Quantum Tunneling – Torn Apart

Quantum Mechanics has always proved to be a puzzle to anyone who reads it.  Quantum Tunneling is one such concept that not many can understand clearly. However, if understood, the very moment of understanding brings a smile to the face of the reader.  Here is an article that will help you understand Quantum Tunneling better.

Let us first consider an analogy before proceeding to actually seeing what Quantum Tunneling is:

Let us assume that I am rolling a boulder (how I do it is unimportant now) with a velocity V. The boulder’s mass is assumed to be M. Now this boulder is to climb a peak of height H and roll down the other side of the peak.  Now as the boulder climbs the peak, its Kinetic Energy (T) gets converted in to Potential Energy (V) by virtue of its height and at the peak,

V = MgH

 If,

T was such that T > Mgh, then the boulder would have some residual energy left for it to roll down the other way. But, if, T < MgH, then, classically speaking there is no chance for the boulder to roll down the other way. Speaking Classically, if we say that the peak is a Potential Barrier of height V (we say this because V a H) then, if, the Energy of the object trying to cross the barrier of height has energy T >V, then the object crosses the barrier successfully and fails to do so if T<V. If by any chance T = V, then the object stays on top of the peak.