Electromagnetic e radius

Paolo Tritella

(Dated: May 25, 2015)

It is shown that a charged particle without mass must have a purely electromagnetic mass due
to radiation reaction force not innite and is devised a new way to measure it. It is suggest to use
pair production to investigate charged particles elds at very short distances.
PACS numbers: 14.60.Cd, 23.20.Ra, 04.40.Nr

INTRODUCTION

If we eliminate the inertial mass in an elementary charged particle, remains yet a mass? The radiation reaction
force opposes itself to the acceleration, then we may think yes. The existence of particles with the same charge
and dierent mass makes it possible to measure it. That mass, if exists, may be related to the term that diverges
leading to renormalization (Dirac theory of the classical electron[14]). The pair production may furnish a limit to the
electromagnetic self-energy greatness.
METHOD
Theory

We have particles with charge and mass. The charge can not exist alone. But suppose to eliminate the inertial
mass m, has the particle yet a mass? It seems yes, because on a particle that accelerates acts the reaction force that
opposes to changes in momentum, then an inertia.
In the attempts made to determine the reaction force emerges a term e2 /(2r)w
(e the elementary charge, r the radius of the particle, w the four-acceleration) [15](For. 98) that transported to the
rst member in the equation of motion looks like a mass term. Being innite in the limit r 0, it is discarded,
canceled by an innite negative inertial mass (renormalization). It is possible to misure it?
Thanks to the fact that exist in nature particles with the same charge but dierent mass, we may say yes. We may
implement a sort of limit for m that goes to zero and obtain at least a clue if not a measure of this mass.
The electromagnetic equation of motion including the reaction force is(u the four-velocity)[7](equation 47)
u
e
u
= 0 (u + 2 u u ) +
F u
d
c
mc

or
m

u
2e2
u
e
= 3 (u + 2 u u ) + F u
d
3c
c
c

Restoring the divergente term

m

u
e
u
2e2
= 3 (u + 2 u u ) + F u e2 /(2r)w
d
3c
c
c

Suppose the particle has an electromagnetic radius, not necessarily equal to the radius of the particle. Quantum
mechanical eects surely modify 1/r law of the electrostatic potential at short distances. Then the last term may be
not innite and have a value that we call m0 w and the general equation of motion becomes
mw + m0 w =

2e2 u
e
(u + 2 u u ) + F u
3c3
c
c

We call F the total force on the second member. So we have

mw + m0 w = F

We accelerate an electron and a proton to the same four-acceleration

w in a straight path, with force F1 for

2
electron and F2 for proton. Suppose m0 is the same, dependent only on the charge. The modules of the equations of
motion are
(m1 + m0 )w = F1
(m2 + m0 )w = F2

Solving for m0 we have

m0 =

m2 F1 m1 F2
F2 F1

and solving for r, the electromagnetic radius of the particle, not necessarily equal to the actual radius
r=

e2
2m0

Fig. 1: The representative points of the measures in the plane mass-force.

Thus one can experimentally determine a value for r supposed to measure with sucient accuracy F1 and F2 . If the
representative points (F1 , m1 ) and (F2 , m2 ) in the plane (F, m) lie on a straight line through the origin, it can be
concluded that the totally electromagnetic mass m0 is null and strengthen condence in the renormalization procedure.
But in the four-force F there are terms not easy to measure. Luckly, if we transfer in the reference system momentarily
at rest with the particle for a given instant (value of u) S', there u
~ = 0 and u
= 0 (u
~ spatial component), so remains
only the Lorentz force eFu and the measures are easily performed.
Alternatively, we can employ a third charged particle to obtain a third equation that allows to eliminate the reaction
terms in K, equal for every particle with the same w.

3
Experiment

This is a possible experiment. Build a capacitor with two parallel plates in a vacuum. Apply a potential dierence
between the two plates and accelerate electrons and protons by adjusting the eld strength E in both cases so that
the time of ight is the same. We obtain the electric elds E1 and E2 for the two particles. Being parallel to the
motion, in the locally inertial reference frame these elds are the same as in the laboratory. In this system the
contraction factor equals 1 and the Lorentz force is F = f = eE , so that
m0 =

m2 E1 m1 E2
m2 eE1 m1 eE2
=
,
eE2 eE1
E2 E1

very simple.
And in the laboratory system S could we get the same value for m0 as in S'?
A little of kinematic (we assume the motion one-dimensional )

~a the acceleration

u = u = v

(1)

u = (c,
v)

(2)

d~v
dt
w =

du
= 3 (~v ~a)u + 2 (0, ~a)
d

(3)

w2 = w w = 6 a2 = a20

(4)

w
~ = |w|
~ = w = 4a

(5)

a0 the acceleration in the rest frame.

From w
~ parallel ~u follows

dw
~

Compute also
.
d
Stop kinematic.
Starting from the equation of motion in the laboratory frame
mw + m0 w =

2e2 u
e
(u + 2 u u ) + F u
3
3c
c
c

Taking the spatial component

w2
2e2
~ 0
~ + eEu
~
u
+

=
c2
3c3
2
w
~ 0
~ + e|E|u
(m + m0 )|w|
~ = 2 |~u| + |w|
c

(m + m0 )w
~ =

after some computation, we obtain

(m + m0 )a0 = eE

So also in the laboratory we obtain the same value for m0 , using the same value of the electric eld E.
m2
m2
F1 the mass m0 is null. For F2 6=
F1 there must be a mass m0 .
m1
m1
m2
Suppose F2 diers from
F1 for some fraction
m1

If F2 =

4
F2 =

m2
F1 + F1
m1

What must be equal to have a certain m0 ?

We have
=

m2 m1
m0 (m2 m1 )

m1 (m0 + m1 )
2m1

To obtain

m0 103 m1

must be

RESULT

From the result obtained follows that it is possible to determine the pure electromagnetic mass, that shall remain
if would be possible send the inertial mass to zero. Planning an experiment which makes possible to determine the
exact force acting on a particle for imparting a certain acceleration w and measuring the forces on the electrons and
protons that move with the same acceleration, reaches the goal and infers a deeper understanding into the nature of
elementary charge.
DISCUSSION
e2

, the radius of proton must be two thousand times smaller, and a proton more
If the radius of electron is
mc2
pointless of an electron, than say that the mass m is of electromagnetic origin may be not correct. It is more plausible
assert that the electromagnetic mass is dierent from the inertial mass, and being due to the charge, that is equal for
electron and proton, is the same for the two particles and may be determined sperimentally. The procedure described
may meet the target and give an answer. It can be assumed that in the pair production the particles are formed at a
very close distance, perhaps emerge from vacuum at the same point. Then may have sense try to misure m0 , being
not innite.
And if the value measured for the inertial mass m already includes m0 ? Surely the forces shall be proportional to
mass and no eect should be observed. But some method of measurement of mass is quantistic (resonance of spin[11] )
and not classical (radius of the circle in a magnetic eld), then the term m0 , as no role played by the reaction force,
should not be present.
The expression of the potential can change as one approaches r = 0 and have a law dierent from 1/r, for example
the potential V can become zero before it reaches the hypothesized surface of the electron. So a radius of the sphere
in which the potential ceases to exist can be larger than the true radius of the electron, which is estimated about
1020 cm. [11]
It is noted that a pair e+ e-, after being produced, for example by a gamma ray, are separated one another,
so at the point of their creation the electrical force of mutual attraction can not be innite. If they separate, it means
that initially their state is not a bound state, then potential energy plus kinetic energy must be greater then zero. So
the potential energy at the instant of formation must be of absolute value not greater than the energy of the gamma
ray minus the rest mass of the two particles and nal kinetic energy (involved nucleus included), otherwise the two
particles stay trapped and cannot escape. So there must be a nite absolute maximum value for the potential energy
of electrons and positrons tied togheter and also for the electrostatic self-energy of a charged particle.
We obtain the electrostatic potential energy at formation (c.m. system) by
U = E 2mc2 Ekinetic e+ Ekinetic e Enucleus recoil

5
If the initial potential energy of the pair shows not exceed a maximum, that value may correspond to a maximum contact position (closest approach) that provide the radius of the electron by the formula e2 /(2a), like in the
Millikan experiment for the charge of the electron.
Also annihilation of particles may contribute to the determination of the eld at very short distances. The minimum
energy of the photons produced when two particles annihilate must be equal to 2mc2 plus the potential energy of the
system at the position of closest approach. This energy is transformed in kinetic energy before the particles disappear
and goes in the energy of the gamma rays. In this case there is not the problem of determination of the energy
absorbed by the nucleus recoil, but there are more then one gamma ray to measure.
CONCLUSIONS

Has a charged particle a mass without the inertial mass? The radiation reaction force leads to think yes. The same
value of charge for electron and proton suggests that for the two particles this mass must be the same. The dierent
value of inertial mass made possible conceive an experiment to determine this purely electromagnetic mass and help
to solve the problem of divergence present in the classical theory. Pairs's production may set a limit to the potential
divergence.
Acknowledgement

Thanks to Cristina, Grazia, Carina, Bruno, Natale, Orazio, Pietro, Mary, Internet.
At disposal for details.

[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]

Electronic address: paolotritella@libero.it

Jackson, Classical electrodynamics, edited by Wiley, New York, 1975
L. D. Landau - E. M. Lifsits, Teoria dei campi, edited by Editori Riuniti, 1981.
Herbert Goldstein, Meccanica classica, edited by Zanichelli, Bologna, 1986.
Lechner, Campi elettromagnetici, <https://it.scribd.com/>
Misne Thorn Wheeler, Gravitation, edited by W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 1973.
Benn-Tucker, An Introduction to Spinors and Geometry with Application in Physics, edited by Adam Hilger (IOP Publishing Ltd, 1989).
M. Bramanti, Esercitazioni di Analisi 2, edited by Esculapio, Bologna, 2012.
Richard T. Hammond, Relativistic Particle Motion and Radiation Reaction in Electrodynamics, EJTP 7, No. 23, 221
(2010).
F. A. Gianturco P. Tritella, Quantum calculations of the rotational excitation of H2 by proton at low energies, Physical
Rewiew A 16 (2), 542-551 (1977).
F. A. Gianturco P. Tritella, A close coupling calculation for inelastic collisions of protons on H2 molecules at 3.7 eV, JCP
66 (4), 1582-1585 (1977).
Le Scienze, Sempre pi precisa la massa dell'elettrone, http://www.lescienze.it/news/2014/02/20/news/massa_elettrone_misura_p
2019144/.
Eisberg Resnik, Quantum physics of atoms, nuclei, molecules, solids, nuclei,and particles, (second edition) edited by John
Wiley & Sons (New York, 1985).
H. Goldstein, Meccanica classica, edited by Zanichelli, Bologna, 1986.
H. P. A. M. Dirac, Proc. Roy. Soc. A, (London) A167, 148 (1938).
Gal'tsov & Spirin, http://www.arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0405121v1.