Quantum tunneling is a phenomenon in which particles penetrate a potential energy barrier with

a height greater than the total energy of the particles.

To illustrate quantum tunneling, consider a ball rolling along a surface with a kinetic energy of 100
J. As the ball rolls, it encounters a hill. The potential energy of the ball placed atop the hill is 10 J.
Therefore, the ball (with 100 J of kinetic energy) easily rolls over the hill and continues on. In
classical mechanics, the probability that the ball passes over the hill is exactly 1—it makes it over
every time. If, however, the height of the hill is increased—a ball placed atop the hill has a
potential energy of 200 J—the ball proceeds only part of the way up the hill, stops, and returns in
the direction it came. The total energy of the ball is converted entirely into potential energy
before it can reach the top of the hill. We do not expect, even after repeated attempts, for the
100-J ball to ever be found beyond the hill. Therefore, the probability that the ball passes over the
hill is exactly 0, and probability it is turned back or “reflected” by the hill is exactly 1. The
ball never makes it over the hill. The existence of the ball beyond the hill is an impossibility or
“energetically forbidden.”

However, according to quantum mechanics, the ball has a wave function and this function is
defined over all space. The wave function may be highly localized, but there is always a chance
that as the ball encounters the hill, the ball will suddenly be found beyond it. Indeed, this
probability is appreciable if the “wave packet” of the ball is wider than the barrier.
When both the width L and the height U0 are finite, a part of the quantum wave packet incident on
one side of the barrier can penetrate the barrier boundary and continue its motion inside the barrier,
where it is gradually attenuated on its way to the other side. A part of the incident quantum wave
packet eventually emerges on the other side of the barrier in the form of the transmitted wave packet
that tunneled through the barrier. How much of the incident wave can tunnel through a barrier
depends on the barrier width L and its height U0, and on the energy E of the quantum particle
incident on the barrier. This is the physics of tunneling.
Applications of Quantum Tunnelling
Alpha Dacay

The illustration represents an attempt to model the alpha decay characteristics of polonium-
212, which emits an 8.78 MeV alpha particle with a half-life of 0.3 microseconds. The
Coulomb barrier faced by an alpha particle with this energy is about 26 MeV, so by classical
physics it cannot escape at all. Quantum mechanical tunneling gives a small probability that
the alpha can penetrate the barrier. To evaluate this probability, the alpha particle inside the
nucleus is represented by a free-particle wavefunction subject to the nuclear potential. Inside
the barrier, the solution to the Schrodinger equation becomes a decaying exponential.
Calculating the ratio of the wavefunction outside the barrier and inside and squaring that
ratio gives the probability of alpha emission.

Scanning Tunnelling Microscope

Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binning developed scanning tunnelling microscopes (STM). It is a
type of microscope that helps to observe objects at atomic levels. It functions by utilising the
connection between quantum tunnelling with distance. STM analyses the surface by using a
sharp conducting tip that can differentiate characteristics smaller than 0.1 nm with a 0.01 nm
depth resolution. So, individual atoms can be consistently imaged and manipulated.

Electronics
Tunnelling is a frequent source of current leakage in very-large-scale integration (VLSI)
electronics. The VLSI electronics experience substantial power loss and heating effects that
cripple such devices. It is usually considered the lower threshold on how microelectronic
device elements can be created. Tunnelling is also a basic technique employed to set the
floating gates in flash memory. Cold emission, tunnel junction, quantum-dot cellular
automata, tunnel diode, and tunnel field-effect transistors are some of the main electronic
processes or devices that use quantum tunnelling.
Quantum Biology
Quantum tunnelling is one of the core quantum phenomena in quantum biology. It is
essential for both proton tunnelling and electron tunnelling. Electron tunnelling is a critical
factor in numerous biochemical redox reactions (cellular respiration, photosynthesis) and
enzymatic catalysis. Proton tunnelling also has a key role in spontaneous DNA mutation.

Questions
1. Wave function ψ(x) corresponding to a particle with energy E in the potential is shown
below. Explain how and why the wavelengths and amplitudes of ψ(x) are different in regions
1 and 3.

2. Wave function ψ(x) corresponding to a particle with energy E in the potential well is shown
below. Explain how and why the wavelengths and amplitudes of ψ(x) are different in regions
1 and 2.

3. A particle is incident from left on square wave potential barrier of height V 0. Define various
regions by drawing suitable diagram. Solve STIE for all the regions and explain quantum
tunnelling effect

4. A particle is incident from left on square wave potential barrier of height V 0. Discuss how
classical treatment is different from quantum treatment with the help of suitable diagram
5. Discuss alpha decay from radioactive nucleus in the framework of quantum tunnelling.