Complex Periodic Orbits and Tunneling in Chaotic Potentials.

Abstract

We derive a trace formula for the splitting-weighted density of states suitable for chaotic potentials with isolated symmetric wells. This formula is based on complex orbits which tunnel through classically forbidden barriers. The theory is applicable whenever the tunneling is dominated by isolated orbits, a situation which applies to chaotic systems but also to certain near-integrable ones. It is used to analyze a specific two-dimensional potential with chaotic dynamics. Mean behavior of the splittings is predicted by an orbit with imaginary action. Oscillations around this mean are obtained from a collection of related orbits whose actions have nonzero real part. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}