I wrote: It seems that the "tunneling" in this instance refers to a chemical rather > than a nuclear reaction. The "barrier" in this case would be for the > chemical reaction. If this is true, this paper is probably talking about > something more mundane than what we're interested in. >
I see that Terry Bollinger relates the chemical question to the nuclear question by the analogy of two species staying nearby one another for an extended period. His question is very similar to the one I have raised here in the past, about two deuterons approaching the classical turning point of a palladium nucleus and hanging out in the area for longer than they normally would before they bounce back out. I wonder whether Ben Crowell, in his answer, is assuming equilibrium conditions. Eric
