Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tunneling Confronts Special Relativity

  • Published:
Foundations of Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Experiments with evanescent modes and tunneling particles have shown that (i) their signal velocity may be faster than light, (ii) they are described by virtual particles, (iii) they are nonlocal and act at a distance, (iv) experimental tunneling data of phonons, photons, and electrons display a universal scattering time at the tunneling barrier front, and (v) the properties of evanescent, i.e. tunneling modes are not compatible with the special theory of relativity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Nimtz, G.: Found. Phys. 39, 1346–1355 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Nimtz, G.: arXiv:0903.2582v1

  3. Hartman, T.: J. Appl. Phys. 33, 3427–3433 (1962)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Feinberg, G.: Phys. Rev. 159, 1089–1105 (1967)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Recami, E.: Riv. Nuovo Cimento 9(6), 1–178 (1986)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  6. Haibel, A., Nimtz, G.: Ann. Phys. (Leipz.) 10, 707–712 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Esposito, S.: Phys. Rev. E 64, 026609-1–8 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Olkovsky, V., Recami, E.: Phys. Rep. 214, 339–356 (1992)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Haibel, A., Nimtz, G., Stahlhofen, A.A.: Phys. Rev. E 63, 047601-3 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Balcou, Ph., Dutriaux, L.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 851–854 (1997)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Mugnai, D., Ranfagni, A., Ronchi, A.: Phys. Lett. A 247, 281–286 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Steinberg, A., Kwiat, P., Chiao, R.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 708–711 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Spielmann, C., Szipocs, R., Stingl, A., Krausz, A.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 2308–2311 (1994)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Enders, A., Nimtz, G.: J. Phys. I (Fr.) 2, 1693–1698 (1992)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sekatskii, S., Letokhov, V.: Phys. Rev. B 64, 233311-1–4 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Eckle, P., Pfeiffer, A., Cirelli, C., Staudte, A., Dörner, A., Muller, H., Büttiker, M., Keller, J.: Science 322, 1525–1529 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Yang, S., Page, J., Liu, Z., Cowan, M., Chan, C., Sheng, P.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 104301-1–4 (2002)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Robertson, W., Ash, J., McGaugh, M.: Am. J. Phys. 70, 689–693 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Nimtz, G., Heitmann, W.: Prog. Quantum Electron. 21, 81–108 (1997)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Nimtz, G.: Prog. Quantum Electron. 27, 417–450 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Nimtz, G.: Lect. Notes Phys. 702, 506–531 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Boyd, R., Gauthier, D.: Science 326, 1074–1077 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Low, F., Mende, P.: Ann. Phys. 210, 380–387 (1991)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Longhi, S., Marano, M., Laporta, P., Belmonte, M.: Phys. Rev. E 64, 055602-4 (2001)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Longhi, S., Laporta, P., Belmonte, M., Recami, E.: Phys. Rev. E 65, 046610-6 (2002)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Shannon, C.E.: Bell Syst. Tech. J. 27, 379–423 (1948)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  27. Shannon, C.E.: Bell Syst. Tech. J. 27, 623–656 (1948)

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  28. Sommerfeld, A.: Lectures on Theoretical Physics, Optics. Academic Press, San Diego (1954)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Nimtz, G., Haibel, A., Vetter, R.: Phys. Rev. E 66, 037602-4 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Enders, A., Nimtz, G.: Phys. Rev. E 48, 632–634 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. Olkovsky, V., et al.: J. Phys. I 5, 1351–1365 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Barbero, A., Hernandes-Figueroa, H., Recami, E.: Phys. Rev. E 62, 8628 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Papoulis, A.: The Fourier Integral and Its Application. McGraw–Hill, New York (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Ali, S.T.: Phys. Rev. D 7, 1668–1675 (1973)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  35. Fillard, J.P.: Near Field Optics and Nanoscopy. World Scientific, Singapore (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Merzbacher, E.: Quantum Mechanics, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Gasiorowicz, S.: Quantum Physics. Wiley, New York (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Stahlhofen, A.A., Nimtz, G.: Europhys. Lett. 76, 189–195 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  39. Carniglia, C., Mandel, L.: Phys. Rev. D 3, 280–296 (1971)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. Nimtz, G., Enders, A., Spieker, H.: J. Phys. I (Fr.) 4, 565–570 (1994)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  41. Fayngold, M.: Special Relativity and Motions Faster than Light. Wiley–VCH, Weinheim (2002)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  42. Sexl, R.U., Urbandtke, H.K.: Relativity, Groups, Particles. Springer, Wien (2001)

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  43. Bowmeester, D., et al.: Nature 390, 575–579 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. II. Physikalisches Institut, Universtät zu Köln, Zülpicherstrasse 77, 50937, Cologne, Germany

    Günter Nimtz

Authors
  1. Günter Nimtz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Günter Nimtz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nimtz, G. Tunneling Confronts Special Relativity. Found Phys 41, 1193–1199 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-011-9539-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-011-9539-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation