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The electron (e −, or β − in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. [13] Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, [14] and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no known components or substructure. [1]
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory that describes the behavior of nature at and below the scale of atoms. [2]: 1.1 It is the foundation of all quantum physics, which includes quantum chemistry, quantum field theory, quantum technology, and quantum information science.
The one-electron universe postulate, proposed by theoretical physicist John Wheeler in a telephone call to Richard Feynman in the spring of 1940, is the hypothesis that all electrons and positrons are actually manifestations of a single entity moving backwards and forwards in time. According to Feynman:
In particle physics, quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. [1] [2] [3] In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics and special relativity is achieved. [2]
The parameters in this theory are the (bare) electron mass m and the (bare) elementary charge e. The first and second terms in the Lagrangian density correspond to the free Dirac field and free vector fields, respectively.
The word quantum is the neuter singular of the Latin interrogative adjective quantus, meaning "how much"."Quanta", the neuter plural, short for "quanta of electricity" (electrons), was used in a 1902 article on the photoelectric effect by Philipp Lenard, who credited Hermann von Helmholtz for using the word in the area of electricity.
Electron atomic and molecular orbitals A Bohr diagram of lithium. In atomic physics and quantum chemistry, the electron configuration is the distribution of electrons of an atom or molecule (or other physical structure) in atomic or molecular orbitals. [1]
The resultant theory, Marcus-Hush theory, has guided most discussions of electron transfer ever since. Both theories are, however, semiclassical in nature, although they have been extended to fully quantum mechanical treatments by Joshua Jortner , Alexander M. Kuznetsov , and others proceeding from Fermi's golden rule and following earlier work ...