Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-course-of-the-year-3-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/paper-2b/section-a/25/a/solution

Quantum tunnelling is penetration of, or transmission through, a finite potential barrier into a classically forbidden region, where the total energy is less than the potential energy. The wavefunction generally remains nonzero there, so the Born rule assigns a nonzero probability of detection. This does not require an increase in total energy; it is the classical relation between a definite position and a definite kinetic energy that cannot be imposed on the quantum state. For a bound quantum harmonic oscillator, the relevant quantity is the probability of finding the particle beyond its classical turning points; it is not an escaping transmitted beam.

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