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Quantum particles can tunnel through long-range barriers
Quantum particles are capable of tunneling through long-range impassable barriers, according to a fresh research by Austrian scientists.
Until now, the so-called tunneling process in electronics involved a single particle that tunnels through a solitary barrier. A team of researchers in Austria recently discovered a way for particles to pass through up to five of these barriers simultaneously.
Researcher Hanns-ChristophNägerl and his colleagues created a physical quantum simulator capable of mimicking other quantum systems and cooled cesium atoms to a near-absolute zero temperature (-459.67 degrees F) and placed the atoms in an essential lattice produced with intersecting beams of high-intensity lasers.
At such a low temperature, the random joggling of atoms stops almost completely, leaving no energy behind for atoms to move except using quantum tunneling.
The researchers applied a force which somewhat shifted the energy landscape, tilting the board to allow the particles to move down the board. But, the researchers did not find the particles tunneling through just one barrier; instead, they found that multiple atoms started moving to areas separated by five different barriers.
Speaking about the research, Nägerl said, “Very similar to a massive object moving in the Earth’s gravitational field, the tunneling atoms should loose potential energy when they move down the washboard.”
The detailed study appeared in the most-recent edition of the journal Science.
Source: http://www.ascensionearth2012.org/2014/06/quantum-particles-can-tunnel-through.html
