Anomalous delay in wave propagation and tunneling: a transition-elements analysis of the traversal time

An alternative model for near-field propagation and optical tunneling is proposed following the lines of the path-integral method developed by Feynman, and in particular by using a transition-elements analysis. Such a model was able to account for the frequency dependency of delay-time results of an experiment involving microwave propagation in the near field using two horn antennas [A. Ranfagni et al., Phys. Rev. E 66, 036111 (2002)]. Furthermore, this approach is also capable of interpreting delay-time results as a function of the barrier width in a frustrated total internal reflection experiment performed at the microwave scale and in the optical region.