The solution of the Dirac equation for a high square barrier

The transmission of a Dirac particle through a high (V0>E+m) square electrostatic potential barrier is investigated further. As is well known, the transmission coefficient is nonzero even as V0 goes to infinity. As well as reproducing the usual wave mechanics approach, a detailed fermion–antifermion multiple scattering calculation and an S‐matrix calculation are examined to provide additional insight into the problem. The origin of the curious behavior is found to be the result of pair creation and annihilation events.