Recent content by Brzohn

Flash memory depends on tunneling in order to work—electrons have to tunnel through an oxide layer. Now, the wavelength of an electron is at most 24 pm. An atom is on the order of 100 nm wide, and the oxide layer must be at least several atoms thick. How can there be any significant tunneling?

It’s my understanding that a nova happens when you have a close binary star, and one component is a white dwarf. The white dwarf sucks hydrogen from its companion, the hydrogen piles up on the surface of the dwarf until it’s hot and dense enough to undergo nuclear fusion. Ka-boom. Right? Why is...