Re: What keeps an electron from being "absorbed" by a proton?
- From: "malibu" <vegan16@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 16 Nov 2006 07:23:18 -0800
tadchem@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Chris wrote:Unless they are sandwiched between other nuclear
If the probability density of the electron is non zero inside the
nucleus, what keeps it from being spontaneously absorbed by the proton
to form a neutron? (I realize that this does occur in some favorable
circumstances, but it is not the general rule.)
Neutrons are unstable and 'decay' rapidly into a proton and an
electron:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron#Stability
A neutron freshly formed by the absorbtion of an electron by a proton
is in an 'excited' (highly energetic) state, and will decay even
faster.
Bottom line: the electron and the proton are more stable when separated
participants in a way beneficial to all.
As a buffer between two protons that would
otherwise repel each other too much, bringing
them to a distance where their common spin
over-rides the electrical repulsion.
John
.
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