Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Physics

Publication Date

7-1997

Abstract

The classical vibrational metastable states in a one-dimensional two-mass system are investigated experimentally and theoretically via the transmission of a coherent wave packet propagating through the system. The Fourier transform of the vibrational signal recorded in between the masses reveals resonant excitations by the coherent wave packet. The time-resolved spectrum indicates that the lifetime of a metastable state of higher frequency is longer than that of lower frequency, which is in contrast with the quantum mechanical double-barrier system. This study, which is easily accessible to physics majors, also demonstrates quantum resonant tunneling in a very simple classical way.

Comments

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in American Journal of Physics 65, 653 (1997) and may be found here.

Journal

American Journal of Physics

Rights

© 1997 American Association of Physics Teachers

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