Tunnelling of molecules and quantum decay

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In our everyday experience, particles trapped inside energy wells can escape only if they have more energy than the energy barrier; a marble trapped in a bowl stays inside unless it has enough energy to rise to the top of the bowl and get out. For microscopic particles it is possible for the particle to escape even if its energy is less than the barrier. This phenomenon is called "tunnelling." Tunnelling has been investigated almost solely for single particles. Investigation into the tunnelling of molecules began relatively recently. The simplest molecule has two atoms and thus has an elongated structure. The study of tunnelling of molecules is interesting and challenging because, in order to escape confinement inside an energy barrier, both atoms need to tunnel out.