Are neutrinos an example of quantum tunneling?

[Dcase]

I am trying to understand the PBS NOVA ‘The Ghost Particle’ shown Tuesday 28 February 2006.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/neutrino/


Question 1 - When neutrinos pass through the Earth interacting in a statistically predictable manner, is this an example of quantum tunneling conforming to a helical version of the Schrodinger equation?

Conversely - could one say that the Earth is simultaneously tunneling through this enormous number of neutrinos on a relativistic gauge or scale?

Question 2 - Could neutrinos interact with the inner and outer core to maintain the Earth’s magnetosphere?

This question attempts to relate this NOVA program to the PBS NOVA ‘Magnetic Storm’ shown several years ago with a link to.
"For that matter, why is it that instead of quietly fading away, as magnetic fields do when left to their own devices, Earth's magnetic field is still going strong after billions of years? Einstein is said to have considered it one of the most important unsolved problems in physics. With a year of computing on Pittsburgh's CRAY C90, 2,000 hours of processing, [Gary] Glatzmaier and collaborator Paul Roberts of UCLA took a big step toward some answers. Their numerical model of the electromagnetic, fluid dynamical processes of Earth's interior reproduced key features of the magnetic field over more than 40,000 years of simulated time. To top it off, the computer-generated field reversed itself."
http://www.psc.edu/science/glatzmaier.html

Question 3 - Why would neutrinos tunnel through relativistic entities while photons are apparently warped by relativistic entities?


I understand from the standard model:
Photons are boson force carrier particles of electromagnetic interactions.
Neutrinos are leptons differing from electrons in that they have zero electric charge although now thought to have mass from experiments by Masatoshi Koshiba [Nobel 2002].

 

[ZapperZ]

Question 1 - When neutrinos pass through the Earth interacting in a statistically predictable manner, is this an example of quantum tunneling conforming to a helical version of the Schrodinger equation?

No, it's not. Neutrinos have very weak coupling with matter, so they simply do not scatter off it. This isn't tunneling.

Question 2 - Could neutrinos interact with the inner and outer core to maintain the Earth’s magnetosphere?

Considering the very few scattering events, it is highly unlikely that one could depend on neutrino interactions to maintain such a thing.

Question 3 - Why would neutrinos tunnel through relativistic entities while photons are apparently warped by relativistic entities?

This has already been answered above. It isn't tunneling.

Photons have different interactions with matter depending on the wavelength. So not all photons interact the same way - that's why a piece of ordinary glass can let visible light passes through, while blocking almost all UV light.

Zz.

 

[sir-pinski]

Firstly, it is important to note that the concept of quantum tunneling refers to the behavior of particles at the quantum level and how they can seemingly "tunnel" through barriers that would be impossible for them to pass through according to classical physics. This behavior is governed by the principles of quantum mechanics, specifically the Schrödinger equation.

With that in mind, let's address the questions raised in relation to neutrinos and quantum tunneling.

Question 1 - Yes, neutrinos are indeed an example of quantum tunneling. Neutrinos are a type of fundamental particle that have a very small mass and interact very weakly with other particles. This allows them to pass through barriers that would normally be impenetrable to other particles, such as the Earth's interior. This behavior is described by the helical version of the Schrödinger equation, which takes into account the helical (spiral) trajectory of neutrinos as they travel through space.

As for the second part of the question, it is not accurate to say that the Earth is tunneling through a large number of neutrinos. Rather, it is the neutrinos that are tunneling through the Earth due to their unique properties.

Question 2 - The role of neutrinos in maintaining the Earth's magnetosphere is still an area of ongoing research and debate. While it is possible that neutrinos may play a role in this process, there is not enough evidence to definitively say that they do. The PBS NOVA program "The Ghost Particle" explores the role of neutrinos in various natural phenomena, but does not specifically mention their influence on the Earth's magnetosphere.

Question 3 - The behavior of neutrinos and photons is determined by their properties and interactions with other particles. While both particles are affected by relativistic entities, such as gravity, they may respond differently due to their different properties. For example, neutrinos have a very small mass and interact very weakly with other particles, while photons have no mass and interact strongly with electromagnetic fields. Therefore, they may exhibit different behaviors in the presence of relativistic entities.

Overall, the PBS NOVA program "The Ghost Particle" is a great resource for understanding the properties and behavior of neutrinos, but it is important to also consult other sources and ongoing research in order to gain a complete understanding of this complex topic.