Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Jostikas on 28/04/2011 19:06:56
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A moving charge creates a magnetic field. An accelerating charge emits an EM field. What about a tunneling charge?
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This is not something I have ever thought about, however I will give it a go. A charge will have a magnetic field to an observer moving relative to the charge and an accelerating charge will radiate, though not in every circumstance - an electron in an atomic shell may be an example, if you consider it to be, classically, in orbit. In this latter case it is the change in energy level (from one shell to another) that results in EM emission. In the case of tunnelling, there is usually a change in the overall energy level of the charge (which will result in EM emission) but the energy barrier it must overcome would not affect this (I don't think). In other words it will be the net change in energy level that results in the EM emission and the barrier being tunnelled through should have no effect on this.
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Tunnelling is a weird quantum process and not fully understood or possibly understandable from a classical point of view. Some people suggest that the effect occurs as an "instantaneous" quantum process like the defining of the state of entangled particles so it is purely a probability wave and not an electromagnetic wave (which travels at a defined speed).