We exploit the analogy between the transfer of a pulse across a scattering medium and Aharonov's weak measurements to resolve the long standing paradox between the impossibility to exceed the speed of light and the seemingly ``superluminal'' behavior of a tunneling particle in the barrier or a photon in a ``fast-light'' medium. We demonstrate that superluminality occurs when the value of the duration $\ensuremath{\tau}$ spent in the barrier is uncertain, whereas when $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is known accurately, no superluminal behavior is observed. In all cases only subluminal durations contribute to the transmission which precludes faster-than-light information transfer, as observed in a recent experiment.We exploit the analogy between the transfer of a pulse across a scattering medium and Aharonov's weak measurements to resolve the long standing paradox between the impossibility to exceed the speed of light and the seemingly ``superluminal'' behavior of a tunneling particle in the barrier or a photon in a ``fast-light'' medium. We demonstrate that superluminality occurs when the value of the duration $\ensuremath{\tau}$ spent in the barrier is uncertain, whereas when $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is known accurately, no superluminal behavior is observed. In all cases only subluminal durations contribute to the transmission which precludes faster-than-light information transfer, as observed in a recent experiment.

Physical Review AJun 21, 200533 citations

Photonic Tunneling Experiments: Superluminal Tunneling

G. Nimtz, Axel Enders, Harald Spieker

Springer eBooksJan 1, 19944 citations

^'Superluminal^' Tunnelling as a Quantum Measurement Effect^

D. Sokolovski, ALFRED Z. MSEZANE, Vasily R. Shaginyan

We exploit the analogy between tunnelling across a potential barrier and Aharonov's weak measurements to resolve the long standing paradox between the impossibility to exceed the speed of light and the seemingly 'superluminal' behaviur of the tunnelling particle in the barrier. We demonstrate that 'superluminality' occurs when the value of the duration $\\tau$ spent in the barrier is uncertain, whereas when $\\tau$ is known accurately, no 'superluminal' behaviur is observed. In all cases only subluminal durations contribute to the transmission across the barrier.We exploit the analogy between tunnelling across a potential barrier and Aharonov's weak measurements to resolve the long standing paradox between the impossibility to exceed the speed of light and the seemingly 'superluminal' behaviur of the tunnelling particle in the barrier. We demonstrate that 'superluminality' occurs when the value of the duration $\\tau$ spent in the barrier is uncertain, whereas when $\\tau$ is known accurately, no 'superluminal' behaviur is observed. In all cases only subluminal durations contribute to the transmission across the barrier.

APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Meeting AbstractsMay 1, 20040 citations

\\tau

spent in the barrier is uncertain, whereas when

\\tau

is known accurately, no 'superluminal' behaviur is observed. In all cases only subluminal durations contribute to the transmission across the barrier.