Quantum Tunneling: Breaking Barriers Without Energy

Quantum tunneling lets particles pass through barriers they shouldn’t have the energy to cross.
It happens because particles behave like waves, which can “leak” past obstacles.
This effect explains how the Sun’s nuclear fusion starts—without tunneling, it wouldn’t shine.
Electrons use tunneling to jump between atoms in modern electronics.
Scanning tunneling microscopes exploit this effect to image atoms directly.
Tunneling defies classical physics, where objects need enough energy to climb over barriers.
It shows particles don’t follow rigid paths—they exist as probabilities that can spread.
The effect is tiny at human scale but vital in the quantum world.
Even radioactive decay, like alpha particles escaping a nucleus, relies on tunneling.
Quantum tunneling reveals nature’s surprising ability to bend the rules of energy and motion.