1. Central to electromagnetism and the cell’s energy production process, the electron is a key ingredient in both the Universe and for Life. It also has many magical features, including both its diminutive size and its ambiguous nature. What is the origination of electrons?
2. In the beginning were neutrons - so named because they have no charge (0). They consist of 3 quarks: 2 pointing up and 1 down. When one of the up quarks flips to down, the neutron changes into a positively charged proton (+) and a negatively charged electron (–). This simple beginning gives birth to electromagnetism, one of the four fundamental forces of Physics.
3. Why do quarks flip? Due to constant jostling the weak nuclear force regularly loses its grip on quarks. Due to this process, neutrons have a short half-life of 10 minutes. The strong nuclear force stops this degradation, by binding neutrons and protons together as the nucleus of an atom. Neutrons are required in the atom’s nucleus to diffuse the strong aversion protons have for each other. Simpler atoms, such as carbon, only require an equal number of protons and neutrons. Heavier atoms, such as gold, require an increasing number of neutrons to balance the protons’ repellant force. As the number of protons and neutrons increases, the nucleus becomes increasingly unstable. Eventually, electromagnetic forces overwhelm the strong nuclear force. This instability in heavy atoms, such as uranium, is the cause of radioactivity.
4. A Neutron decays into a positive Proton and a negative Electron. This polarity is the source of electromagnetism. When an Electron moves to a lower orbital, it emits a Photon. In such a way, electrons play a central role in both the material Universe and cellular energy production, hence Life. Despite this key position in the Molecular Realm and the Subatomic Realm (the Material Realms), the Electron is merely part of the background in the Realm of Attention that is exclusive to Life.
5. Realm of Attention? There are three Realms of Existence: 1) the Molecular Realm, 2) the Subatomic Realm, and 3) the Realm of Attention. The Molecular Realm is our ordinary reality consisting of familiar objects reacting in a continuous fashion in the familiar space-time continuum. Despite this familiarity, this Realm is frequently counterintuitive. In contrast, the Subatomic Realm is magical. Its inhabitants behave in unbelievable ways. The Realm of Attention is where we experience Life. In contrast to the magical and counterintuitive nature of the Material Realms, the Realm of Attention is commonsense.
6. What is an example of the magical nature of the Subatomic Realm? The electron’s origination. When a quark flips directions, a neutron becomes a proton and emits our friend the electron. Put another way, the neutral neutron becomes an electromagnetic polarity consisting of matter (proton) and energy (the ambiguous electron). Spontaneous generation never occurs in the Molecular Realm, nor the Attention Realm. The Molecular Realm is inhabited by ordinary objects/particles such as atoms; the Subatomic Realm of magical creatures such as the electron; while the Attention Realm consists primarily of Experiences generated by our ID system. These are more reason why the three Realms of Existence are distinct, separate, and equally important.
1. Recap: Electron, a Special Creature for Universe & Life
2. In the Beginning: Neutron -> Proton + Electron = Electromagnetism
3. Strong Nuclear Force binds Nucleons -> enables Atoms
5. Three Realms of Existence: Counterintuitive, Magical, & Common Sense
6. Subatomic Realm: A Magical Event – Something from Nothing
In our exploration of the cell’s energy production process, we came upon the seemingly miraculous ‘electron transport chain’. This mind-blowing process entails moving an ‘electron’ from one location to another location – not an ore with an electron mixture, but a single electron. The purpose of the transportation is to take this single bundle of energy to a place where it can be of more use. The cell’s metabolic pathways transport the electron to a locality where it plays a vital role in recharging an abundance of ATP molecules – the cell’s bio-currency.
Because of the electron’s central role in Life’s production of bioenergy, we felt it appropriate to explore and highlight the enigmatic nature of this subatomic creature (the justification for this entire chapter). In addition to their critical role in bioenergy, electrons are an indispensable ingredient in the formation of atoms and molecules, and are an essential component of electromagnetism. Not bad accomplishments for someone so small.
In addition to performing these primary functions for the Universe (both Matter and Life), the electron has many unusual qualities (identified in these many pages). They include: 1) its diminutive size and mass (by far the smallest ingredient, along with the photon, in the cell’s energy production process); 2) its ambiguous nature (mathematically both wave and particle); 3) its androgynous nature (e.g. both force field externally and wave internally); 4) the innate imprecision of its actual location in the space-time continuum (can’t determine precise place and momentum simultaneously).
The last three wonderments indicate that the electron is not like any particle we have ever met in our Realm of Existence (the Molecular Realm). Due to all these special features, referring to it as a particle is a misleading misnomer. Rather than a member of our Realm, the electron is rather a central member of the Subatomic Realm – the world within the atom.
While fundamentally creatures of the Subatomic Realm, the electron and his buddies connect the Subatomic with the Molecular Realm. For instance, the electron/photon pair along with the proton are key players in both photosynthesis and cellular respiration. While exhibiting distinctly Subatomic features, they exert a tremendous influence upon the Realm that we inhabit.
It is evident that the electron has many amazing features and functions – generally and to Life specifically. What is the origin of electrons? Has there always been electrons. Have they been around since the Big Bang? Or did they arrive later? Did electrons spawn the rest? Or did something give birth to electrons? Is this special creature fundamental? Or is there a particle that preceded the electron – one that gave birth to this mysterious creature of the Subatomic Realm?
These questions drive the narrative of the following section. In this exploration, our origination ‘myth’ will reveal how both the fundamental ‘particles’ and the fundamental forces of Physics of our physical Universe came into being. Keep in mind though that this creation myth is primarily a way of organizing the limited amount scientific facts that I’m aware of.
Let’s start at the beginning – the so-called Big Bang – actually a bit before. Just prior to the explosion, there was nothing (ø). Then came the sudden unexplained eruption of the Singularity from the Void. From Nothing came Something; then Yin and Yang. This raw beginning gave rise to the 10,000 things (everything).
Mysteriously, this gargantuan explosion of microscopic particles into the baby space-time continuum (still miniscule but growing rapidly for unknown reasons) was due to a repelling force like nothing in existence today. Then shortly after (a few hundred million years later), this unexplained source of energy suddenly ceased to be. Bizarre!
Yet despite this outrageous anomaly, the scientific community continues to believe that immaterial forces like mental energy are superstitious and unbelievable?! Must be due to some kind of cognitive disconnect. It’s amazing that despite this major discontinuity in natural law, they can’t entertain the notion that Life actually interacts with information – believing instead that this interaction with our environment is all an illusion – presumably because their human logic (which has been wrong so many times before) tells them so.
Before the beginning, according to my version anyway, only the Subatomic Realm existed. This magical Realm of Existence was and is filled with both unrealized potential and just the right amount of structure. For mysterious reasons, it suddenly manifested as our reality (the Molecular Realm) with the first ‘particles’. Electrons? No. Rather neutrons. Neutrons? Let me explain.
In the Beginning, there were neutrons and this miraculous force, which was spewing an inconceivable concentration of Matter at equally unimaginable speeds into the exploding space-time continuum to begin generating the Universe that is our home. Neutrons (so named because they have no charge) have a short half-life of around 10 minutes.
Neutrons – half-life?! Uranium yes – because of its bloated, hence unstable nucleus. Biomolecules Yes – because of their high complexity, high energy, hence unstable chemical bonds. Entropy works on Uranium’s unwieldly nucleus to break it into simpler, hence more stable atoms. Similarly, the great leveler performs magic on the complex chemical bonds of biomolecules - breaking them into simpler, hence more stable molecules.
How about neutrons? Neutrons consist of 3 quarks – two pointed up and one pointed down. It turns out that this configuration has more energy, hence is less stable than other configurations. Due to this innate instability, one of the neutron’s quarks, after about 10 minutes on the average, flips – pointing down rather than up – the more stable direction. (How quarks point up or down is a mystery to me. Probably a complicated mathematical reason).
This flip is the most important flip of all time. Why? It gives rise to electromagnetism. How? The neutron (0) degrades into a positively charged proton (+) and a negatively charged electron (-). This polarity in charge is the foundation of all electromagnetic phenomena. This polarity combined with the laws of nature surrounding electromagnetism is embodied in the proton-electron pair.
Due to this origination myth, there are an equal number of electrons and protons in our Universe. Hence, the Cosmos has a net charge of 0, neither negative nor positive, yet both. How Buddhist!
Why do the quarks residing inside of neutrons flip? The weak nuclear force holds the quarks in place. Due to the destabilizing effect associated with constant jostling, the weak nuclear force loses its grip and the quarks flip into a more stable position.
Due to this regular occurance, neutrons have a short half-life of 10 minutes. Thus an unimaginably large number of primal neutrons degraded into an equal number of proton-electrons pairs within 10 minutes of the Big Bang. With such a short half-life – why are there any neutrons left 14 billion years later?
Luckily for us, the Creator imbued the Material world with the nuclear forces. If there are no nuclear forces, there are no neutrons, hence no carbon, therefore no Life. Sorry about that.
But due to the Grace of the Divine Mind, a powerful nuclear force, distinct from the much weaker electromagnetic and gravitational forces, binds neutrons and protons together as a unit. Intense heat and pressure from the concentration of the original explosion, forced neutrons together with newly created protons.
Yet due to their positive charge, protons repelled each other and neutrons – inherent difficulties. But the large nuclear force, which is unimaginably strong at short distances (the width of a proton), overpowered the repulsive force of electromagnetism. (If you think that is easy, try putting the positive pole of 2 magnets together.)
Despite irreconcilable differences, the unimaginable heat and pressure after the Big Bang drove nucleons together, close enough to where the strong nuclear force could unite these protons and neutrons as a unit forever – together as the nucleus of the atom. The enormous pressure and heat from gravitational pressures inside of enormous stars eventually enabled the joining of the early helium nuclei to form more complex molecules such as carbon and oxygen. Then the collision of neutron stars created even more complex atoms such as gold.
It turns out that neutrons are required to stabilize the atom’s nucleus. Else the positive repulsive of even two protons by themselves split the nucleus, hence the atom apart. The neutrons act to diffuse the repulsive force of the protons – enabling the strong nuclear force – which only acts over the distance of the width of a nucleon (proton or neutron), Without the strong nuclear force, there would only be hydrogen atoms – since they don’t require neutrons to stabilize the nucleus.
Hence, the strong nuclear force enables the formation of complex atoms (any other than hydrogen). Yet, an ever-increasing number of neutrons are required to diffuse the repulsive force of protons as the nucleus grow bigger. The simpler atoms only require an equal number of protons and neutrons. For instance, carbon 12, the king of elements, consists of 6 protons and 6 neutrons. But as more protons accumulate, even more neutrons are required – e.g. Gold 197 =79 protons + 118 neutrons.
As can be imagined, there is an upper limit when no amount neutrons is enough. Even with an increase in neutrons, the nucleus eventually becomes too big for even the strong nuclear force and entropy splits it apart. This is the basis of radioactive decay. Pushing this limit, Uranium 238 with its 92 protons and 146 neutrons is radioactive.
When the weak nuclear force loses its grip on a quark, a neutron degrades into a proton and an electron. Forming the first hydrogen atoms, the electron-proton pairing is charged with an abundance of potential energy derived from the initial blast of the mystery force. When these super-charged electrons relax a little into the atom’s inner shells, they emit photons.
So Neutrons degrade into Protons and Electrons. And Electrons emit Photons. There you have it, the four fundamental components of atoms (hence molecules) all intimately linked in a mutually self-generating process. Nature is so exquisitely simple.
Neutrons --> Protons + Electrons
Electrons --> Photons
The weak nuclear force is associated with the neutron’s transformation into the electron-proton polarity that is the source of the electromagnetic interactions. Electromagnetic interactions between electrons and protons are the root of atom formation. The strong nuclear interaction binds neutrons and protons together as the nucleus, which enables the formation of larger atoms. Electromagnetic interactions surrounding the wave nature of electrons are the root of molecular formation.
Again our miniscule friend, the miraculous electron is at the center of it all. No matter how small and insignificant we consider ourselves to be, we can make a difference – perhaps as an indispensable member of our community – essential for holding it together.
Both nuclear interactions (strong and weak) are necessary for both the formation of the atoms that are crucial to our existence and the origin of the electromagnetic interactions that are central to the operation of living systems. Gravity (the fourth interaction) is also necessary as it generates both the stars that are the furnace of atom formation and the planet that provides a home. Each of the four fundamental interactions (forces) is essential for the generation of our material Universe that provides the equally essential material substrate for Life.
Due to these amazing discoveries, many scientists mistakenly believe they have uncovered all the fundamental forces and particles of the Universe. While they have nailed down the Material Realms (both the familiar Molecular Realm and the magical Subatomic Realm), this esteemed community hasn’t touched the Living Realm of Attention – Life’s field of action. This Realm that is exclusive to Life could also be called the Realm of Experience.
While Matter provides the boundaries to the stream of Life, Experiences are the river. The frequently maligned life force, the source of our holistic urge to survive, drives Experience formation. Attention is the interface; Feelings the motivator; Mind the executive; Will the executor; and Life’s ID system the operating system.
Despite the central role of our microscopic electron friend in the operations of the Material Universe, our buddy is merely part of the background (only providing boundaries) in the Realm of Existence that is exclusive to Life – the Realm of Experience.
The Realm of Experience? Perhaps a bit of background is needed. Rather than one, there are three Realms of Existence. 1) Molecular Realm (actuality): we, our bodies, inhabit this familiar Realm. It consists of the space-time continuum filled with the reactions of atoms, molecules, and the usual objects. It is our material reality. 2) Subatomic Realm (potential): This quantized realm consists of the reactions of all the bizarre creatures that are inside the atom – electrons, photons, quarks, etc. 3) Attention Realm (propensity): Exclusive to living systems, this is the realm where we experience and interact with image streams.
The current scientific community believes in the first two realms, collectively called the Material Realms. Both Material Realms share some similarities. Both are deterministic. Both are described by mathematical systems based in Calculus. Both describe material behavior. Indeed, the scientific culture has nailed the phenomena of these two realms virtually perfectly with mathematical functions.
While sharing some common features, the two Material Realms have some distinct differences. While the Molecular Realm is continuous; the Subatomic Realm is quantized. While the Molecular Realm is definitive, the Subatomic Realm is probabilistic. While the location and momentum are distinct in the Molecular Realm, they are uncertain within distinct limits in the Subatomic Realm. These innate differences alone justify our claim that the two Material Realms are distinct from each other. To illustrate their relationship, a Venn diagram would show two intersecting circles.
While scientists specifically and the educated elite generally are enthusiastic fans of the Material Realms, this same community scoffs derisively at the Attention Realm.
This is odd considering the relative accessibility of the 3 Realms. We all have experienced and interacted with objects in the Molecular Realm, our physical reality. Inhabiting this Realm, we are intimately familiar with the logic of objects. Strangely enough, the Molecular Realm is frequently counterintuitive. It is hard to understand the underlying causes of material phenomena except via equations. Yet, our common sense enables us to safely navigate the Molecular Realm.
While the Molecular Realm is inhabited by particles and objects that behave in familiar ways, the Subatomic Realm is inhabited by creatures (sometimes misleadingly called particles) that behave in magical ways (incomprehensible from our limited vantage point). The mathematical laws that govern this realm are equally magical.
While the Molecular Realm is counterintuitive and the Subatomic Realm is magical, the Attention Realm is commonsense. Rather than confusing or magical, the model describing interactions in this Realm ratifies and provides a mathematical and theoretical foundation for our commonsense relation with the components associated with our holistic behavior, e.g. Attention, mental energy, life force, Experience, Mind et al.
Why the resistance to this commonsense realm that distinguishes Life from Matter? The Realm of Attention is immaterial. The Realm is based upon our ambiguous interactions with information rather than the definitive reactions of Matter. While material mathematics is based in Regular Equations, the mathematics of the Living Realm of Attention is based in Disobedient Equations. Could it be that our culture is afraid of uncertainty?
Whatever the reason for this obstinate opposition, the next section provides yet another example of the magical nature of the Subatomic Realm. As to be expected, the electron, one of the paramount inhabitants of this realm and the star of this chapter, supplies us with yet another instance of Nature’s magic.
Let’s elaborate. First terminology. Nucleons refer to both protons and neutrons as collective members of the atom’s nucleus. This is appropriate as the dimensions of protons and neutrons are virtually identical – same mass and diameter. The main, and highly significant, difference is their charge.
The atom’s nucleus is very active – with the nucleons constantly moving around to balance the positive charges of the protons. The strong nuclear force holds the nucleus together externally by preventing protons from separating due to their common charge.
Inside of both nucleons are quarks connected by gluons. Quarks come in a variety of flavors. The much weaker nuclear force stabilizes the identity of the quarks. Yet due to the incessant jostling, the weak nuclear force loses its grip and the quark changes flavor.
This is when it gets interesting. When a quark changes from the up to down flavor, the neutron changes into a proton. Pretty magical in and of itself.
When the weak nuclear force gives way and the quark flips to a more stable configuration, the neutron, as well as becoming a proton, emits an electron. Initially, microbiologists applied the logic of objects in the Molecular Realm to the inhabitants of the Subatomic Realm. Since something doesn’t arise from nothing in our Realm, they assumed that an electron was already there, and just broke off from the neutron when its quark flipped.
Yet upon closer examination, Physicists found no evidence of an electron inside the neutron – waiting to be set free. Rather since an electron emerges from nothing, it seems to be an example of spontaneous generation – of a Subatomic particle. The electron appears to be the energy released from the neutron’s quark when it changes direction. However, this bundle of energy possesses wavelength, mass, dimensions (albeit minute) and, most importantly for Life, a negative charge.
As a particle, it could be said that the electron is an embodiment – an incarnation of the energy given off when a Neutron is transformed into a Proton due to a quark changing direction.
Neutral Mass splits into Positive Mass plus Negative Energy Bundle
Neutron (0) becomes Proton (+) and Electron (–)
How could an electromagnetic polarity (embodied in a particle and an energy bundle) emerge spontaneously from a neutral particle? This type of event never occurs in our Molecular Realm. This phenomenon certainly qualifies as one of the magical events of the Subatomic Realm.
While the objects/particles of the Molecular Realm behave in an ordinary way, the inhabitants of the Subatomic Realm definitely behave in a magical way. In contrast, Life’s Realm of Attention contains neither objects nor inhabitants. Rather this Realm of Existence that is exclusive to living systems only consists of Experiences, Memories Models and of course an ID system – the components that make our lives interesting. These differences are just some of many reasons that the three Realms of Existence, (Molecular, Subatomic, and Attention) are distinct and equally important.