The duality of electron is probed

From Book No 139. Serial No 3780 dated 08/08/2016

By Subramanian A

Light behaves both as a particle and wave. We are familiar with the corpuscular theory of Newton and
the later developments of the 19th century.

Electron also exhibits such a dual character of particle and wave. You might have heard of the Matrix
Mechanics of Heisenberg and the Wave Mechanics of Schrodinger. One of the chief debates of the 1920s
was to find out a plausible answer for this issue. Even the scientists fell into divided thoughts for the
particle nature and the wave nature of electron as the 1927 Solvay Conference stands a real testimony to
witness the group debate on the duality of electron.

Today, we seem to have accepted the dual nature of electron without asking further questions.
Moreover, the very concept of sub-atomic particles has vastly changed since the times of Heisenberg,
Schrodinger, PAM Dirac, Bohr, Pauli, Plank and Einstein. Today, we talk of Quarks as the fundamental
building blocks of an atom. Quark is not a particle.

What is the ultimate picture of the sub-atomic world? Let me share my views.

Matter and energy - the entire universe can be finally broken into these two basic entities. From the
times of Einstein, it is also very evident that these entities are interchangeable. That is, matter is deeply
embedded in energy and the reverse is also equally probable.

Then came the theories of Big Bang. Big Bang speaks of a point mass having enormous density exploding
and continuously expanding to the present universe. Matter began to form from a particular point time
after the Big Bang. The mechanics of energy becoming matter is a different issue for my present
discussion. Energy, radiation, forces, fields, gravitation and the fall of temperature all played key roles in
the formation of matter in the Space-Time continuum.
What was before the Big Bang? Nobody really knows. Space always existed. Time also existed in a
redundant way. Primordial forces and fields definitely existed. Since matter is deeply embedded in
energy, we can say that matter also existed in a different form. The Hindu philosophy speaks about these
forces simply as “Aadi Sakthiye Namaha” - prostration to the primordial forces. Beyond this, who can
actually explore the origin of these forces and fields, space and time?

Beyond this, the human thought is non-penetrable. One thing is definite. Primordial forces and fields
are really timeless than matter. Matter is only one aspect of energy, these primal fields.

The difference between the visible and the non-visible world is the presence of light and matter, the
tangible forms of energy. Pure energy and forces are really intangible. Without matter, forces cannot
exist. It is the presence of matter which gives our senses the concept of this world and universe. Our
very existence is due to this material body plus forces and fields. Take away this material body and our
concept of this universe could be something different. It is like feeling about this world after our death!

We can identify matter in the universe because our body is material, has senses which obey the laws of
matter plus fields. There is continuity and conformity in the matter lying outside us and in the building
blocks of matter that we have - the five elements, ie. the space, air, fire, water and the earth.

What I mean to imply is this - what we are basically not, we will definitely miss to perceive and identify it
outside, in this vast universe as well. The entire universe is within us. This is the truth. If we are able
to perceive the presence of matter in the surrounding space, it is only because of our body obeying the
laws of matter. In short, our body incorporates the concept of matter.
The reality of our existence becomes complete only by a combination of matter, energy and consciousness
within a dimension of Space and Time and not disregarding matter.

Matter to my perception is only a projection our mind. Take away the entire matter from the world, this
universe. Still, the universe will not be void of Space, Time, Forces and Fields, Gravitation and Super
consciousness. So long as man remains body conscious, the existence of matter is a reality. Mind
reinforces this reality. The more subtle human mind becomes by moving away from the end of gross
matter to the other side of subtle energy fields, the presence and the impact of matter is less and less felt.
Beyond these realms, the notion of matter doesn’t exist at all. As I can see, the final reduction of the
universe will be the primordial forces and fields and nothing else.

Now, let me come to the the Quantum Mechanics and the nature of electron. Max Plank brought in the
major breakthrough in this area. He brought in the concept of energy being absorbed in the form of
energy packets and not in a continuous and wayward manner. His theory told us how the sub-atomic
particles emitted and absorbed energy and maintained stability. Energy was emitted in quanta, in
specific units. Energy was absorbed in the same way.

So far the scientific world has not seen violating this rule. Plank’s theory indeed was a milestone in the
history of scientific developments.

J J Thomson discovered electron. Scientists began to study in detail about the nature of electron and the
structure of atom. When the nature of electron was probed in detail, it was found to exhibit both the
characteristics of a wave and a particle. Certain experiments, especially the Double Slit experiment and
the conclusions that followed brought in the concept of electron behaving both as a particle and a wave,
much similar to the puzzle of light behaving both as a particle and a wave from the times of Christian
Huygens and Newton. Huygens believed in the wave theory of light whereas Newton believed in the
corpuscular theory of light.
According to the individual interpretations and their style of probe and the methodology of arguments,
scientists worked along different paths to find out for a solution. An electron behaving both as a particle
and a wave - nobody could practically digest the idea. What was actually going behind the scenes?

Schrodinger, PAM Dirac and other scientists studied the wave nature of electron in detail and Schrodinger
developed the Wave Mechanics. W Heisenberg on the other hand studied the particle nature of electron
and founded the principles of Matrix Mechanics.

The main subject of the 1927 Solvay conference was to resolve the issue and find a consensus between the
two streams. What was the real nature of electron? How was it possible for the two apparently
divergent streams of Mechanics to finally give the same result? Where did the parameters merge?

It was a Mathematical bridge and a statistical interpretation.

Now, let me share my views.

Our level of perception within the bounds of our senses fail to recognize the particle nature of a
sub-atomic particle beyond a threshold limit, however sensitive our measuring instruments can be. Only
after the threshold limit do we begin to recognize the presence of a particle. Our perception of time too
has such threshold limits. Beyond certain infinitesimal tick of time, the function of time is not
recognized in a perceptible sense. Stephen Hawking tells about this in one of his works.

Our senses draw certain threshold limits. Certain zones are non-perceptible by our senses. So, the
particle nature of electron can miss our notice within those infinitesimal scales. Only intrinsic fields
remain within those levels. Intrinsic fields can present themselves as a particle of point nature due to its
own mass and gravity. A kind of point mass, one may say. The outcome of this entire universe begins at
that point - from forces and energy fields. Forces can’t travel without matter and so, matter too is finally
embedded within that concept but our senses fail to feel the presence of matter, fail to observe it within
those subtle levels. Threshold levels are necessary to identify the first traces of matter within the
network of fields and forces.

Now, the answer to the question of a particle behaving like a wave even within the perceptible levels.
Within threshold levels, such a duality is really possible because this a transition range.

Fields are very subtle and intrinsic and the presence of matter need not be perceptible within that range.
Matter can exist but we will not know. That is the situation. Matter is certainly embedded in energy.
Einstein’s popular equation endorses this fact.

Energy, matter, fields, forces, gravitation, space, time, transformations, light, motion, heat, radiation,
electromagnetic network - these are all certain fundamental entities of Nature. The entire universe
finally reduces to these entities.

Nothing is lost in the actual sense. The total energy content of the universe is always zero. Somewhere
it is plus but somewhere else, it is minus. Everything is conserved. If energy is becoming matter in one
part of the universe, by the same law, matter is becoming energy in another part. It has to. If it is
convexity from one angle of view, it is concavity from the opposite angle. Space is always fully retained.
If it a pull to one side, it is a push to the other side. Forces remain balanced. While talking about Black
Holes, Hawking observes that the positive energy of the outgoing radiation would be balanced by a flow of
negative energy particles into the black hole. By Einstein’s famous equation, energy is equivalent to mass.
A flow of negative energy into the black hole therefore reduces its mass. As the black hole loses mass,
the area of its event horizon gets smaller, but this decrease in the entropy of the black hole is more than
compensated for by the entropy of the emitted radiation, so the second law is never violated. This is
Hawking’s conclusion which reinforces the fact that everything remains balanced throughout the spectrum
of universe though transformations may be continually taking place.

The death of a star can be a case study. At one point, radiation exhausts. Star begins to cool down.
Now the gravitation has more say. Matter begins to collapse. Matter becomes X-rays, gamma rays,
cosmic rays etc under enormous gravity pull. In short, matter becomes a shoot of energy. Other
celestial bodies in the neighborhood absorb this energy. These bodies are induced to excitement, heat
and radiation and form certain cycles of stars, black bodies etc.

So, the universe is in a perpetual transformation from one level to another. From Astro Physics the cycle
travels to Atomic Physics.

With fields and forces alone, the transformations are never complete. As one can see, matter is also
necessary to balance these transformations - even at the subtlest level. If transformations are
responsible for the production of heat and light and if in turn heat and light produce transformations,
forces and fields are responsible for matter. Space is not matter but, matter is something related to
space. Fields are also related to space. The end of space is the end of everything.

Why the entire available energy of the universe doesn’t become matter or why the entire matter of the
universe doesn’t become energy is a scientific problem and not relevant to the present subject.
Threshold levels are necessary for such transitions. Nuclear fission is something like matter (atoms)
becoming energy, whereas, Nuclear fusion is something like the energy condensing into the formation of
elements (matter). This two way process is the very sign of existence of this universe.

Perchance, if the entire matter is getting turned into becoming energy, our material bodies also would turn
into an energy packet and there won’t be any human being here in flesh and blood to measure such
transitions and tell the world what had exactly happened!

In short, we owe our very existence to the laws of conservation of energy and matter. Isn’t it something
very wonderful?

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