Multi-barrier resonant tunneling for the one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger Equation

For the stationary one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation (or Gross-Pitaevskii equation) nonlinear resonant transmission through a finite number of equidistant identical barriers is studied using a (semi-) analytical approach. In addition to the occurrence of bistable transmission peaks known from nonlinear resonant transmission through a single quantum well (respectively a double barrier) complicated (looped) structures are observed in the transmission coefficient which can be identified as the result of symmetry breaking similar to the emergence of self-trapping states in double well potentials. Furthermore it is shown that these results are well reproduced by a nonlinear oscillator model based on a small number of resonance eigenfunctions of the corresponding linear system.