Scattering a quantum particle on the potential step: Characteristic times for transmission and reflection

Abstract

We present a new model of scattering a quantum particle on the potential step, which reconstructs the prehistory of the subensembles of transmitted and reflected particles by their final states. Unlike the conventional one this model predicts the existence of a transitional spatial region behind the potential step where the probability to find reflected particles is nonzero and the average velocity of transmitted particles monotonously varies between asymptotic values. For both subprocesses we define the dwell and asymptotic group times.