Superluminal propagation of evanescent modes as a quantum effect

TL;DR

This paper argues that superluminal propagation of evanescent modes is a quantum effect, explaining how quantum tunneling allows particles to traverse spacelike intervals without violating causality.

Contribution

It provides a quantum mechanical explanation for superluminal evanescent modes, contrasting with classical wave interpretations and emphasizing the role of quantum tunneling.

Findings

Evanescent modes can propagate over spacelike intervals due to quantum effects.

Superluminality of evanescent modes is a quantum phenomenon, not classical.

Quantum tunneling explains superluminal propagation without causality violation.

Abstract

Contrary to mechanical waves, the two-slit interference experiment of single photons shows that the behavior of classical electromagnetic waves corresponds to the quantum mechanical one of single photons, which is also different from the quantum-field-theory behavior such as the creations and annihilations of photons, the vacuum fluctuations, etc. Owing to a purely quantum effect, quantum tunneling particles including tunneling photons (evanescent modes) can propagate over a spacelike interval without destroying causality. With this picture we conclude that the superluminality of evanescent modes is a quantum mechanical rather than a classical phenomenon.