About cookies on this site Our websites require some cookies to function properly (required). In addition, other cookies may be used with your consent to analyze site usage, improve the user experience and for advertising. For more information, please review your options. By visiting our website, you agree to our processing of information as described in IBM’sprivacy statement. To provide a smooth navigation, your cookie preferences will be shared across the IBM web domains listed here.
Publication
American Journal of Physics
Paper
Attempt frequency in tunneling
Abstract
The nature of the "attempt frequency," in the rate of escape of a particle from a confining structure by quantum tunneling through its outer barrier, is elucidated. It is shown that even for a general internal potential the reciprocal of the attempt frequency is equal to the formal quantum propagation time that is given by the energy derivative of the "round trip" phase change for the wave function reflected from and returning to the barrier. © 1998 American Association of Physics Teachers.