Physics:Quantum electron
The quantum electron is the lightest charged lepton and one of the basic constituents of atoms. It carries negative electric charge, has spin one-half, and is described by quantum states that determine atomic orbitals, bonding, electrical conduction, scattering, and radiation processes.[1][2]
Quantum properties
Electrons are fermions and obey the Pauli exclusion principle. Their spin, charge, magnetic moment, and wavefunction behavior explain the shell structure of atoms and the arrangement of electrons in matter. In relativistic theory, the electron is represented by a Dirac field and has an antiparticle, the positron.[3]
Interactions
Electrons interact electromagnetically through the photon and weakly through W and Z bosons. In atoms and solids, electromagnetic interactions dominate chemical bonding, spectra, currents, and material properties. In high-energy experiments, electrons are also important final-state particles for identifying weak and electroweak processes.
Experimental importance
Electron measurements are among the most precise tests of quantum theory. Spectroscopy, scattering, anomalous magnetic moment studies, and collider measurements use electrons to test quantum electrodynamics, electroweak theory, and possible deviations from Standard Model expectations.[4]
See also
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References
- ↑ Particle Data Group (2022). "Review of Particle Physics". Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics 2022 (8): 083C01. doi:10.1093/ptep/ptac097.
- ↑ Griffiths, David J. (2008). Introduction to Elementary Particles (2nd ed.). Wiley-VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-40601-2.
- ↑ Peskin, Michael E.; Schroeder, Daniel V. (1995). An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0-201-50397-5.
- ↑ Schwartz, Matthew D. (2014). Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-03473-0.
Source attribution: Electron