Chapter 289 The mysterious number 137! Fine structure constant! The origin of the universe!
With the orbital number quantum number, orbital shape quantum number, and orbital direction quantum number being proposed one after another.
The Bohr model has also been upgraded to the Bohr-Lee model.
The latest atomic model can explain all spectral phenomena discovered so far.
Continuously explained the problems of two Nobel laureates, which can be called the final word and completely established the status of the theory.
So it has qualified as a real theory for studying atoms.
It can be said that physics has achieved remarkable results in the study of the internal structure of atoms.
In terms of composition, it has experienced atoms, electrons, and nuclei.
Physicists have now begun to conduct in-depth research on the composition of the atomic nucleus.
In terms of structure, it has successively experienced the date cake model, planetary model, Bohr model, and Bohr-Lee model.
Step by step, we finally succeeded in explaining all forms of electron motion.
At this moment, the physicists present all felt that a new era was coming.
Atomic research will inevitably produce results that will shock the world even more.
From now on, atomic physics will live up to its name and become a new discipline.
Many people present believed that the Bohr-Lee model was perfect enough and there could be no problems.
But now, says Bruce, the most important perfecter of the Bohr-Lee model, there's another oddity.
Everyone’s curiosity was aroused.
"When I just deduced the quantum number of the orbital shape, I saw it very clearly. There was no problem. Why did Professor Bruce say it was weird."
"I remember that there seemed to be a constant."
“Don’t think about it, just listen to Professor Bruce. Now except him, I can’t believe what anyone else says.”
Li Qiwei did not keep everyone waiting and said directly:
"The question raised by Professor Michelson before, I think can be summarized in one word: fine structure."
"The Balmer spectrum The splitting phenomenon is a very delicate phenomenon, and its splitting structure is also delicate. "
"So I think it is more appropriate to express it in terms of fine structure."
The figures in the front row. The big guys nodded slightly.
In Bruce's current capacity, naming a physical phenomenon is more than enough.
Everyone agrees with it.
Of course, if he named it Blues Structure, there would definitely be a lot of opposition.
After all, it was not him who discovered it.
“Please see, I discovered an interesting phenomenon when I used the formula to derive the energy difference between fine spectral lines.”
"The energy difference between circular orbits and elliptical orbits in the same orbit is a fixed constant."
"e/2εhc"
"Where e is the charge of the electron, ε (Epsilon) is the vacuum dielectric constant, h is the Lie-Planck constant, and c is the speed of light in vacuum."
"This is a dimensionless constant, and the calculated value is approximately. Equal to 1/137 (1/137.035999) ”
“Moreover, it is also the ratio of the linear speed of the electron in the first orbit to the speed of light. ”
"I think this constant is very interesting."
"At least it should imply some deep physical essence."
Wow!
There was an uproar in the venue.
Bruce actually attaches so much importance to a small constant, so there must be a huge secret in it.
But the people present couldn't figure out what physical meaning it represented even if they tried their best.
Big bosses such as Michelson, Lorenz, Planck, and Thomson are also confused.
Isn’t this just a ratio that happened to appear during the derivation process?
Why does Bruce care about it.
So, Michelson asked: "Bruce, I don't quite understand. This number is just a combination of some physical constants."
"It doesn't seem to have any special meaning."
Li Qiwei shook his head and smiled: "If the number 137 only appears in the split spectrum, then it really has no meaning."
" But."
"Please see."
"When two electrons repel each other, the energy between them is equal to the energy of a light quantum with a wavelength equal to the distance between the electrons. Than.”
"The value is also 1/137."
Li Qiwei said while demonstrating the calculation process on the blackboard.
Wow!
This time, everyone was shocked.
The number 137 is like a magic number.
"Of course, I just had a whim. If I want to verify this number, I need to find more examples."
"I believe that with the deepening of physics, this fine structure constant will definitely show It’s mysterious.”
Li Qiwei is certainly not aimless.
In real history, the fine structure constant has been a difficult problem that has plagued all physicists.
After Sommerfeld deduced it, he didn't care at the time.
But soon, the number 137 appeared frequently in every corner of physics.
Quantum electrodynamics studies electromagnetic force. This theory finds that any electromagnetic phenomenon is related to this fine structure constant.
It expresses the strength of electromagnetic interaction.
Quantum chromodynamics, which studies the strong force, has also discovered similar constants, which determine the strength of the strong interaction.
Even later, when studying the electroweak theory of the weak force and the electromagnetic force, similar constants were discovered, which determine some of the properties of the weak force.
In the end, physicists speculated that there must be some unknown connection between the fine structure constant and gravity, which represents the strength of gravity.
Of course, there has been no definite evidence.
But no matter what, the fine structure constant is like a ghost, filling the essence of physics.
The most incredible thing is that with the development of astrophysics.
Physicists have discovered that the fine structure constant is slowly increasing.
Of course, the changes are very small.
Only 30 trillionth of an increase per year.
But even so, this is enough to make people feel incredible.
Because the number 1/137 is calculated from a combination of several physical constants.
If the number becomes larger, it means that the value of one of the constants is not a constant.
Later, physicists eliminated them one by one.
The charge of electrons is fixed;
The vacuum permittivity is fixed;
The Lie-Planck constant is fixed;
Finally , the only thing that can change is the speed of light.
However, the speed of light is changing!
This is simply unbelievable to all physicists.
Of course, these are all speculations at the moment.
In short, the number 1/137 represents the nature of the universe of electromagnetic force.
If it changes, it will affect all matter in the entire universe.
It is even possible that the universe will cease to exist.
So, in a sense, it is one of the original parameters of the universe.
God wanted to create a universe and first gave a number 137.
Or: "Hello, Universe No. 137".
The fine structure constant is probably not a physical constant, but a mathematical constant.
Just like π, it is the origin of the universe.
These parameters define the space-time rules of our universe and give birth to everything in the universe.
Perhaps at the moment of the Big Bang, the fine structure constant could have been any value.
But the most peculiar thing is that only if it has the current value can it give birth to human beings.
It makes people shudder just thinking about it.
Everything seems to be a coincidence.
Perhaps this constant is really the underlying code of some advanced civilization.
Historically, many physics tycoons have been worried about the fine structure constant.
Dirac said: "It is the most fundamental unsolved problem of physics."
Pauli said: "When I die, the first question I ask God is, fine What does structural constant mean? ”
Feynman said: "The fine structure constant is one of the greatest mysteries of physics. All good physicists should hang this number on the wall and worry about it."
And now, even Ridgway Even with the perspective of future generations, he could not convince the big guys present that there was anything magical about this number. However, he can plant a seed.
Let these geniuses start studying it in advance.
Maybe in this life, people can explain this ultimate mystery.
Then Li Qiwei will truly change history and completely move in an unpredictable direction.
After listening to Li Qiwei’s explanation, Michelson looked thoughtful.
This is a brand new field.
Perhaps it can be brought back to the United States and become one of the characteristics of American physics research.
Michelson has made up his mind today and packs up all the contents of the meeting.
As for Einstein, Bohr and others, they were full of interest in the fine structure constant.
They did not expect that there were such weird numbers in the field of physics.
And this was proposed by Professor Bruce.
Even if it is 1+1, it is worth studying carefully.
This is Li Qiwei's influence.
As for the ordinary students, they were just confused at the moment.
They didn’t know what to say except shouting 666.
The problem of fine structure constant has exceeded their imagination.
At this moment, facing everyone, Li Qiwei said with a smile: "Of course, this is just a small episode in today's meeting."
"No matter what, this fine structure constant will not affect The correctness of Bohr’s model ”
"Okay, let's get back to the topic."
"Does anyone have any questions next?"
Wow!
One sentence made the venue, which had been peaceful just now, instantly become noisy.
Everyone was talking a lot.
Faced with the complete volume Bohr model, everyone doesn't know how to ask questions.
“I don’t think anyone can still ask questions.”
“Yes, quantum theory has reached its peak, it is a mature and self-consistent theory.”
< br>However, just when everyone looked around and finally found nothing, thinking that no one asked questions.
Suddenly, a man stood up.
When everyone saw his face clearly, there was another gasp.
Boom!
It turned out to be Rutherford.
Another Nobel Prize winner has taken action.
And this boss is also a classmate of Professor Bruce.
This is simply love and death.
The people present ate a lot of big melons.
“Wow, it’s Professor Rutherford.”
“It is said that he has a very good relationship with Professor Bruce.”
“I just saw Mr. Lu Smiling there means there must be something wrong, and sure enough, the boss is thinking about the problem.”
"Today's meeting was really ups and downs and wonderful."
After Michelson and Lorenz, Rutherford, the third questioner, successfully attracted everyone's attention.
He carries everyone's hope of "stumping" Bruce.
If Bruce kills three Nobel laureates in a row, then today's meeting will become a legend.
Everyone looked at Rutherford nervously, anticipating his questions.
However, he only stood up but did not step onto the podium.
This shocked everyone in the audience.
"It's over. Professor Rutherford didn't even come on stage, which shows that he was not fully prepared."
"Could it be because the question is too simple and there is no need for demonstration."< br>
“Ah, the first two difficult questions can’t stump Professor Bruce, so why not the simple question?”
"What do you know? The simplest questions are often the most difficult. I believe Professor Rutherford will not let us down."
At this point in the meeting, everyone's focus is no longer on the theory itself. It's about winning or losing.
The physics community unites to defeat Bruce!
At this time, Rutherford looked at Li Qiwei and said with a smile: "Bruce, I have two questions in total, both of which are very simple."
"I hope you can explain it."
boom!
The venue was completely boiling.
No one expected that Rutherford was the hidden king.
There are two immediate questions.
This makes others feel uncomfortable.
The boss is indeed a boss.
The little Karami racked their brains and couldn't think of a single question, but they asked two questions.
Everyone was shocked by Rutherford's dominance.
“Based on Professor Rutherford’s momentum, I feel that Professor Bruce has met his opponent.”
“Now there is something good to watch.”
Thomson, in the first row, was relieved to see Rutherford stand up.
He felt that the ultimate showdown in today's meeting should be between Bruce and Rutherford.
Both of them are the young generation who have emerged in the past ten years.
They are leaders in their respective directions.
At the same time, they are all super geniuses, and they are both very good at educating students.
Needless to say about Bruce, all of the seven doctoral students are awesome.
Rutherford is not bad either. Galton, Moseley, etc. all have very high potential.
And Thomson knew that Rutherford was studying the atomic nucleus recently. If this made a breakthrough, it would definitely be a big deal.
It will definitely cause a sensation in the physics community.
The key point is that these two people are his proud disciples, and they have now spread their wings.
Thomson felt that his ability to bring out Bruce and Rutherford was a hundred times more important than his discovery of electrons.
They are figures destined to push and change physics.
And now, they finally have their first encounter!
Li Qiwei looked at Rutherford with a smile, and the other party also looked at him with a smile.
This kind of opportunity is very rare for the two of them.
He and Rutherford are no longer the young men they were ten years ago.
Both have become giants in physics.
Although their relationship is close, they can discuss anything in private.
But this kind of public occasion, this kind of challenging question with a "competition of emotions" is what makes people's blood boil the most.
Under the gaze of thousands of people, discuss the most peak academic issues.
Even with Li Qiwei and Rutherford's status, they felt their hearts were shaken and their whole bodies were trembling.
It was an indescribable feeling of joy.
Li Qiwei can probably guess Rutherford’s two questions.
One of the problems cannot be solved by him, but the impact will be small and will not hinder the application of Bohr's model and the rise of quantum theory.
But another problem is terrifying.
Li Qiwei even suspected that once he answered, it would probably set off a super earthquake in the physics world.
That is incredible and shocking about the relative nature of space and time, far beyond the special theory of relativity.
It is estimated that no one present will accept it.
Because it subverts even the basic laws of logic that people respect.
But so what?
bring it on!
Li Qiwei no longer concealed his aura, and a powerful aura burst out.
Everyone was suddenly out of breath.
"Professor Rutherford, please!"
(End of this chapter)