102,870
edits
Changes
From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to searchCreated page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame The '''electron''' is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It has no known s...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Electron_Cloud_m89681.jpg|right|frame]]
The '''electron''' is a [[subatomic particle]] that carries a negative electric charge. It has no known sub[[structure]] and is believed to be a [[point particle]]. Electrons participate in [[gravity|gravitational]], [[electromagnetic]] and weak interactions. Like its rest [[mass]] and elementary charge, the intrinsic angular [[momentum]] (or spin) of an electron has a constant [[value]]. In the collision of an electron and a [[positron]], the electron's [[antiparticle]], both are annihilated. An electron–positron pair can be produced from [[gamma ray]] photons with sufficient [[energy]].
The [[concept]] of an indivisible amount of electric charge was theorized to explain the [[chemical]] properties of [[atom]]s, beginning in 1838 by British natural philosopher Richard Laming; the name electron was introduced for this charge in 1894 by Irish physicist George Johnstone Stoney. The electron was identified as a particle in 1897 by J. J. Thomson and his team of British physicists. Electrons are identical particles that belong to the first generation of the [[lepton]] particle family. Electrons have [[quantum mechanic]]al properties of both a [[particle]] and a [[wave]], so they can collide with other particles and be [[diffracted]] like [[light]]. Each electron occupies a [[quantum state]] that describes its [[random]] [[behavior]] upon measuring a physical parameter, such as its energy or spin orientation. Because an electron is a type of [[fermion]], no two electrons can occupy the same quantum state; this property is known as the [[Pauli exclusion principle]].
In many [[physical]] [[phenomena]], such as [[electricity]], [[magnetism]], and [[thermal conductivity]], electrons play an essential role. An electron generates a magnetic field while moving, and it is deflected by external magnetic fields. When an electron is accelerated, it can absorb or radiate energy in the form of photons. Electrons, together with atomic [[nuclei]] made of [[protons]] and [[neutrons]], make up atoms. However, electrons contribute less than 0.06% to an atom's total [[mass]]. The attractive [[Coulomb force]] between an electron and a proton causes electrons to be bound into atoms. The exchange or sharing of the electrons between two or more atoms is the main cause of [[chemical bonding]].
Electrons were created by the [[Big Bang]], and they can be annihilated during stellar [[nucleosynthesis]]. Electrons are produced by [[cosmic]] rays entering the atmosphere and are predicted to be created by [[Hawking radiation]] at the event horizon of a [[black hole]]. [[Radioactive isotopes]] can release an electron from an atomic nucleus as a result of negative beta decay. Laboratory instruments are capable of containing and observing [[individual]] electrons, while [[telescope]]s can detect [[electron plasma]] by its [[energy]] emission. Electron plasma has multiple applications, including welding, cathode ray tubes, [[electron microscopes]], radiation therapy, lasers and [[particle accelerators]].
[[Category: Physics]]
The '''electron''' is a [[subatomic particle]] that carries a negative electric charge. It has no known sub[[structure]] and is believed to be a [[point particle]]. Electrons participate in [[gravity|gravitational]], [[electromagnetic]] and weak interactions. Like its rest [[mass]] and elementary charge, the intrinsic angular [[momentum]] (or spin) of an electron has a constant [[value]]. In the collision of an electron and a [[positron]], the electron's [[antiparticle]], both are annihilated. An electron–positron pair can be produced from [[gamma ray]] photons with sufficient [[energy]].
The [[concept]] of an indivisible amount of electric charge was theorized to explain the [[chemical]] properties of [[atom]]s, beginning in 1838 by British natural philosopher Richard Laming; the name electron was introduced for this charge in 1894 by Irish physicist George Johnstone Stoney. The electron was identified as a particle in 1897 by J. J. Thomson and his team of British physicists. Electrons are identical particles that belong to the first generation of the [[lepton]] particle family. Electrons have [[quantum mechanic]]al properties of both a [[particle]] and a [[wave]], so they can collide with other particles and be [[diffracted]] like [[light]]. Each electron occupies a [[quantum state]] that describes its [[random]] [[behavior]] upon measuring a physical parameter, such as its energy or spin orientation. Because an electron is a type of [[fermion]], no two electrons can occupy the same quantum state; this property is known as the [[Pauli exclusion principle]].
In many [[physical]] [[phenomena]], such as [[electricity]], [[magnetism]], and [[thermal conductivity]], electrons play an essential role. An electron generates a magnetic field while moving, and it is deflected by external magnetic fields. When an electron is accelerated, it can absorb or radiate energy in the form of photons. Electrons, together with atomic [[nuclei]] made of [[protons]] and [[neutrons]], make up atoms. However, electrons contribute less than 0.06% to an atom's total [[mass]]. The attractive [[Coulomb force]] between an electron and a proton causes electrons to be bound into atoms. The exchange or sharing of the electrons between two or more atoms is the main cause of [[chemical bonding]].
Electrons were created by the [[Big Bang]], and they can be annihilated during stellar [[nucleosynthesis]]. Electrons are produced by [[cosmic]] rays entering the atmosphere and are predicted to be created by [[Hawking radiation]] at the event horizon of a [[black hole]]. [[Radioactive isotopes]] can release an electron from an atomic nucleus as a result of negative beta decay. Laboratory instruments are capable of containing and observing [[individual]] electrons, while [[telescope]]s can detect [[electron plasma]] by its [[energy]] emission. Electron plasma has multiple applications, including welding, cathode ray tubes, [[electron microscopes]], radiation therapy, lasers and [[particle accelerators]].
[[Category: Physics]]
