Could Light Absorption Be Linked to Quantum Tunneling?

[The Baron]

Hi, I have just now started learning about quantum mechanics, and I have an Idea, which i am 99 percent sure is wrong, but i wanted to post it just in case.

Okay, so I researched it a little and it turns out that the probability for a single particle to experience quantum tunneling is 0.1%, and let's say I light a wall at a distance of one meter from me and turn it off after a second. (assuming that there is only one light ray) than 300,000,000 times different particles hit the wall, which if we assume the probability is correct(i am not very sure about my source ) then that means that 300,000 photons experienced quantum tunneling.

My idea is that the particles that have gone through quantum tunneling are the phenomena known as light absorption. and that the other ones are the reflected light.

 

[PeroK]

Okay, so I researched it a little and it turns out that the probability for a single particle to experience quantum tunneling is 0.1%,

I've no idea where you got that from. Modern microelectronics relies on quantum tunnelling and, in particular, there being transmission resonance for specific energies where transmission is effectively 100%.

See, for example:

https://courses.physics.illinois.edu/phys485/fa2015/web/tunneling.pdf

 

[PeterDonis]

I have just now started learning about quantum mechanics, and I have an Idea, which i am 99 percent sure is wrong, but i wanted to post it just in case.

Please review the PF rules on personal speculation. Asking questions about something you don't understand or aren't sure about is fine, but speculating on how something "might" work is not.

the probability for a single particle to experience quantum tunneling

Will depend on the specific scenario; there is not just one probability for quantum tunneling.

My idea is that the particles that have gone through quantum tunneling are the phenomena known as light absorption. and that the other ones are the reflected light.

This is obviously wrong, since "quantum tunneling" in this case would mean the light went through the wall (presuming the wall is opaque so the classical probability of light going through is zero) and was detected on the other side. Light absorption and reflection are easily understood at the classical level, without involving any quantum theory at all, let alone quantum tunneling.

 

[PeterDonis]

The OP of this thread is personal speculation. Thread closed.