Static-Field Tunneling Ionization in Space-Fractional Quantum Mechanics

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Ciappina, Marcelo F.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Ciappina, Marcelo F.
author_facet Ciappina, Marcelo F.
contents Tunneling ionization in static or slowly varying electric fields is a cornerstone of strong-field physics and provides the entry point for semiclassical descriptions of above-threshold ionization and high-harmonic generation. In conventional quantum mechanics, the Perelomov--Popov--Terent'ev (PPT) theory and its Ammosov--Delone--Krainov (ADK) form yield an ionization rate whose defining feature is an exponential dependence governed by an under-barrier (imaginary-time) action. Here we develop an analytical ADK-like tunneling model within \emph{space-fractional} quantum mechanics, where the quadratic kinetic energy is replaced by the Riesz fractional Laplacian of order $1<α\le2$. Working in a static electric field in the length gauge, we derive a closed-form tunneling exponent for a triangular exit barrier. The fractional kinetic operator deforms the conventional $I_p^{3/2}$ scaling to $I_p^{1+1/α}$ and introduces a characteristic $\sin(π/α)$ factor encoding the complex-phase structure associated with nonlocal dispersion. We position this benchmark relative to prior tunneling studies in fractional quantum mechanics (primarily scattering through model barriers and fractal potentials) and provide a validation protocol for testing the exponent in time-dependent simulations of the fractional Schrödinger equation under a constant field. The result establishes a transparent reference for static-field ionization in nonlocal quantum dynamics and a baseline for strong-field approaches extensions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_05617
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Static-Field Tunneling Ionization in Space-Fractional Quantum Mechanics
Ciappina, Marcelo F.
Quantum Physics
Atomic Physics
Tunneling ionization in static or slowly varying electric fields is a cornerstone of strong-field physics and provides the entry point for semiclassical descriptions of above-threshold ionization and high-harmonic generation. In conventional quantum mechanics, the Perelomov--Popov--Terent'ev (PPT) theory and its Ammosov--Delone--Krainov (ADK) form yield an ionization rate whose defining feature is an exponential dependence governed by an under-barrier (imaginary-time) action. Here we develop an analytical ADK-like tunneling model within \emph{space-fractional} quantum mechanics, where the quadratic kinetic energy is replaced by the Riesz fractional Laplacian of order $1<α\le2$. Working in a static electric field in the length gauge, we derive a closed-form tunneling exponent for a triangular exit barrier. The fractional kinetic operator deforms the conventional $I_p^{3/2}$ scaling to $I_p^{1+1/α}$ and introduces a characteristic $\sin(π/α)$ factor encoding the complex-phase structure associated with nonlocal dispersion. We position this benchmark relative to prior tunneling studies in fractional quantum mechanics (primarily scattering through model barriers and fractal potentials) and provide a validation protocol for testing the exponent in time-dependent simulations of the fractional Schrödinger equation under a constant field. The result establishes a transparent reference for static-field ionization in nonlocal quantum dynamics and a baseline for strong-field approaches extensions.
title Static-Field Tunneling Ionization in Space-Fractional Quantum Mechanics
topic Quantum Physics
Atomic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.05617