Tunnel effect at total internal reflection of light
It is known that under total internal reflection of light from the interface between two media, such as glass and air, the light penetrates into the air over a distance of the order of the wavelength. If there is a second glass prism at the distance less than the wavelength, the light will penetrate through the gap. This is analogous to the phenomenon of tunneling effect in quantum mechanics. This paper presents the results of experimental studies of the intensity of tunneled laser beam depending on the width of the gap in the context of total internal reflection of the incident beam. The dependence between the direction of propagation of the refracted beam and the angle of incidence is established, which is attributed to the construction of the refracted wave front using Huygens’ principle.