Quantum tunneling with dissipative coupling

This chapter is devoted to quantum tunneling, as a basic quantum process, essential for important applications. Tunneling between two wells, of the double well potential of a one particle system of interest, makes sense only when a second system, capable to distinguish between the presence of the particle in a well, or in the other well, is present. The potential of interaction between such two systems is called tunneling operator. We treat a few problems of interest as tunneling in a quasi-continuum of states, the energy shift in a well by the proximity of another well, dissipation effects, and tunneling spectrum.

Keywords: Probability distribution, probability flow, potential well, potential barrier, double well potential, tunneling operator, Wronskian, interaction picture, ground state, excited state, density of states, golden rule, WKB approximation, action, wave vector, penetrability, Lindbladian, dissipative tunneling, tunneling spectrum.