NEW TREATMENT OF QUANTUM METASTABILITY

We explore the implications of the recently proposed Langevin quantiza tion for quantum metastability, working within the semiclassical appro ximation. As far as we can see, the present treatment is simpler and m ore straightforward than the path integral approach. Indeed, no extra trick is needed and the correct result follows at once - as a conseque nce of general principles - from the representation of the propagator supplied by the Langevin quantization. Moreover, the imaginary part of the semiclassical propagator emerges naturally form the formalism and no analytic continuation has to be performed in order to make sense o ut of a divergent expression. Further applications of the strategy dis cussed in this Letter are pointed out.