Picture the electron as a uniformly charged spherical shell, with charge e and radius R, spinning at angular velocity ω.

(a) Calculate the total energy contained in the electromagnetic fields.

(b) Calculate the total angular momentum contained in the fields.

(c) According to the Einstein formula E=mc2, the energy in the fields should contribute to the mass of the electron. Lorentz and others speculated that the entire mass of the electron might be accounted for in this way: uem=mec2. Suppose, moreover, that the electron’s spin angular momentum is entirely attributable to the electromagnetic fields:Lem=ħ2 On these two assumptions, determine the radius and angular velocity of the electron. What is their product, ωR? Does this classical model make sense?

Short Answer

Expert verified

(a)The total energy contained in the electromagnetic fields isW=18πε0e2R+μ0e2ω2R36π .

(b)The total angular momentum contained in the electromagnetic fields is L=μ0ωe2R18πz^.

(c) The radius and angular velocity of an electron is 2.95×10-11 and 3.12×10-21rad/s respectively.

Step by step solution

01

Expression for the total energy stored, total electrical energy stored and the total magnetic energy stored:

Write the expression for the total energy stored.

w=wE+WB…… (1)

Here, is the energy due to an electrical field and is the total magnetic energy stored.

Write the expression for the energy due to an electrical field.

WE=ε02E2dτ…… (2)

Write the expression for the total magnetic stored.

WB=WBin+WBout…… (3)

02

Determine the total energy contained in the electromagnetic fields:

(a)

Using equation 5.70, write the expression for electric and magnetic field.

r<R:E=0,B=23μ0σRωz^withσ=e4πR2r>R:E=14πε0r2er2r^,μ04πmr3(2cosθr^+sinθθ^)withm=43πσωR4

Substitute14πε0er2r^ for E and r2sinθdrdθdϕ for r^ in equation (2).

WE=ε02R14πε0er2r2sinθdrdθdϕWE=ε0214πε0e24πR1r2drWE=18πε0e2R

Write the formula for the energy density due to an internal magnetic field.

uBin=12μ0B2

Substitute 23μ0σRωz^ for B and e4πR2 for σ in the above expression.

μBin12μ023μ0σRω2μBin12μ023μ0Rωe4πR22μBin12μ049μ02R2ω2e216π2R42μBin=μ0ω2e272π2R2

Hence, the energy stored due to an internal magnetic field will be,

localid="1657612638384" WBin=uBinvspherevsphere=43R3WBin=μ0ω2e272π2R243πR3WBIn=μ0ω2e2R54π

Write the formula for the energy density due to an internal magnetic field.

μBout=12μ0B2

Substitute localid="1657601609018" μ04πmr3(2cosθr^+sinθθ^) for B in the above expression.

localid="1657602324446" μBout=12μ0μ04πmr3(2cosθr^+sinθθ^)2μBout=12μ0μ016π2m2r6(4cos2θ+sin2θ)…… (4)

Using trigonometric identity, it is known that:

sin2θ=1-cos2θ

Hence, the equation (4) becomes,

μBout=e2ω2R4M018(16π2)1r2(4cos2θ+1-cos2θ)μBout=e2ω2R4M018(16π2)1r2(3cos2θ+1)

Hence, the energy stored due to an external magnetic field will be,

wBout=μ0e2ω2R41816π2Ra1r6r2dr0π(3cos2θ+1)sinθdθ02πdϕwBout=μ0e2ω2R108π

Substitute μ0ω2e2R54π for WBin and μ0e2ω2R108π forWBout in equation (3).

wB=μ0ω2e2R54π+μ0e2ω2R108wB=μ0ω2e2R36π

Substitute 18πε0e2Rfo and μ0e2ω2R36π for in equation (1).

localid="1657603883832" W=18πε0e2R+μ0e2ω2R36πW=18πε0e2R+μ0e2ω2R36π

Therefore, the total energy contained in the electromagnetic fields is W=18πε0e2R+μ0e2ω2R36π.

03

Determine the total angular momentum contained in the fields:

(b)

Write the expression for the angular momentum.

l=ε0r×Eout×Boutl=ε0r×e4πε0r2r^×μ0ωeR212πr3(2cosθr^+sinθθ)^

Solve the above expression as:

l=ε0r×e4πε0r2μ0ωeR212πr3sinθϕ^l=μ0ωe2R248π2r3sinθ-rϕ^l=μ0ωe2R248π2r3sinθθ^

Integrate the above equation by using spherical coordinates for the total angular momentum.

L=R0π02π-μ0ωE2R248π2r4sinθθ^r2sinθdrdθdϕL=-μ0ωE2R248π2r402πdϕ00πsin2r2drdθθ^L=-μ0ωE2R248π2r42π-1rR0πsin2θdθθ^L=-μ0ωE2R248π2r40πsin2θdθθ^

On further solving,

L=-μ0ωe2R224π0πsin2θdθ-sinθz^L=μ0ωe2R224π0πsin3θdθz^L=μ0ωe2R224π43z^L=μ0ωe2R218π

Therefore, the total angular momentum contained in the electromagnetic fields is .

L=μ0ωe2R18πz^

04

Determine the radius and angular velocity of an electron:

(c)

From Einstein’s energy-mass relation, write the equation for the energy in the fields that contributes to the electron.

W=mec2

Substitute 18πε0e2R+μ0e2ω2R36π for w in the above equation.

18πε0e2R+μ0e2w2R36π=mec214πε0e2R1+29ωRC2=Mec2…… (5)

Write the expression for the angular momentum.

L=h2

Substitute L=μ0ωe2R18πz^ in the above expression.

μ0ωe2R18π=h2ωR=9πhμ0e2…… (6)

Here, h is the Planck’s constant 1.05×10-34, μ0 is the permeability of free space 4π×107h/m , and e is the charge on an electron 1.6×10-19C.

Substitute 1.05×10-34J.s for h, 4π×107H/m for μ0and 1.6×10-19 for e in equation (6).

ωR=9π(1.05×10-34J.s)4π×107H/m1.6×10-19C2ωR=9.23×1010m/s

Substitute9×109Wm2/C2 for 14πε0,1.6×10-19C, for e , 9.11×10-31kgfor me and C=3×108m/sin equation (5).

9×109wm2/C21.6×10-19C2R1+299.23×1010m/s3×108m/s2R=48.384×10-25W.m29.11×10-31kg3×108m/s2R=2.95×1011m

Write the expression for the angular velocity of an electron.

ω=vR

Substitute9.23×1010m/s for v and 2.95×10-11 for R in the above expression.

ω=9.23×1010m/s2.95×10-11mω=3.12×1021rad/s

As ωR is the speed of the point in an equator, it will be 300 times the speed of light. Therefore, the classical model is unrealistic.

Therefore, the radius and angular velocity of an electron is 2.95×1011 and 3.12×1021rad/s respectively.

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