Tunnelling of Hermite-Gaussian wavepackets

We examine the tunnelling process of incident Hermite-Gaussian wavepackets which feature several nodes and peaks. An analytic formula for the transmitted wave function is developed which applies to arbitrary incident wave functions and potential barriers with known transmission amplitudes. This formula permits the accurate numerical calculation of the transmitted wave packet, even when the transmission probability is extremely small. For square potential barriers, the shape of the transmitted packet, its relationship to the shape of the incident packet, the momentum of the transmitted packet, and the duration of the tunnelling process are investigated. The shape of the reconstructed transmitted wave packet is also studied for the smooth repulsive Pöschl-Teller potential. (paper)