12.2.4 Exploring quantum tunneling

• What is quantum tunneling?

  Passing through energy barriers
• Factors affecting quantum tunneling probability in order of importance

  1️⃣ Barrier height

  2️⃣ Barrier width

  3️⃣ Particle energy
• Quantum tunneling is used in scanning tunneling microscopes.


  True
• Match the behavior with the corresponding theory:

  Particle Energy < Barrier Height ↔️ Particle can tunnel through (Quantum)

  Particle Energy > Barrier Height ↔️ Particle can pass through (Classical)
• A potential energy barrier is a region of high potential energy
• In classical mechanics, a particle can only pass through a potential energy barrier if it has enough energy
• The probability of quantum tunneling decreases with increasing barrier
• Under what condition can a particle tunnel through a barrier if its energy is less than the barrier height?

  Quantum mechanics allows it
• In quantum mechanics, a particle can tunnel through a barrier even if it lacks sufficient energy
• The probability of quantum tunneling depends on the barrier's height and width.


  True
• The wider the barrier, the more likely a particle is to tunnel through.

  False
• In quantum mechanics, a particle can tunnel through a barrier even if its energy is less than the barrier height.


  True
• Match the behavior of a particle at a potential barrier with its corresponding mechanical theory:

  Classical ↔️ Particle cannot tunnel through if energy < barrier height

  Quantum ↔️ Particle can tunnel through if energy < barrier height
• In quantum mechanics, particles can exhibit the counterintuitive behavior of tunneling through barriers without sufficient energy.
• How does a higher barrier height affect the probability of tunneling?

  Reduces the probability
• What is the key difference between classical and quantum mechanics in the context of tunneling?

  Energy requirements
• What are two applications of quantum tunneling mentioned in the material?

  Scanning tunneling microscopes and semiconductor devices
• What happens to a particle when its energy is less than the barrier height in quantum mechanics?

  It can tunnel through
• The probability of quantum tunneling depends on three key factors
• How does increasing the particle's energy affect the likelihood of tunneling?

  Increases the probability
• Match the behavior with the type of mechanics:

  Particle Energy < Barrier Height ↔️ Classical: Cannot pass through, Quantum: Can tunnel through

  Particle Energy > Barrier Height ↔️ Both can pass through
• What mathematical tool is used to describe a particle's behavior in quantum tunneling?

  Wave function
• A particle with higher energy is more likely to tunnel through a potential barrier.


  True
• Particles with greater energy have a higher probability of tunneling
• Match the application with its description:

  Scanning Tunneling Microscopes ↔️ Images surfaces at the atomic level

  Tunnel Diodes ↔️ Allows current flow below barrier height

  Nuclear Fusion ↔️ Overcomes the Coulomb barrier
• Quantum tunneling is consistent with classical physics.

  False
• Match the behavior with the corresponding theory:

  Particle Energy < Barrier Height ↔️ Particle can tunnel through (Quantum)

  Particle Energy > Barrier Height ↔️ Particle can pass through (Classical)
• What happens to a particle in classical mechanics if its energy is less than the barrier height?

  It cannot pass through
• What happens to a particle in quantum mechanics if its energy is less than the barrier height?

  It can tunnel through
• What happens to the likelihood of tunneling if the barrier height increases?

  It decreases
• What must a particle overcome to pass through a potential energy barrier in classical mechanics?

  Barrier height
• What is a potential energy barrier?

  Region of high potential energy
• What happens to a particle with energy greater than the barrier height in classical mechanics?

  It passes through
• Arrange the factors influencing quantum tunneling from most likely to least likely to occur:

  1️⃣ High particle energy

  2️⃣ Low barrier height

  3️⃣ Narrow barrier width
• A particle with energy greater than the barrier height can pass through the barrier in both classical and quantum mechanics.


  True
• If a particle's energy is less than the barrier height, it cannot pass through in classical mechanics but can tunnel through in quantum mechanics.


  True
• The higher the barrier's height, the less likely quantum tunneling becomes.
• A particle in quantum mechanics can tunnel through a potential energy barrier even if its energy is less than the barrier height.

  True
• What happens to the probability of tunneling as the barrier width increases?

  Decreases the probability
• In classical mechanics, a particle with energy greater than the barrier height can pass through it.


  True