quantum tunneling
KWON-tum TUN-ul-ing
ˈkwɒntəm ˈtʌnəlɪŋListen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
Dictionary meaning
the quantum mechanical phenomenon in which a particle passes through a potential energy barrier that it would classically be unable to surmount because its total energy is less than the barrier height; tunneling occurs because the particle's wavefunction extends into and through classically forbidden regions, giving a non-zero probability of finding the particle on the other side; quantum tunneling underlies nuclear fusion in stars (enabling the proton-proton chain reaction at temperatures insufficient for classical barrier crossing), the operation of tunnel diodes, scanning tunnelling microscopy, and certain enzyme catalysis mechanisms in biochemistry
Learn one new pronunciation a day
Get a word, name or idiom like “quantum tunneling” in your inbox — daily or weekly, free. Unsubscribe any time.