How does a particle know when to send out its messenger?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of how particles determine the timing and necessity of emitting messenger particles, exploring the implications of energy expenditure in this process. It touches on theoretical ideas about particle behavior and interactions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions how a particle knows when to send out a messenger particle, suggesting that indiscriminate emission would lead to energy loss.
  • Another participant humorously proposes that particles are born with a specific number of messenger particles and that their usage becomes more conservative over time, referencing the "running of the coupling constant."
  • A later reply challenges the specific number of messenger particles mentioned, indicating uncertainty about the exact quantity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of messenger particles and their usage, with no consensus reached on the specifics of how particles manage their emissions.

Contextual Notes

There are assumptions about the nature of messenger particles and their relationship to particle behavior that remain unresolved. The discussion includes speculative elements that are not rigorously defined.

The_Thinker
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Here's another question that's bugging me how does a particle know when to send out a messenger particle? I mean if it keeps sending out messenger particles in space willy nilly it's a lot of energy lost isn't it?
 
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Try this

http://forum.internalspace.co.uk/cgi-bin/Blah//Blah.pl?,m=1105479171,s=6,b=cc .

Regards NL
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The_Thinker said:
Here's another question that's bugging me how does a particle know when to send out a messenger particle? I mean if it keeps sending out messenger particles in space willy nilly it's a lot of energy lost isn't it?

When a particle is born, it gets a bag of messenger particles with it. For instance, for an electron, it always is born with a bag of 137 messenger particles. Young electrons are quite wastefull with their messengers, but as they get older, wiser and have less messenger particles left, they use them more carefully, in order to be almost sure to hit another electron and to get a messenger back. Most existing electrons today are already very old, so they have less messengers than they had when the universe was young. That's called the "running of the coupling constant". When they finally waste their last messenger, they become a neutrino and start to oscillate. :smile: :smile: :smile:
 
Oh my. I messed up my display again. 137 you say? Are you sure a few don't have a tad more?
 

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