Particles can pass through classically forbidden barriers. In LFM, this emerges from wave propagation — the wavefunction doesn't abruptly stop at the barrier.
Protons tunnel through Coulomb barrier to fuse in stars — without tunneling, the Sun wouldn't shine!
Electrons tunnel between tip and surface, enabling atomic-resolution microscopy (Nobel 1986)
Data stored by tunneling electrons onto floating gates — your USB drive is quantum!
In LFM, the barrier represents a region with elevated effective χ. The particle wavefunction (ψ) decays exponentially inside the barrier (evanescent wave), but for finite barriers, a non-zero amplitude emerges on the other side.
The wavefunction decays exponentially inside the barrier but maintains non-zero amplitude. Decay factor: exp(−16.2)
Quantum tunneling theory developed by Gamow, Gurney, and Condon (1928) to explain alpha decay.
LFM describes tunneling as wavefunction penetration through χ-elevated regions.