Smooth double barriers in quantum mechanics

Abstract

Quantum mechanical tunneling across smooth double barrier potentials modeled using Gaussian functions, is analyzed numerically and by using the WKB approximation. The transmission probability, resonances as a function of incident particle energy, and their dependence on the barrier parameters are obtained for various cases. We also discuss the tunneling time, for which we obtain generalizations of the known results for rectangular barriers.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, a slightly reduced version to appear in American Journal of Physics, references correcte