Quantum particles can pass through obstacles, like a ball suddenly appearing inside a hill and flying out the other side. This tunneling effect was explained by George Gamow while figuring out how particles escape the atomic nucleus. New research shows: if the hill trembles, randomly changing its height, it becomes harder for particles to pass. Noise introduces chaos, scatters the motion, and the ball bounces back more often. This is especially striking in graphene – a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon. There, electrons racing almost at the speed of light normally ignore any barriers – the Klein paradox – but a shaking barrier breaks their invincibility. Even a head-on attack makes electrons reflect. The reason is that the fluctuations make the interior of the 'hill' unstable, disrupting the particle's wave. Such a noisy gate paves the way for precise quantum switches for future computers, where single electrons are controlled without ultra-complex systems. As John Preskill noted, control over individual quantum objects is the basis for a computational leap. It's surprising that interference becomes a tool for ordering.
The tunneling effect enables thermonuclear reactions in the depths of the Sun, allowing protons to overcome electrical repulsion.