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arXiv · 2608.24032

Time-Dependent Tunneling in the Thin-Barrier Limit

Tanmay Vachaspati·Frank Wilczek·Zara Yu
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Abstract

The usual WKB analysis for quantum tunneling applies when the tunneling action is large, as it is for tall, wide potential barriers. In contrast we analyze tunneling when the action is small, as it is for tunneling across a tall, thin barrier. We develop a perturbative analysis where the control parameter is the inverse of the area under the potential barrier and apply our technique to several examples in $1+1$ dimensions. In resonant situations for bound particles we find that the tunneling probability grows with time as $\propto t^2$, while in non-resonant situations it grows linearly with time. We evaluate not only the tunneling probability but also the time-dependent tunneling wavefunction for a particle that escapes to infinity, {\it i.e.} from a quasi-bound state to the continuum.

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Tanmay Vachaspati, Frank Wilczek, Zara Yu. 2026-08-25. Time-Dependent Tunneling in the Thin-Barrier Limit. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.24032

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