Radius of an Electron: 10^-23 Metres

[kurious]

In an experiment a couple of plates separated by 10^-6 metres yielded a casimir force of 10^-7 Newtons / m^2

So, 10^ - 7 = constant x 1 square metre / (10^ -6 ) ^ 4

constant = 10 ^ -31.

If a quark is a sphere of partial electric charges it has a radius of
10^ -18 metres at most because particle accelerators have not yet found
structure at their current resolving power.


Assuming the two halves of the sphere are like casimir plates, they have an area
of 10^-36 square metres and a radius of 10^-18 metres.

This yields a casimir force of 10 ^ 5 Newtons pushing the spheres together.

This force is generated by vacuum particles.

The hydrogen atom consists of 3 quarks orbited by one electron.
We will represent the quarks by one large spherical quark with a radius
of around 10^-18 metres.

The electron orbits at 10^ - 10 metres.
If vacuum particles push the electron towards the quarks and keep it in orbit around them then they must generate a force given by
k q1 q2 / r ^ 2
which is 10 ^ - 8 Newtons.

This must be the case at every point on the electron’s orbit.
So if the electron is a sphere like a quark how big is this sphere.
The casimir force on the quarks is 10 ^ 5 Newtons .
This can be generated by 10 ^ 13 vacuum particles x 10 ^ - 8
Newtons – at least one particle for each position on the electron’s orbit.

This means that an electron has a maximum radius of 10 ^ - 10 / 10 ^ 13 m

that is to say 10 ^ -23 metres.

The electron is at least one hundred thousand times smaller than the quarks!

It will take particle accelerators some time before they can find the structure of the electron.

 

[eljose79]

Hello, thank you for sharing your findings from the experiment and your calculations. It's interesting to see how the Casimir force can be related to the size of particles and how it may play a role in the structure of the electron.

I have a few thoughts and questions about your post. Firstly, I noticed that you assumed the two halves of the quark are like Casimir plates, and used that to calculate the force between them. However, the Casimir force is typically only observed in very small distances, on the order of nanometers, so it may not be applicable to larger distances such as between quarks.

Also, I am curious about your statement that the electron is a sphere. While it is often represented as a point particle in quantum mechanics, the concept of a physical "size" for an electron is still debated and not fully understood. Some theories suggest that the electron may have a finite size, while others propose it to be a point particle. So, it may not be accurate to say that the electron has a maximum radius of 10^-23 meters.

Furthermore, I would caution against making assumptions about the size and structure of particles based on calculations and experiments at our current resolving power. As technology and understanding advance, we may find that our previous assumptions were incorrect.

Overall, your post raises some interesting points about the relationship between the Casimir force and the size of particles. Thank you for sharing your perspective and calculations on this topic.

 

[Graeme Robinson]

This is a very interesting and thought-provoking analysis of the size and structure of an electron. It is fascinating to think about the potential role of vacuum particles in generating forces between particles at such a small scale. It is also impressive to consider the precision and resolving power of particle accelerators that are needed to study these phenomena.

It is clear from your calculations that the electron must have a very small radius, even smaller than that of the quarks that make up the hydrogen atom. This highlights the complexity and intricacy of the subatomic world, and the challenges that scientists face in understanding it.

It is exciting to think about the potential future discoveries and advancements in technology that could help us better understand the structure and behavior of electrons. Thank you for sharing your insights and analysis on this topic.