The universe contains only one electron?

[lvlastermind]

I have asked this question before and I was unclear about the answer that I recieved. The way that it was explained before is that when an electron comes incontact with a gamma ray it goes backwards in time. The moving backwards in time of the electron is what we call the positron. Thus, this allows the electron to be in more than one place at the same time, and leading to the untimate conclusion that there may only be one electron in the universe. Does anyone have anything that they could add to this? Or do they have another solution. Also, do you know of any books or sites that would explain this in more detail.

[gnosys]

OF COURSE there's only one electron in the universe! I mean, it's just common sense. But let me tell you, by now it's got to be one wise old electron! If I were you, I wouldn't go trying to put something over on it -- that electron has seen it all, and it's got very little patience for nonsense.

(Actually, I heard a couple of years ago that the electron was actually thinking of retiring, and of course it had to be talked out of it -- cause no electron, no universe. Hopefully now they've got an electron-in-training to take over when the time comes -- probably some young lepton with big dreams and a lot of energy. Let's hope so. It'll sure need it for that job!)

[lvlastermind]

thanks for your 2 cents......or should i say 1. :D

[Integral]

I believe that Richard Fynman played with this type theory. I read a discripton of his ideas in one John Gribbin's books In search of Schrodingers Cat Give it a read.

[lvlastermind]

alright, thanks

[robphy]

Look for my post in this thread
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=25167
which quotes from Feynman's Nobel Lecture.

[asdfjkl]

Feynman used the "positron is an electron that goes back in time" idea quite a bit. I'm not a fan of that interpretation. He has a book called QED that would talk some about it, but I don't recall him putting forth a one electron model.

I would propose that there are more than one electron in the universe. The amount of matter in the universe is usually explained as being caused by CP violation (matter and antimatter don't have exactly the same properties) at the time of the big bang.

[Integral]

Feynman used the "positron is an electron that goes back in time" idea quite a bit. I'm not a fan of that interpretation. He has a book called QED that would talk some about it, but I don't recall him putting forth a one electron model.

I would propose that there are more than one electron in the universe. The amount of matter in the universe is usually explained as being caused by CP violation (matter and antimatter don't have exactly the same properties) at the time of the big bang.
This is the concept that I was thinking of. Not one electron but that a positron is an electron moving backwards in time.

[lvlastermind]

o really? Thats interesting, I will have to read the book. thx

[Parth Dave]

Im confused about a couple of things. For one, how stars would than work. According to the Proton-Proton chain a star has electrons and positrons routinely annihilating each other producing gamma rays. However, if positrons are electrons moving back in time than would that mean that electrons that are being annihilated are actually from the future? But than where did the positrons originally come from? Also, if electrons are positrons moving back in time than would that mean antimatter is just matter moving back in time? And also is there an explanation for how a gamma ray can turn an electron back in time?