J.P. Teixeira

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• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Inesc-ID

This question is closely related with a previous question I raised in this Forum: "What is the characteristic of matter that we refer as "electric charge"?"

As stated in my previous question, the main objective of bringing this topic to discussion is to try to understand the fundamental physical phenomena associated with the Universe we live in, where energy, matter and other key ingredients, like the Laws that govern them, which all together seem to play a harmonious role, so harmonious that even life, as we know it, can exist in this planet.

My background is from engineering. Hence, I am trying to go deep into the causes behind the effects, the physical phenomena that support the Universe as we know it, prior to go deep into complex mathematical models and formulation, which may obscure reality.

With an open mind, I try to ask questions whose answers may help us to understand the whys, rather than to prove theories and their formulations.

From our previous discussion, it became clear that mass and electric charge are two inseparable attributes of matter. Moreover, Electromagnetic (EM) fields propagate through vacuum. Hence, no physical matter is required for energy or information flow through the Universe. However, electric charges remain clustered in physical matter, i.e., they require, not vacuum, but matter.

Matter has the property of radiation. Matter under Gravitational (G) and EM fields is subjected to forces, producing movement. Radiation depends strongly on Temperature.

The absolute limit of T is 0º Kelvin. At this limit, particle movement stops. Magnetic fields depend on moving electric charges; as, at this limit, movement vanishes, then Magnetic fields should vanish with it. As Electrical and Magnetic fields are nested in each other, so does Electric field and consequently the effect of EM fields (and, hence, radiation, too) should vanish as T approaches 0ºK. Black Holes (BH) do not radiate, their Temperature being close to 0ºK.

Can we assume that EM fields ultimately vanishes as T approaches 0ºK?

Could this help explaining why protons in an atomic nucleus stay together, and are not violently scattered away from each other?

Would it be reasonable to assume that the atomic nucleuses are at Temperatures close to 0ºK, although electrons and matter, at macroscopic level, are at Room Temperature?

What is really the Temperature of atomic nucleuses? Can we measure it? Is it possible that a cloud of electrons, either orbiting the atoms nucleuses or moving as free electrons, play a shielding effect, capturing the energy associated with Room Temperature, and preventing the nucleuses from heating? Can atom's nucleus Temperature be close to 0ºK, like it occurs in BH?

The reason for formulating the Question:

The question raised by I.C. Teixeira is relevant, and puts in evidence how limited is our knowledge and understanding of the Universe we live in.

From an engineering point of view, we observe reality (the physical world in which we live), we try to understand it, mainly using a cause-effect perspective, we propose a scientific theory, and we try to prove our allegations using abstract models to describe what we observed.

For instance, we observe an attractive force between physical bodies. Sir Isaac Newton brilliantly discovered the Gravitational field, and elegantly proposed a first-order model to measure the gravitational force between two bodies, of mass m1 and m2 at a distance d. The well-known formula F=G m1.m2/square(d) describes the value of such force.

As I understand it, the existence of matter as we know it is the cause behind the effect – the gravitational field. The mass is the model parameter that describes the quantity of matter of a body, made of chemical elements and compounds, well ‘classified’ in the Mendeleev Table of Elements. So, really the existence of the physical matter we find in Nature has an effect – these bodies influence themselves, through an attractive force – Gravitation.

However, we observe that not only attractive forces exist between bodies. In fact, there are repulsive forces too. This is very fortunate, because otherwise if only attractive forces exist, the Universe would finally collapse, or implode. Hence, our observation leads us to another reality of matter. The repulsive forces are the effect of another field of influence among bodies – what we came to call the Electromagnetic Field (EM).

What is the cause behind the EM field? Well, James Clerk Maxwell was a genius who observed these effects, and identified two types of electric charges, which can either exhibit an attractive or repulsive force, depending on the fact that they are of opposite or equal polarity, respectively. Maxwell equations brilliantly describe the EM field and the resulting forces. Again, we are very fortunate to live in such Universe, because information flow and life ultimately depends on it.

So, the reason for my question.

What is the characteristic of matter that we refer as “electric charge”?

What are the physical phenomena that originate such EM fields?

While mass is the model parameter that describes the quantity of matter of a body, what is the physical reality in matter behind what we refer as an electric charge?

Why elementary particles (protons) exhibit an opposite polarity of other elementary particle (electrons)?