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I’ve touched on this topic briefly before, but it’s so strange and interesting, I though it deserved its own post. So, what exactly is it?

Quantum tunneling is an event that’s forbidden in classical physics, but it’s perfectly allowed, and even common in quantum mechanics. When a particle approaches some barrier, there will always be some chance that it will pass through, no matter how big the barrier is.

Imagine you try rolling a ball up a steep hill. Unless you give it enough kinetic energy, the ball will never be able to get to the other side, no matter how many times you try. The potential energy of the hill is greater than the kinetic energy of the ball, meaning the other side of the hill is “classically forbidden”. However, this isn’t the case with quantum mechanics.

As you might know, particles in quantum mechanics must be described as “probability waves”. Imagine it like ripples across the surface of a pond, where the height of the wave represents how likely you’ll find the particle there. In quantum mechanics, when a probability wave strikes a barrier, part of it will be reflected, and part will pass through. This means there is always a chance you’ll see the particle on the other side.

Quantum tunneling doesn’t only apply for traveling waves, it also works for stationary waves. An electron trapped around an atom is similar to a ball stuck in a valley. Even though the electron is in a stationary configuration, it can still tunnel its way out. This might look like faster than light travel, since the wave instantly shifts from inside the atom to outside the atom, but nothing actually moved faster than light.

This works, because the probability wave wasn’t exactly zero outside of the atom to start with. In a sense, the electron was already inside and outside the atom. It’s just that when you observe it, you’ll see it inside most often.

06.15 The View from Halfway Down

On the night of May 26, 2010, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, the world’s largest flying observatory, first peered into the cosmos. Its mission: to study celestial objects and astronomical phenomena with infrared light. Many objects in space emit almost all their energy at infrared wavelengths. Often, they are invisible when observed in ordinary, visible light. Over the last decade, the aircraft’s 106-inch telescope has been used to study black holes, planets, galaxies, star-forming nebulas and more! The observations have led to major breakthroughs in astronomy, revolutionizing our understanding of the solar system and beyond. To celebrate its 10 years of exploration, here’s a look at the top 10 discoveries made by our telescope on a plane:

The Universe’s First Type of Molecule

Scientists believe that around 100,000 years after the big bang, helium and hydrogen combined to make a molecule called helium hydride. Its recent discovery confirms a key part of our basic understanding of the early universe.

A New View of the Milky Way

More than a pretty picture, this panorama of cosmic scale reveals details that can help explain how massive stars are born and what’s feeding our Milky Way galaxy’s supermassive black hole.

When Planets Collide

A double-star system that is more than 300 light-years away likely had an extreme collision between two of its rocky planets. A similar event in our own solar system may have formed our Moon.

How A Black Hole Feasts

Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin! Magnetic fields in the Cygnus A galaxy are trapping material where it is close enough to be devoured by a hungry black hole.

Somewhere Like Home

The planetary system around Epsilon Eridani, a star located about 10 light-years away, has an architecture remarkably similar to our solar system. What’s more, its central star is a younger, fainter version of our Sun.

A Quiet Place

Black holes in many galaxies are actively consuming material, but our Milky Way galaxy’s central black hole is relatively quiet. Observations show magnetic fields may be directing material around, not into, the belly of the beast.

The Great Escape

Ever wonder how material leaves a galaxy? The wind flowing from the center of the Cigar Galaxy is so strong it’s pulling a magnetic field — and the mass of 50 to 60 million Suns — with it.

Exploding Star, New Worlds

What happens when a star goes boom? It turns out that supernova explosions can produce a substantial amount of material from which planets like Earth can form.

Stellar Sibling Rivalry

They say siblings need time and space to grow, but here’s one that really needs some room. A newborn star in the Orion Nebula is clearing a bubble of space around it, preventing any new luminous family members from forming nearby.

Clues to Life’s Building Blocks

Radiation from stars is making organic molecules in nebula NGC 7023, also known as the Iris Nebula, larger and more complex. The growth of these molecules is one of the steps that could lead to the emergence of life under the right circumstances.

SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that allows astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes. Find out more about the mission at www.nasa.gov/SOFIA.

New “glitter worms” dance and fight one another underwater

One of the newly-discovered Peinaleopolynoe worms is named after Elvis because its iridescent scales look like costume sequins. 

This mainly comes down to how “quantum states” work. If a coin was a quantum object, you could say its quantum state is something like “50% heads, 50% tails” or “5% heads, 95% tails”. Essentially, this means that when you look at a coin, it will have some probability of being heads or tails. Before you look, though, it’s ‘undecided’.