Truly Spooky: How Ghostly Quantum Particles Fly Through Barriers Almost Instantly

[Judi Lynn]

By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | March 21, 2019 10:14am ET

At the subatomic level, particles can fly through seemingly impassable barriers like ghosts.

For decades, physicists have wondered just how long this so-called quantum tunneling takes. Now, after a three-year investigation, an international team of theoretical physicists has an answer. They measured a tunneling electron from a hydrogen atom and found that its passage was practically instantaneous, according to a new study. [18 Times Quantum Particles Blew Our Minds]

Particles can pass through solid objects not because they're very small (though they are), but because the rules of physics are different at the quantum level.

Imagine a ball rolling down a valley toward a slope as tall as Mount Everest; without a boost from a jetpack, the ball would never have enough energy to clear the hill. But a subatomic particle doesn't need to go over the hill to get to the other side.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/65043-tunneling-quantum-particles.html?utm_source=notification

[Karadeniz]

1. And for those who have the knack, thoughts aren't confined by distance or physical barriers.

I think we still have a lot to learn!

[Duppers]

3. Ah, immortality.

To a degree.

And according to relativity, time itself is an illusion.

[Kurt V.]

2. put your finger against a wall. if the quantum vibrations equal out, you could push your finger into

wall without damage to either. Theoretically.

[qazplm135]

4. Really?

It was my understanding that it was simple like charge repelling like charge. The electrons in the atoms of the wall repelling the electrons in the atoms in my finger.

[Kurt V.]

6. no. That's complete bs from a paperback sci-fi series in the '80s. i was joking around.

my apologies.

[qazplm135]

5. Probability

There's a non-zero probability that some electrons will end up on the other side of the barrier, and so, some electrons end up outside the barrier. Not surprising that such "travel" is more or less instantaneous.