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Universal scaling of adiabatic tunneling out of a shallow confinement potential

Austris Akmentinsh1, David Reifert2, Thomas Weimann2, Klaus Pierz2, Vyacheslavs Kashcheyevs1, and Niels Ubbelohde2,*

  • *Contact author: niels.ubbelohde@ptb.de
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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 044068 – Published 22 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/p146-f4r8

Abstract

The ability to tune quantum tunneling is key for achieving selectivity in manipulation of individual particles in quantum technology applications. In this work we count electron escape events out of a time-dependent confinement potential, realized as a dynamic quantum dot in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. A universal scaling relation of the escape probability as a function of potential barrier rise time and depth is established and developed as a method to probe tunneling rates over many orders of magnitude reaching the limit of shallow anharmonic confinement. Crossover to thermally activated transport is used to estimate the single time-energy scale of the universal model. In application to metrological single-electron sources, in situ calibrated control signals greatly extend the accessible dynamical range for probing the quantization mechanism. Validation of the cubic potential approximation sets a foundation for microscopic modeling of quantum tunneling devices in the shallow confinement regime.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 044068– Published 22 October, 2025
  • Received 22 June 2024
  • Revised 15 August 2025
  • Accepted 12 September 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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