Classic question regarding the nature of quantum tunneling

DanteKennedy
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TL;DR
I'm curious if there's any way to suppress tunneling probability to absolute zero; is it even possible? Theoretically, is there a non zero chance (no matter how small) for large object (ex. cat, cars) to quantum tunnel in uncontrolled, everyday environment?
Read the TL;DR (^ w ^)
 
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If you've lost your cat, don't blame Quantum Mechanics.
 
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DanteKennedy said:
TL;DR: I'm curious if there's any way to suppress tunneling probability to absolute zero; is it even possible? Theoretically, is there a non zero chance (no matter how small) for large object (ex. cat, cars) to quantum tunnel in uncontrolled, everyday environment?

Read the TL;DR (^ w ^)
This is not endemic to QM.

Classically, there is a non-zero chance that all the air molecules in your room end up on the left side of the room, and you find yourself in hard vacuum (briefly).

No, you cannot suppress the tendency of air's heterogeny to absolute zero.

Likewise you could drop a box of jigsaw puzzle pieces on the floor and have them land in a perfecrtly completed puzzle.

But in each case, you might wait till the death of the universe for it to happen.

No, you wouldn't be waiting, you'd be trying over and over again.

For each scenario, once in ab seconds, two cat atoms would tunnel simultaneously, two air molecules would hug the left side of the room and two jigsaw pieces would stick together.

For every c times that happened, you might see three cat atoms, three air molecules and three puzzle pieces do something unexpected. etc, etc.


Another way to think of it:

Statistically, before a million monkeys mashing at a million typewriters produced a single perfect copy copy of Shakespeare's works, they would first produce millions of false copies of the works with a single typo.

And for each of those but-for-one-letter copies, they would produce millions of false copies of the works that were perfect but for two typos. And for each of those, they would produce millions of three typo copies.
 
Last edited:
PeroK said:
If you've lost your cat, don't blame Quantum Mechanics.
Wait, that is where the missing socks go. They tunnel into the floor.
 

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