English

The paradoxical zero reflection at zero energy

Quantum Physics 2017-01-03 v5 Mathematical Physics math.MP

Abstract

Usually, the reflection probability R(E)R(E) of a particle of zero energy incident on a potential which converges to zero asymptotically is found to be 1: R(0)=1R(0)=1. But earlier, a paradoxical phenomenon of zero reflection at zero energy (R(0)=0R(0)=0) has been revealed as a threshold anomaly. Extending the concept of Half Bound State (HBS) of 3D, here we show that in 1D when a symmetric (asymmetric) attractive potential well possesses a zero-energy HBS, R(0)=0R(0)=0 (R(0)<<1)(R(0)<<1). This can happen only at some critical values qcq_c of an effective parameter qq of the potential well in the limit E0+E \rightarrow 0^+. We demonstrate this critical phenomenon in two simple analytically solvable models which are square and exponential wells. However, in numerical calculations even for these two models R(0)=0R(0)=0 is observed only as extrapolation to zero energy from low energies, close to a precise critical value qcq_c. By numerical investigation of a variety of potential wells, we conclude that for a given potential well (symmetric or asymmetric), we can adjust the effective parameter qq to have a low reflection at a low energy.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1605.07315,
  title  = {The paradoxical zero reflection at zero energy},
  author = {Zafar Ahmed and Vibhu Sharma and Mayank Sharma and Ankush Singhal and Rahul Kaiwart and Pallavi Priyadarshini},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1605.07315},
  year   = {2017}
}

Comments

10 pages 6 figures and one Table, Revised presentation

R2 v1 2026-06-22T14:07:57.129Z