The Electron| The Electron |
In General
> s.a. constants and variation;
fermions; history of physics;
matter.
* History: 1892, H A Lorentz,
proposal of the electron and use to explain properties of matter; 1897, J J
Thomson, discovery of the electron as cathode rays; 1924, W Pauli, proposal
of an inner degree of freedom, later associated by Kronig and by Goudsmit
and Uhlenbeck with an inner rotational motion; 1927, C J Davisson &
L H Germer, observation of electron diffraction by a crystal.
* Charge: Its absolute value is
e = 1.60217733(49) × 10−19 C.
* Mass:
me
= 9.109 3826(16) × 10−31 kg ≈
10−27 g or 511 keV/c2,
with variation |μ·/μ0|
< 3 × 10−14 yr−1,
μ0 = mp /
me.
* Electric dipole moment:
Since 1950, experimenters have been trying to measure the electron's electric dipole moment
pe and getting increasingly stringent
upper limits, but no clear signal; Initially, the quest seemed dubious because a non-zero
pe would break symmetries that were then
thought to be inviolate; By the mid 1960s it was clear that those symmetries are in fact broken,
but the standard model, which incorporates the known symmetry violations, predicts a value
pe = 10−39
e · m, far too small to measure; However, beyond-the-standard-model theories predict
much higher values, that should be measurable with molecular-beam techniques; 1996, Experimental bound
pe ≤ 10−27
e · m; 2011, Experimental bound pe
≤ 1.05 × 10−28 e · m
with 90% c.l.; 2012, Bounds from studies of electrons in solids are not yet as sensitive,
but have been improving; 2013, pe ≤
8.7 × 10−29 e · m with
90% c.l.; 2018, pe ≤ 1.1 ×
10−29 e · m.
* Magnetic dipole moment: 2006, g/2
= 1.001 159 652 180 85 (76); As of 2008, 1.001 159 652 180 73 (28); For an electron bound
to an atom g deviates from a value close to 2 by terms that depend on the ion's
nuclear charge and the fine structure constant; The most successful prediction in phsyics.
@ General references:
Majorana NC(37) [and positron];
Feynman PR(49) [positron];
issue PT(97)oct;
Mac Gregor 92;
Wilczek SA(12)jun [120th birthday];
Knuth a1511-in [current understanding];
Lincoln TPT(16)apr.
@ Internal structure: Robinson PLA(95);
Hofer qp/96,
PhyA(98)qp [and photons];
Pavšič et al HJ(95)qp/98;
Sebens a2105 [Schrödinger's charge density].
@ Mass: Levshakov et al MNRAS(02)ap/01 [variation
of mp/me];
Beier et al PRL(02);
Cardone et al ht/05-ch;
Jantzen & Ruffini GRG(12) [Fermi's analysis of the contribution of the electromagnetic field];
> s.a. energy [self-energy].
@ Magnetic dipole moment: Welton PR(48) [and electromagnetic field fluctuations];
Aspden IJTP(77) [heuristic model];
Vázquez IJTP(79)
[corrections to g due to a Coulomb field];
Jáuregui & de la Peña PLB(81),
Rivas phy/01 [and spin];
Awobode NCB(02);
Steinmann CMP(03) [careful definition];
Brodsky et al NPB(04) [non-perturbative];
McCartor ht/04;
Rosencwaig ht/06 [and self-energy, Casimir approach];
Awobode NCB(06);
Aoyama et al PRL(07) [theory, 8th-order contribution];
Hanneke et al PRL(08);
Giulini SHPMP(08) [spin];
Lush a0905 ["hidden momentum"];
Masood & Haseeb IJMPA(12)-a1204 [corrections at finite temperature];
de Rafael NPPS(12)-a1210 [update, standard model];
Mandache a1307 [physical origin];
Jung JHEP(13) [theoretical bound];
Davies cosmos(18)jul [the most successful prediction in phsyics];
Gabrielse et al a1904 [towards an improved measurement];
Consa PiP-a2010 [QED calculation, Feynman diagram];
Cohen & Kaplan a2103 [gravitational contributions];
> s.a. Gyromagnetic Ratio; modified QED.
@ Electric dipole moment: Bernreuther & Suzuki RMP(91);
Hudson et al Nat(11)may
+ news nat(11)may,
bbc(11)may,
pw(11)may,
pt(11)jun;
Eckel et al PRL(12) [in solids];
ACME Collaboration Sci(14)jan-a1310
+ news SA(13)nov,
pw(13)nov,
news sn(18)oct,
Nakai & Reece pt(18)nov [new experimental upper bounds].
Models and Related Topics > s.a. particle models [including description
as black holes]; particle nature and description; spinning particles.
* Positron: 2002, evidence that in a
gas it can form bound states with molecules [@ Gilbert et al
PRL(02)].
* Decay: The electron is the lightest
known charged particle, so its decay (for example into a neutrino and a photon) would
imply that charge is not always conserved; There are tight bounds on this process, and the
electron lifetime is at least 6.6 × 1028 yr.
* Fractionalization: The phenomenon by
which the electron splits into separate quasiparticles which carry its spin and its
charge, and into real Majorana fermions which carry its Fermi statistics.
* Speculative:
2000, H Maris proposed that electrons can break up into smaller "electrinos"
[@ news pn(00)sep].
@ Extended electron models: Dirac PRS(62) [charged conducting surface];
Yaghjian 06 [Lorentz-Abraham charged sphere model];
Likhtman ht/06 [string model];
Rahaman et al ASS(11)-a0904 [charged perfect fluid];
Hofer FP(11)-a1002 [geometric-algebra model];
Burinskii AIP(12)-a1104-GRF;
Hofer JPCS(12) [and experiment];
Damour CRP-a1710 [Poincaré's 1905 model].
@ Geometrical models: Visser PLA(89) [electromagnetism + Newtonian gravity];
Pavšič et al PLB(93)qp/02 [Dirac equation from Clifford algebras];
Hofer qp/99-in;
Ray & Bhadra IJMPD(04)gq/02 [Einstein-Cartan theory];
Giulini HSPMP(08)-a0710 [spin and special relativity];
Gsponer JMP(08) [pointlike, in Colombeau's theory];
Atiyah et al JHEP(15)-a1412 [5D Ricci-flat, evolving Taub-NUT geometry];
> s.a. gauge transformations [Maxwell theory].
@ Other models:
Rosen IJTP(78) [theoretical approach to mass];
Fryberger PRD(81);
Caldirola LNC(83);
Burinskii JPCS(12)-a1109 [closed heterotic string];
Burinskii a1112-proc;
Kazakov & Nikitin AP(12)
[electron freely evolving in a photon bath, and effective infrared non-divergence];
Sebens a2007 [different views].
@ Positron: Farmelo CP(10) [and Dirac];
Leone & Robotti EJP(10),
AJP(12)jun [early history];
Cretu SHPMP-a1910 [history].
@ Fractionalization:
Xu & Sachdev PRL(10)
+ news physorg(10)aug;
news nat(12)apr.
@ Decay: Pradhan ht/03;
Klapdor-Kleingrothaus et al PLB(06),
Agostini et al PRL(15) [lower bounds on lifetime].
@ Angular momentum: Stewart CJP(09)qp/07;
O'Connell JPA(16)-a1603 [interaction with the angular momentum of the electromagnetic field];
Białynicki-Birula & Białynicka-Birula PRL(17)-a1611 [relativistic wave packets carrying angular momentum];
Bliokh et al PRA(17)-a1706 [position, spin and orbital angular momentum operators];
Damski a1908 [spin angular momentum],
a1908 [electromagnetic angular momentum].
@ Related topics: Matteucci AJP(90)dec [wave behavior];
Rivas JPA(03)phy/01 [dynamical equations];
Matteucci et al EJP(09) [wave behavior];
Cetto et al QS:MF(17)-a1707 [origin of electron spin and related wave function antisymmetry];
> s.a. locality; lorentz-symmetry
violation; Stochastic Electrodynamics.
Applications and Experiments > s.a. bose-einstein condensates;
condensed-matter physics; Density Functional
Method; Luttinger Liquid.
@ Gas of free electrons: Verzegnassi et al a1706 [effect of a magnetic field, qft treatment].
@ Electrons in materials / lattices: Alloul 11 [in solids];
news pw(12)oct [nanocloaking devices for electrons inside materials];
Bach & Delle Site ch(14)-a1406 [open problems in many-electron theory];
Klopp & Veniaminov a1408 [interacting, in a random background];
news brown(14)oct [electron bubbles in ultracold liquid helium];
news upi(16)feb [electrons in graphene behaving as fluid];
Martin et al 16;
Quinn a1706 [strongly correlated regime];
> s.a. Hofstadter's Butterfly.
@ Experiments and techniques: Richter Phy(12)feb [controlling electron spin and geometric phase];
Sancho a1601 [charge distribution, via Kapitza-Dirac diffraction];
Rashidi et al PRL(18) [mechanical control of single electrons].
@ Magnetic moment, measurements:
Odom et al PRL(06)
+ pn(06)jul [best measurement];
Gabrielse pw(07)feb [implications];
Vogel CP(09) [and test of QED];
Sturm et al PRL(11) [in a bound state, stringent test to date of QED].
@ Magnetic moment, effects: Mera et al PRB(13)-a1206
[in a ferromagnet, interaction with conduction band electrons and with phonons].
> Related topics: see aharonov-bohm effect;
diffraction; scattering;
Wigner Crystal.
You know, it would be sufficient to really understand the electron – Albert Einstein
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