QUANTUM TUNNELING AND RELAXATION IN ASYMMETRIC COUPLED WELLS

We analyze the dynamics of resonant tunneling in an asymmetric double-well potential when it is combined with a relaxation process. We show that quantum-interference effects could appear in the relaxation process, resulting in an unexpected dependence of the tunneling time on the relaxation rate. These effects prevail even when the system is prepared in an incoherent initial state. We compare our analysis with recent experimental results and show a very good agreement.