MVP ARCHIVE SCIENCE | PHYSICS : Quantum Tunneling
Quantum Tunneling
Particles pass through walls that they should not be able to cross.
This phenomenon, which seems impossible at first glance, is called Quantum Tunneling, and it is one of the phenomena that represents quantum mechanics.
In classical physics, for a particle to cross a wall, it requires more energy than the wall itself.
However, in quantum mechanics, particles also possess wave-like properties, so they can appear on the other side of a barrier with a certain probability.
This is not because they are breaking or jumping over the wall, but a phenomenon caused by the wave-like nature of quanta.
Particles spreading as waves
quantum mechanics, particles such as electrons and protons are not small spheres with fixed positions, but are represented by wave functions.
Since this wave spreads slightly inside the barrier, if the barrier is thin enough, the wave can reach the other side.
As a result, the particle is detected on the other side of the barrier with a certain probability.
This is the quantum tunneling effect.
Stars also shine due to this phenomenon
Quantum Tunneling also plays an important role in the universe.
At the center of the sun, hydrogen nuclei cannot easily approach each other due to electrical repulsion (Coulomb force).
However, quantum tunneling creates a probability of passing through that barrier, causing nuclear fusion reactions to occur.
It is believed that the sunlight and heat we receive every day would not have been created as they are today without this phenomenon.
Applications to modern technology
Quantum Tunneling is not just a mysterious phenomenon; it is used in many advanced technologies.
A Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) is a device that can observe individual atoms using the electron tunneling effect.
This phenomenon is also deeply involved in flash memory, semiconductor devices, and quantum devices.
"Impossible" is not absolute
Quantum Tunneling shows that particles can pass through barriers that they should not be able to cross in classical physics with a certain probability, and this is a fundamental phenomenon of quantum mechanics that has been confirmed by numerous experiments.
In the smallest world of nature, laws different from the world we usually experience are at work.
Basic Information
Fundamentals of the theory
・Quantum mechanics
・Wave-particle duality
・Wave function
Overview
・A phenomenon where particles pass through an energy barrier with a certain probability
・Explained by wave-like properties
・A quantum phenomenon that cannot be explained by classical physics
Representative examples
・Nuclear fusion in the sun and stars
・Radioactive decay (alpha decay)
・Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)
・Semiconductor devices
・Flash memory
・Quantum devices
Main applications
・STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscope)
・Nanotechnology
・Semiconductor engineering
・Quantum computers
・Nuclear physics
Related themes
・Quantum Entanglement
・Superconductivity
・Semiconductor Physics
・Quantum Computing
Archive Point
Wave-particle duality has revealed that quanta possess wave-like properties.
Quantum tunneling is a prime example of how these wave-like properties manifest as actual natural phenomena.
From the nuclear fusion that makes the sun shine, to microscopes that observe individual atoms, and even modern semiconductor technology, this phenomenon has become a vital physical process that supports both the universe and our society.
