Why does relativity allow quantum tunnelling to 'take no time'?
Abstract
In quantum tunnelling, what appears to be an infinitely fast barrier traversal can be explained in terms of an Aharonov-like weak measurement of the tunnelling time, in which the role of the pointer is played by the particle's own coordinate. A relativistic wave packet is shown to be reshaped through a series of subluminal shifts which together produce an anomalous 'superluminal' result.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series A
- Pub Date:
- February 2004
- DOI:
- 10.1098/rspa.2003.1222
- Bibcode:
- 2004RSPSA.460..499S
- Keywords:
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- quantum mechanics;
- quantum measurements;
- apparent 'superluminality'