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Klein paradox

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Klein paradox

[′klīn ‚par·ə‚däks]
(quantum mechanics)
The paradox whereby, according to the Dirac electron theory, an electron can penetrate into a potential barrier which is greater than twice the rest energy of the electron (about 1 MeV) by making a transition from a positive energy state to a negative energy state, provided the potential change occurs over a distance on the order of a Compton wavelength or less.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
References in periodicals archive
The spirit of the Klein Paradox discussed in Appendix A is that, if a region of free space is subjected to a sufficiently large positive potential, then an electron impinging on that region can extract energy from the negative-energy vacuum state.
CRC, The Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, London, New York, 2006.--In the Klein Paradox [V.sub.0] is assumed to be a positive electrostatic potential, whereas the nonnegative potential [V.sub.p](r) includes both charge ([e.sub.*]) and mass ([m.sub.p]).
The structured proton and the structureless electron as viewed in the Planck vacuum theory
The "hole" theory of Dirac [7] that leads to the Dirac vacuum will be presented here along with the Klein paradox as the two are intimately related.
The Dirac electron in the Planck vacuum theory
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