Eur. Phys. J. B 3, 387-396 (1998)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050326

Transport through cavities with tunnel barriers: a semiclassical analysis

¹ Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, 86135 Augsburg, Germany
² Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
³ Université Louis Pasteur, IPCMS-GEMME, 23 rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg Cedex, France

Corresponding author: ^a Gert.Ingold@Physik.Uni-Augsburg.de

Received: 23 October 1997
Accepted: 11 March 1998
Published online: 15 June 1998

Abstract

We study the influence of a tunnel barrier on the quantum transport through a circular cavity. Our analysis in terms of classical trajectories shows that the semiclassical approaches developed for ballistic transport can be adapted to deal with the case where tunneling is present. Peaks in the Fourier transform of the energy-dependent transmission and reflection spectra exhibit a nonmonotonic behaviour as a function of the barrier height in the quantum mechanical numerical calculations. Semiclassical analysis provides a simple qualitative explanation of this behaviour, as well as a quantitative agreement with the exact calculations. The experimental relevance of the classical trajectories in mesoscopic and microwave systems is discussed.