Quantum traversal time through a double well

Abstract

The problem of quantum traversal time through two successive potential barriers introduces the concept of generalized Hartmann effect (GHE) in quantum mechanics. It suggests that the tunneling time through two opaque barriers is independent of both barrier width and barrier separation. Here, we consider instead the quantum traversal time through two successive potential wells using the time of arrival (TOA) operator approach. With the hypothesis that the support of the incident wave packet does not extend inside the well region, it is found that the expectation value of the traversal time is independent of the separation distance between the two wells but dependent to the width of each well.