Elementary particle: what is it?

Few people knows no such thing as "electron", but it means "elementary particle". Of course, most people have little idea what it is and why it is needed. On TV, in books, in Newspapers and magazines, these particles are drawn as small dots or balls. Because of this, uneducated people believe that the shape of the particles really spherical, and that they are free to fly, interact, collide, etc. But such a judgement is fundamentally wrong. The concept of elementary particles is extremely difficult to realize, but it's never too late to try to buy at least a very rough idea about the nature of these particles.

At the beginning of the last century, scientists seriously confused as to why the electron does not fall on the atomic nucleus, because, according to Newtonian mechanics, while putting all its energy, it needs to simply fall into the nucleus. Surprisingly, this is not happening. How to explain this?

The fact that physics in its classical interpretation and elementary particle – things easy to make compatible. It is not subject to any laws of conventional physics, as it operates according to the principles of quantum mechanics. The basic principle is uncertainty. He says that it is impossible to precisely and simultaneously determine two related quantities Than more the first of them, the less you can define a second. This definition is followed by quantum correlations, wave-particle duality, tunnel effect, wave function and many more.

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The First important factor – the uncertainty in the coordinate-momentum. Based on the foundations of classical mechanics, we can recall that the concepts of momentum and trajectory of the body are inseparable and always clearly identified. Try to move the pattern in the microscopic world. For example, an elementary particle has a precise momentum. Then when you try to determine the trajectory of movement we will face in the undetectable coordinates. This means that the electron is detected immediately at all points in small volume of space. If you try to focus on the trajectory of its motion, the pulse becomes blurred value.

From this it follows that no matter how hard to define any particular value, the second immediately becomes uncertain. This principle lies at the basis of the wave properties of particles. An electron has no precise coordinates. We can say that it is simultaneously at all points of space, which is limited by the wavelength. This representation allows us to understand more clearly what constitutes an elementary particle.

About the same uncertainty arises in the ratio of energy-time. The particle continuously interacts, even in the presence of the physical vacuum. This interaction lasts for some time. If you imagine that this figure is more or less defined, energy is indeterminate. It violates the laws of conservation of energy inherent in the small spaces.

Presents pattern creates low-energy particles-the quanta of the fundamental field. Such a field is not a continuous substance. It consists of tiny particles. The interaction between them is ensured by the emission of photons which are absorbed by other particles. It supports energy levels and the formation of stable elementary particles that cannot fall into the nucleus.

Elementary particles are essentially indivisible, although different from each other by its mass and certain characteristics. Therefore have developed a certain classification. For example, the type of interaction we can distinguish the leptons and the hadrons. The hadrons in turn are divided into mesons, which consist of two quarks, and baryons, which have three quarks. The most famous baryons – neutrons and protons.

Elementary particles and their properties allow us to distinguish two classes: bosons ( with integer or zero spin) fermions ( half-integer spin). Every particle has its antiparticle with opposite characteristics. Sustainable are only protons, leptons and neutrons. All other particles subject to decay and are transformed into stable particles.