in a Waveguide with Variable Cross Section and in a Space Bounded by a Dumbbell-Shaped ObjectRelativistic Formulation of Quantum TunnelingInverse Problems of Quantum TunnelingSome Examples of Quantum Tunneling in Atomic and Molecular PhysicsSome Examples in Condensed Matter PhysicsAlpha Decay Readership: Graduate students and researchers in theoretical, mathematical, condensed matter and nuclear physics, as well as theoretical chemistry. Keywords:Quantum Tunneling;Quantum Clocks;Electromagnetic Wave Propagation;Semiclassical Approximations