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barrier penetration

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tunneling

 or barrier penetration

In physics, the passage of a particle through a seemingly impassable energy barrier. Though a particle's energy may be too low to surmount a barrier in classical physics, the particle may still cross the barrier as a consequence of its quantum-mechanical wave properties. An important application of this phenomenon is in the operation of the scanning tunneling microscope.


barrier penetration [′bar·ē·ər ‚pen·ə′trā·shən]
(quantum mechanics)
The passage of a particle through a potential barrier, that is, through a region of finite extent in which the particle's potential energy is greater than its total energy.


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Carrier-mediated processes in blood--brain barrier penetration and neural uptake of paraquat.
This innovative neutron imaging system serves an important role in the nation's integrated security capability with its unique combination of barrier penetration, three-dimensional representation, material identification, and operational flexibility.
 
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