TFNR - Atoms
Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of Ordinary Matter. We typically associate Ordinary Matter with visible Matter - Matter that can be detected directly - while contrasting it with Dark Matter, which does not emit electromagnetic radiation and is observable only through its gravitational effects.
Restrictive and expanded definitions (more accurate / correct) of Atom:
- restrictive definition (close to the definition accepted by conventional physics): any system of interacting Matter Particles (elementary and composite vortices) with a nucleus composed of at least one proton (or anti-proton --> anti-atom).
- expanded definition (in the terms of the Knowledge System proposed here): any system of interacting InfoStructures - elementary and composite Vortices, Waves and Interactions of Ordinary (visible) Matter and Ordinary Radiation - with a nucleus composed of at least one proton (or anti-proton → anti-atom).
Technically, an atom is a system of InfoStructures - nucleons, electrons, and various other wave-type and particle-type InfoStructures. These include bosons, gluons (which bind quarks and nucleons within the atomic nucleus), and electromagnetic photons / waves exchanged between atomic electrons. These "real" waves and particles are immersed in and interact with a sea of "virtual" waves and particles, which constitute the natural and induced turbulence. This turbulence extends across multiple dimensional scales within the Elementary Field, which, at any given moment, supports the aforementioned InfoStructures.
The spatial extension of atoms is on the order of magnitude of 10-10 meters. This value is an approximation and depends on various factors, primarily the atom’s composition - its chemical element, the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus, and the number and state of electrons in its electron cloud.
Furthermore, determining the exact spatial dimensions of the nucleus and individual electrons within an atom is highly challenging. Since the atom consists of a nucleon cloud and a surrounding electron cloud, each nucleon and each electron is itself a dynamic cloud of Events and Relations (correlations), so a complex Process, partly chaotic / stochastic - indeterminate - and partly organized - determinate that continuously fluctuates in shape and dynamics. This variability arises due to fundamental uncertainties in Elementary Events and their correlations, the turbulent dynamics of the Elementary Field, and interactions with other structures present within the Field.
The shape and spatial extension of Particles and atoms are in constant flux, with greater variation occurring as the energy within the system increases. Despite this, we can attempt to hypothesize approximate orders of magnitude.
The approximate scale of the atomic nucleus's spatial extension is on the order of 10-15 meters. The nucleus seems to be about 100,000 times smaller than the atom itself.
The presumable order of magnitude of the spatial extent of an electron within an atom is variable and strongly dependent on:
- the composition, electric charge and spin of the nucleus
- the orbital that represents or is occupied by the considered electron, its position within the electron cloud, its contingent shape, and its excitation / motion within the cloud
- the dynamics of the electron cloud, atomic motion, temperature, and chemical bonds with other atoms, position of the atom within a molecule or a larger molecular structure (e.g., a crystal) and the physical state of the material (gaseous, liquid, solid, etc.)
- other minor influencing factors
The presumable order of magnitude of the spatial extent of a free electron, not bound to an atom, stationary or moving at non-relativistic speeds, experiencing no significant acceleration (either in the direction of motion or in other directions), free from electric or magnetic fields, and not interacting electromagnetically or gravitationally (no gravitational, kinetic, electronic, magnetic, nuclear interaction with the environment): approximately 10-13 meters.
While the concept of the atom and the atomistic approach to studying Matter have ancient origins, dating back to Greek philosophers, extensive research into atomic structure and phenomena has intensified, particularly over the past two centuries.
The atom cannot be fully described within a classical framework; rather, it requires a quantum mechanical approach. To model atomic structure, explain atomic phenomena - such as the emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation or photon interactions, and radioactive decay - and, most importantly, predict experimental outcomes, various quantum models of the atom have been developed. These models describe a dense nucleus composed of massive nucleons, surrounded by an electron cloud. They both exhibit probabilistic behavior.
To study the nucleus and nuclear phenomena, a range of physical disciplines and specific theories have been developed and continue to evolve. These include nuclear physics - focused on nuclear structure and reactions - along with theories of nuclear forces (weak and strong interactions), radioactivity (alpha, beta, and gamma decay), and within the framework of Quantum Field Theory: Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), Quantum Electrodynamics (QED), and others.
As part of the evolutionary approach to studying the Reality addressed in this paper, a specific model of the electron cloud is proposed, derived from a unique representation of Matter Particles, particularly the electron, as outlined in previous chapters.
The atomic orbital is not viewed merely as a probabilistic spatial volume where the electron "is likely to be found", expressed as the probability of detecting the electron at a given point in the orbital, but rather as the "actual spatial form that the electron assumes". This shape is determined by its interactions with the nucleus, with other electrons in the atom, and with its surrounding atomic environment, as it finds equilibrium within the space (or rather the Elementary Field) that hosts the atom.
Although atoms and molecules constitute the fundamental building blocks of the Matter composing both living organisms and the visible Universe - making them central to its description - to delve deeper into the nature of Physical Reality and account for the (hypothetical) 95% of the Universe’s Energy content beyond Ordinary Matter, I propose shifting beyond atomistic theory and re-evaluating the centrality of atom and particle concepts in the broader understanding of Nature and Physical Phenomena.
Links to the tables of contents of TFNR Paper
