Escape by diffusion from a double-well potential across a barrier is studied on the basis of the Smoluchowski equation in one dimension. By comparison with exact results for a piecewise parabolic potential a reduced description is constructed in terms of a set of rate equations for the...

The problem of escape of a particle by diffusion from a square potential well across a square barrier is studied on the basis of the one-dimensional Smoluchowski equation for the space- and time-dependent probability distribution. For the model potential the Smoluchowski equation is solved...

The escape by diffusion of a particle from a potential well in one dimension is strongly influenced by the application of a field in the adjacent half-space. At long times the probability distribution becomes a uniformly moving and steadily broadening gaussian in this half-space. The mean time...