A potential energy landscape with two local minima separated by a barrier. In a symmetric one-dimensional case, its two lowest wavefunctions are an even function and an odd function, with their energies split by quantum tunnelling. A two-mode approximation for a Bose gas retains these two orbitals when higher energy levels are sufficiently remote.
Articles by others on the same topic
The double-well potential is a concept commonly used in physics, particularly in quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and field theory. It refers to a type of potential energy function that has two local minima, which can be visualized as two wells separated by a barrier (the hills between the wells). This form of potential is significant in describing systems that have multiple stable states and can transition between them.