The resonance amplitude associated with the Gamow states

Abstract

The Gamow states are the quasinormal modes of quantum systems. It is shown that the resonance amplitude associated with the Gamow states is given by the complex delta function. It is also shown that under the near-resonance approximation of neglecting the lower bound of the energy, such resonance amplitude becomes the Breit–Wigner amplitude. This result establishes the precise connection between the Gamow states, Nakanishi's complex delta function and the Breit–Wigner amplitude. In addition, this result provides another theoretical basis for the phenomenological fact that the almost-Lorentzian peaks in cross sections are produced by intermediate, unstable particles.