Electron - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Electron - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe electron is a subatomic particle, symbol e− orβ−, with a negative elementary electric charge.^[7]Electrons belong to the first generation of the leptonparticle family,^[8] and are generally thought to beelementary particles because they have no known components or substructure.^[1] The electron has amass that is approximately 1/1836 that of theproton.^[9] Quantum mechanical properties of the electron include an intrinsic angular momentum(spin) of a half-integer value in units of ħ, which means that it is a fermion. Being fermions, no two electrons can occupy the same quantum state, in accordance with the Pauli exclusion principle.^[8] Like all matter, electrons have properties of both particles and waves, and so can collide with other particles and can be diffracted like light. The wave properties of electrons are easier to observe with experiments than those of other particles like neutrons and protons because electrons have a lower mass and hence a higher De Broglie wavelength for typical energies.

Many physical phenomena involve electrons in an essential role, such as electricity, magnetism, andthermal conductivity, and they also participate ingravitational, electromagnetic and weakinteractions.^[10] An electron generates an electric field surrounding it. An electron moving relative to an observer generates a magnetic field. External magnetic fields deflect an electron. Electrons radiate or absorb energy in the form of photons when accelerated. Laboratory instruments are capable of containing and observing individual electrons as well as electron plasma using electromagnetic fields, whereas dedicated telescopes can detect electron plasma in outer space. Electrons have many applications, including electronics, welding, cathode ray tubes, electron microscopes, radiation therapy,lasers, gaseous ionization detectors and particle accelerators.

Interactions involving electrons and other subatomic particles are of interest in fields such as chemistryand nuclear physics. The Coulomb force interaction between positive protons inside atomic nuclei and negative electrons composes atoms. Ionization or changes in the proportions of particles changes thebinding energy of the system. The exchange or sharing of the electrons between two or more atoms is the main cause of chemical bonding.^[11] British natural philosopher Richard Laming first hypothesized the concept of an indivisible quantity of electric charge to explain the chemical properties of atoms in 1838;^[3] Irish physicist George Johnstone Stoney named this charge 'electron' in 1891, and J. J. Thomson and his team of British physicists identified it as a particle in 1897.^[5][12][13] Electrons can also participate in nuclear reactions, such as nucleosynthesis in stars, where they are known as beta particles. Electrons may be created through beta decay of radioactive isotopes and in high-energy collisions, for instance when cosmic rays enter the atmosphere. The antiparticle of the electron is called the positron; it is identical to the electron except that it carries electrical and other charges of the opposite sign. When an electron collides with a positron, both particles may be totally annihilated, producing gamma ray photons.