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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Why don
« on: 07/11/2015 20:59:25 »
In properly answering this question, one must delve into Quantum Field Theory a bit.
All throughout the universe is a field, called the Quantum Vacuum Zero Point Energy field. It is the energy that has entropied to its lowest energy state, its "ground state". With more energy continually being "generated" from mass (via stars), and thus entropied, there is a continual "filling" of the universe's "bowl" of entropied energy. This Zero Point Energy is where mass came from, and it accounts for why the universe is expanding (QVZPE field density is increasing as more energy entropies, thus field radiation pressure is increasing, thus the universe must either create mass or expand to relieve that field radiation pressure, and it's energetically more conservative at this time to expand. Earlier in the universe's existence, it was energetically more conservative to concretize mass, accounting for that 1 billionth of 1% of all energy coming from the Big Bang being turned into the mass we have today).
According to Quantum Field Theory, everything is a wave... both massive entities and massless. What we see as "matter" is considered a relatively stable wave form in the Quantum Vacuum Zero Point Energy field, and those "virtual particles" that we've been told continually pop in and out of existence are unstable "pulses" in the QVZPE field density. Those "virtual particles" exist, it's just that they exist for such a short time before they settle back into the Zero Point Energy field that we call them "virtual". In fact, researchers at Chalmers University in 2011 "concretized" microwave photons directly from the QVZPE field using what is known as Dynamical Casimir Effect, thereby proving that these particles (which in Quantum Field Theory are considered waves) actually exist... it's just that their wave forms aren't stable enough to remain "concretized" for long. If a large enough differential in ZPE were to come about (ie: a "surge" in the ZPE, much like a wave of entropied energy), mass could be concretized. If the universe were to somehow stop expanding and the QVZPE field radiation pressure built up sufficiently, mass would be concretized.
The atom's nucleus is made up protons and neutrons, held together with the Strong Nuclear Force. The electrons aren't "billiard balls" whizzing about the nucleus, they're actually standing waves "orbiting" the nucleus. Because the electron must have an integer number (ie: round number) of De Broglie waves in its wavelength, this accounts for the Bohr orbit radius. As an electron absorbs energy, when it's absorbed enough energy that it can add additional De Broglie waves to its wavelength, it "jumps outward" in its orbit. When the electron gives off energy (as it is always doing) in trying to reach its lowest energy state, it sheds De Broglie waves in its standing wave orbit, gives off a photon that has the exact same amount of energy as the number of waves shed, and reduces the radius of its "orbit". If an electron's standing wave "orbit" didn't have an integer number of De Broglie waves in its wavelength, destructive interference would occur, and the "orbit" would not be stable.
Now, I said above that the electron is always giving off energy in attempting to reach its ground state. What stops the electron from giving off enough energy that it becomes attracted to the proton? The QVZPE field, of course. It's the "ground state", the lowest a system can go, thus the electrons have a minimum number of De Broglie waves in their standing wave orbits which they can drop to.
This has been known (well, suspected... and proven later) since 1975, when Boyer showed that the hydrogen atom in its ground state (ie: lowest orbit) would be in a state of equilibrium between Larmor radiation and absorption of QVZPE at the correct radius for a classical Rutherford hydrogen atom.
So now you know where our matter came from, why our matter is stable, the basis behind Bohr orbits, and why our universe is expanding. And it's all underpinned by Quantum Vacuum Zero Point Energy.
That said, there are instances when the electron does "crash into" the proton... it's called electron capture decay. It turns the proton into a neutron and causes transmutation. You can cause forced electron capture decay if an atom is placed into a reduced QVZPE field environment sufficient to reduce the number of De Broglie waves in the electron's orbit such that the electron is attracted to the proton.
All throughout the universe is a field, called the Quantum Vacuum Zero Point Energy field. It is the energy that has entropied to its lowest energy state, its "ground state". With more energy continually being "generated" from mass (via stars), and thus entropied, there is a continual "filling" of the universe's "bowl" of entropied energy. This Zero Point Energy is where mass came from, and it accounts for why the universe is expanding (QVZPE field density is increasing as more energy entropies, thus field radiation pressure is increasing, thus the universe must either create mass or expand to relieve that field radiation pressure, and it's energetically more conservative at this time to expand. Earlier in the universe's existence, it was energetically more conservative to concretize mass, accounting for that 1 billionth of 1% of all energy coming from the Big Bang being turned into the mass we have today).
According to Quantum Field Theory, everything is a wave... both massive entities and massless. What we see as "matter" is considered a relatively stable wave form in the Quantum Vacuum Zero Point Energy field, and those "virtual particles" that we've been told continually pop in and out of existence are unstable "pulses" in the QVZPE field density. Those "virtual particles" exist, it's just that they exist for such a short time before they settle back into the Zero Point Energy field that we call them "virtual". In fact, researchers at Chalmers University in 2011 "concretized" microwave photons directly from the QVZPE field using what is known as Dynamical Casimir Effect, thereby proving that these particles (which in Quantum Field Theory are considered waves) actually exist... it's just that their wave forms aren't stable enough to remain "concretized" for long. If a large enough differential in ZPE were to come about (ie: a "surge" in the ZPE, much like a wave of entropied energy), mass could be concretized. If the universe were to somehow stop expanding and the QVZPE field radiation pressure built up sufficiently, mass would be concretized.
The atom's nucleus is made up protons and neutrons, held together with the Strong Nuclear Force. The electrons aren't "billiard balls" whizzing about the nucleus, they're actually standing waves "orbiting" the nucleus. Because the electron must have an integer number (ie: round number) of De Broglie waves in its wavelength, this accounts for the Bohr orbit radius. As an electron absorbs energy, when it's absorbed enough energy that it can add additional De Broglie waves to its wavelength, it "jumps outward" in its orbit. When the electron gives off energy (as it is always doing) in trying to reach its lowest energy state, it sheds De Broglie waves in its standing wave orbit, gives off a photon that has the exact same amount of energy as the number of waves shed, and reduces the radius of its "orbit". If an electron's standing wave "orbit" didn't have an integer number of De Broglie waves in its wavelength, destructive interference would occur, and the "orbit" would not be stable.
Now, I said above that the electron is always giving off energy in attempting to reach its ground state. What stops the electron from giving off enough energy that it becomes attracted to the proton? The QVZPE field, of course. It's the "ground state", the lowest a system can go, thus the electrons have a minimum number of De Broglie waves in their standing wave orbits which they can drop to.
This has been known (well, suspected... and proven later) since 1975, when Boyer showed that the hydrogen atom in its ground state (ie: lowest orbit) would be in a state of equilibrium between Larmor radiation and absorption of QVZPE at the correct radius for a classical Rutherford hydrogen atom.
So now you know where our matter came from, why our matter is stable, the basis behind Bohr orbits, and why our universe is expanding. And it's all underpinned by Quantum Vacuum Zero Point Energy.
That said, there are instances when the electron does "crash into" the proton... it's called electron capture decay. It turns the proton into a neutron and causes transmutation. You can cause forced electron capture decay if an atom is placed into a reduced QVZPE field environment sufficient to reduce the number of De Broglie waves in the electron's orbit such that the electron is attracted to the proton.