New Data Changes the Scientific Understanding of Neutrons

The nature of the universe's strong force has just become a little more clearly known according to a press release from the University of Washington (UW) physics department. The force of gravity holds our universe together (even though it is expanding...), but what holds our atoms together? The strong force is one of the four forces in the universe and it is this force which is credited with holding the nuclei of atoms together so that clusters of molecules can be formed. New research has given the world new knowledge about this strong force.

When Enrique Fermi (Nobel laureate for his role in developing the first nuclear reactor) first posited the nature of the atomic particle called a neutron in 1947, he described it as having a positive charge at its center and a negative charge at its outer edge thus rendering the neutron electrically neutral. Now University of Washington physics professor Dr. Gerald A. Miller has used data from three particle accelerator laboratories to unravel the true nature of the neutron. According to these data and Miller's new theoretical analysis, which is based on "some new theoretical tools," this long accepted description is not correct.

The precise data from the accelerator laboratories reveals that, in fact, a neutron has a negative electrical charge at its inner core and at its outer edge as well. Yet, neutrons are electrically neutral particles. This is because a positive charge exists between the core and the outer edge. Thus the neutron is rendered electrically neutral in a way very different from that which Fermi originally posited.

Still, Fermi's key description of the negative charge at the outer edge of the neutron is confirmed and is, according to Miller's UW statement, "the most important aspect of the finding." Miller further said that a "particle can be electrically neutral and still have properties related to charge. We've known for a long time that the neutron has [such] properties, but now we understand them more clearly."

Miller was very specific in pointing out the monumental nature of his findings related to the locations of the neutralizing negative and positive charges of the neutron: "Nobody realized this was the case. It is significant because it is a clear fact of nature that we didn't know before. Now we know it." (Attention high school science textbook writers!)

The import of these findings, which may continued to be modified as new data is continuing to come in from the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Va., the Bates Linear Accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Mainz Microtron at Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany, is that scientific understanding is now changed regarding how neutrons interact with electrons, which carry negative charges, and protons, which carry positive charges. And this specifically relates to the strong force.

As stated, the strong force binds atomic nuclei together allowing for the formation of molecules. If neutrons, electrons and protons interact in a way that is different from previously held theory-and they do-then that means that the previously held theory of how the strong force works must be reexamined: the new understanding of the neutron "has implications for understanding the strong force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature (the others are the weak force, electromagnetism and gravity)."

Dr. Miller also said, "We have to understand exactly how the strong force works, because it is the strongest force we know in the universe...We already know that without the strong force you wouldn't have atoms - or anything else that follows from atoms."

For more information, contact Miller at 206-543-2995 or miller@phys.washington.edu

University of Washington, Vince Stricherz, Research overturns accepted notion of neutron's electrical properties.
Contact: vinces@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington