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Are Atoms Neutral
Are Atoms Neutral
Are Atoms Neutral
4 Nov 1998
In that paper the authors carefully worked out some of the consequences. Within the
Universe "units" which might be identified with galaxies or clusters of galaxies were
ionised, hence conducting, so that excess charge would appear at the surface.
Everything fitted well within the framework of the continuous creation model. An
inequality of 2 x 10-18 gave the known expansion rate, and this value could not be
excluded on the basis of existing experiments. A rather poorer limit of around 10 -17
was inferred from Millikan oil drop experiments.
After the paper was submitted but before it was published, the Manchester Guardian
referred to this work [2]. Very soon afterwards, and before the appearance of [1],
box but well insulated from it. An electrometer was used to observe any changes in
potential between these boxes. The gas was then released from the cylinder to an
external gasometer by passing through a small gap across which a potential was
applied to remove ions from the gas. Experiments were carried out with argon (81
litres at SPT) and with nitrogen (58 litres). No significant amount of charge was
found to be carried with the out-flowing gas leading to the conclusion that the
neutron charge was
(-1 3) x 10-20, and the hydrogen atom charge (1 3) x 10-20 where the electron
charge is -1.
In the 40 years since this experiment only small improvements in precision have
been made, but several different methods have been used.
Levitometer experiments, in searches for isolated fractional charges, have given
limits on the proton-electron charge inequality. M Marinelli and G Morpurgo [4]
using steel balls obtained (0.8 0.8) x 10-21 .
So the proton-electron charge difference is very small, consistent with being zero.
This may seem a trivial conclusion. However we know that the proton charge
comes from the charges of its valence quarks (+2/3, +2/3, -1/3) and the electron is a
lepton. In the standard model of particle physics, the quarks and leptons are quite
distinct: the quarks feel the strong interaction, the leptons do not. But the exact or
2
With more running of the experiments at higher intensity, the peculiar events
continued to appear, but their interpretation as leptoquarks seems less likely. I have
now reached retirement age and have withdrawn from H1. I will follow with interest
the work of my colleagues and others, and hope that at some stage we will have a
better understanding of the connection between leptons and quarks, and hence of
the charge neutrality of matter.
References
[1]
[2]
Manchester Guardian
13 May 1959
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
J G King
See ref.5
[9]
[10]
H1 Collaboration
[11]
ZEUS Collaboration
[12]
B Straub
[13]
Daily Telegraph
20 Feb 1997
"Atom smasher hurls particle theory into
chaos"