Quantum Tunnelling     

Quantum Tunnelling - overview

Physics Accomplishment | 1958

IBM researcher: Leo Esaki

Where the work was done: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

What we accomplished: Leo Esaki's discovery  of the semiconductor junction, called the Esaki diode, finds wide use in electronics applications. More importantly, his work in the field of semiconductors lays a foundation for further exploration in the electronic transport of solids. Leo Esaki (pictured) won the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in Quantum (or Electronic) Tunnelling.

Related links: Wikipedia, Esaki Nobel Lecture

Image credit: Engineering and Technology History Wiki

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