Coulomb spectrum in crossed electric and magnetic fields: Eigenstates of motion in double-minimum potential wells

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Two-dimensional electron layers when placed in perpendicular electric and magnetic fields can have a potential well with two minima for the electronic motion normal to the surface. Such double-minimum potential wells also arise for highly excited Rydberg states of atoms in crossed electric and magnetic fields and in certain molecular potential curves. We develop and apply a WKB formalism to such double-minimum wells and calculate the energy splittings that arise when one is near "degeneracy," that is, when either well, considered independently, can support a bound state at the same energy.