The Mysterious Neutron

[ICN5D]

I am still a firm believer in my neutron hypothesis. Years back, I got the idea to do some simple math with subatomic particle masses. I wanted to see how much heavier a neutron is to a proton. Now, take that difference in weight, and divide it by an electron mass. It turned out to be roughly 2.5, but for practical purposes, here's the empirical results from wikipedia:

Using the equation (m_N/m_P)/m_E

1.0086649160043 amu - Neutron
--
1.00727646681290 amu - Proton
-------------------------------------------------
0.00138844919 - difference
/
0.0005485799094622 amu - Electron
-------------------------------------------------
2.5309880403 electron masses


So, I found this interesting. Then, I came across some literature that described how increasing the temperature of matter will unite the fundamental forces into one. At a fantastic temperature of 10¹⁵K, the electromagnetic force unites with the weak nuclear, producing the electro-weak force (which is now the commonly accepted term for both)

Later on, I thought more about those peculiar circumstances and events. I observed how the neutron is heavier, and the proton is lighter. I saw how the proton is attracted to the electron, governed by mysterious opposing charges. I read more about how to understand particles as tiny, hard waves, that can entangle themselves together.

Then it dawned on me: at some point, a proton had absorbed a few electrons, and produced a neutron. The electron waves were crushed into the protons by incredible high temps and pressures, and exceeded a repulsive energy field. This caused them to become absorbed, pulled in by the undulations of the proton wave. Stuck inside, but still intact. By doing so, a proton would have gained mass, and neutralized its electrical charge, slightly.

Since the electron is still intact, free-floating around within, it can still attract another proton if one gets close enough. This is what we see in the weak nuclear force: when a nucleus clumps together, becoming a ball of neutrons and protons. If electrons really were responsible for weak nuclear, then it helps explain the unification of those two seemingly separate forces.

The theory might contradict some things already known and described using the quark model. But at the same time, it makes a lot of sense, if one were to perform the experiment. If one were to attempt coaxing a proton to absorb a few electrons, would we end up with neutrons, which are electrically neutral and heavier? Seems a likely outcome, considering the wave-like nature of particles, and their tendency to interact in funny, yet predictable ways.

[wendy]

Many years ago, there was the 'hydrogen atom' hypothesis, which says, that all things are made of hydrogen atoms, where the neutron = proton + electron.

The thing that kills is is that all three particles are spin-half particles.

[ICN5D]

Forgive my lack of experience with this matter, but how does the spin-half property prevent this idea from working? Does it mean the resulting sum of all spins equating to a non-integer number?

[wendy]

The idea of the hydrogen atom hypothesis is that neutrons consist of tightly bound proton+electron. These are spin-1/2 particles, or in terms of h/2, odd halfspins. Since the neutron is also an odd halfspin particle, and you can't make an even number (proton + electron) into an odd number (neutron), the model fell out of favour.

The current model is that protons and neutrons are made out of spin-half particles called 'quarks', and three of these make a proton or neutron (as 1/3+1/3+1/3 and 1/3+1/3-2/3 electrons).

Neutron decay is first to a proton and a quark-antiquark pair, which then decays into an electron, neutrino and prehaps a gamma ray.