Tunneling of the 3rd kind

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel quantum tunneling mechanism where particles split into virtual pairs of different species to pass through barriers, exemplified by photons converting into minicharged pairs, with potential experimental detection.

Contribution

It proposes a new tunneling process in quantum field theory involving virtual particle pairs, expanding understanding of particle interactions with barriers.

Findings

Theoretical description of tunneling via virtual pairs.

Potential experimental observation with light-shining-through-a-wall setups.

Application to search for minicharged particles.

Abstract

We study a new kind of tunneling of particles through a barrier particular to quantum field theory. Here, the particles traverse the barrier by splitting into a virtual pair of particles of a different species which interacts only very weakly with the barrier and can therefore pass through it. Behind the barrier, the pair recombines into a particle of the original species. As an example, we discuss the case where photons split into a pair of minicharged particles. This process could be observed in experiments of the light-shining-through-a-wall type and may be used to search for minicharged particles in laboratory experiments.