Summarizing Tunneling

Tunneling Summary

• Tunneling is a quantum mechanical process of potential energy barrier penetration. The concept was first applied to explain \(\alpha \) decay, but tunneling is found to occur in other quantum mechanical systems.

Glossary

barrier penetration

quantum mechanical effect whereby a particle has a nonzero probability to cross through a potential energy barrier despite not having sufficient energy to pass over the barrier; also called quantum mechanical tunneling

quantum mechanical tunneling

quantum mechanical effect whereby a particle has a nonzero probability to cross through a potential energy barrier despite not having sufficient energy to pass over the barrier; also called barrier penetration

tunneling

a quantum mechanical process of potential energy barrier penetration