Experimental evidence for non-exponential decay in quantum tunnelling

Steven R. Wilkinson, Cyrus F. Bharucha, Martin C. Fischer, Kirk W. Madison, Patrick R. Morrow, Qian Niu, Bala Sundaram and Mark G. Raizen ()
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Steven R. Wilkinson: The University of Texas at Austin
Cyrus F. Bharucha: The University of Texas at Austin
Martin C. Fischer: The University of Texas at Austin
Kirk W. Madison: The University of Texas at Austin
Patrick R. Morrow: The University of Texas at Austin
Qian Niu: The University of Texas at Austin
Bala Sundaram: CSI-CUNY
Mark G. Raizen: The University of Texas at Austin

Nature, 1997, vol. 387, issue 6633, 575-577

Abstract: Abstract An exponential decay law is the universal hallmark of unstable systems and is observed in all fields of science. This law is not, however, fully consistent with quantum mechanics and deviations from exponential decay have been predicted for short as well as long times1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Such deviations have not hitherto been observed experimentally. Here we present experimental evidence for short-time deviation from exponential decay in a quantum tunnelling experiment. Our system consists of ultra-cold sodium atoms that are trapped in an accelerating periodic optical potential created by a standing wave of light. Atoms can escape the wells by quantum tunnelling, and the number that remain can be measured as a function of interaction time for a fixed value of the well depth and acceleration. We observe that for short times the survival probability is initially constant before developing the characteristics of exponential decay. The conceptual simplicity of the experiment enables a detailed comparison with theoretical predictions.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/42418

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