Above-well, Stark, and potential-barrier resonances of an open square well in a static external electric field

Abstract

Besides the well known Stark resonances, which are localized in the potential well and tunnel through the potential barrier created by the dc-field, "strange" long and short-lived resonances are analytically obtained. These resonances are not localized inside the potential well. We show that the narrow ones are localized above the potential well. These narrow resonances give rise to a {\it peak structure} in a 1D scattering experiment. We also show that the broad overlapping resonances are associated with the static electric field potential barrier. These "strange" overlapping resonances do not give rise to a {\it peak structure} in a 1D scattering experiment. We propose a 2D experimental set-up where in principle these short-lived states should be observed as {\it peaks}. Broad overlapping resonances, associated only with the static electric field potential barrier, could also have observable effects in a $N>1$ array of quantum wells in the presence of a truncated static electric field. This last problem is associated with the resonance tunnelling phenomena which are used in the construction of resonance-tunnelling diodes and transistors.