Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes
Published on: January 16, 2016
Competing tunneling trajectories in a two-dimensional potential with variable topology as a model for quantum
V A Benderskii1, E V Vetoshkin, E I Kats
1Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, RAS, 142432 Moscow Region, Chernogolovka, Russia.
Abstract:
We present a path-integral approach to treat a two-dimensional model of a quantum bifurcation. The model potential has two equivalent minima separated by one or two saddle points, depending on the value of a continuous parameter. Tunneling is, therefore, realized either along one trajectory or along two equivalent paths. The zero-point fluctuations smear out the sharp transition between these two regimes and lead to a certain crossover behavior. When the two saddle points are inequivalent one can also have a first order transition related to the fact that one of the two trajectories becomes unstable. We illustrate these results by numerical investigations. Even though a specific model is investigated here, the approach is quite general and has potential applicability for various systems in physics and chemistry exhibiting multistability and tunneling phenomena.
Related Concept Videos
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
Divergence and Curl of Electric Field
Transmission-Line Differential Equations
Line Section Model
A circuit representing a line section of length Δx helps in understanding the transmission line parameters. The voltage V(x) and current i(x) are measured from the...
Quadratic Models
Orthogonal Trajectories
Torsion in Vector Calculus

