In a bound state within a solid at room temperature, an atom can undergo quantum tunneling, but the process of spontaneous absorption of energy from the rest of the universe is highly improbable and not typically observed.
Quantum tunneling is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where a particle can penetrate through a potential barrier even if its energy is less than the height of the barrier. This effect arises from the wave-like nature of particles and their associated probability distributions. However, for an atom in a bound state within a solid, the potential energy barrier that it would need to tunnel through is typically related to its interactions within the solid structure.
At room temperature, the atoms in a solid are in thermal equilibrium with their surroundings. They possess a certain amount of energy due to thermal motion, and this energy distribution follows a statistical distribution described by the Boltzmann distribution. For a typical solid at room temperature, the energy of the atoms is not sufficient to allow them to spontaneously absorb energy from the rest of the universe and overcome the potential energy barriers they are bound within.
In certain cases, external factors such as applying an electric field or increasing the temperature significantly can provide the necessary energy for an atom to tunnel through a potential barrier. However, this is not a spontaneous process that occurs due to the absorption of energy from the rest of the universe. It requires specific external influences or conditions to facilitate the tunneling.
In summary, while an atom in a bound state within a solid can undergo quantum tunneling, spontaneous absorption of energy from the rest of the universe to enable this tunneling is highly improbable at room temperature. External influences or specific conditions are typically required to facilitate such processes.