Bosons are the glue that hold fermions together

g.lemaitre

If Wiki is right when it says bosons are the glue that hold fermions together then how does the photon hold atoms together?

kevinferreira

The photon is the 'gauge boson' of electromagnetic interaction, i.e. it mediates it: electromagnetic interaction is perfectly understood in a model where it corresponds to an exchange of photons.
In an atom electrons and protons interact via electromagnetic interaction, and thus via photon exchange.

g.lemaitre

Yes, but I thought two hydrogens are bound to one oxygen because they share electrons in a covalent bond. Are you saying that the electrons are sending photons back and forth to each other? Are the electrons absorbing and emitting electrons?

phinds

First you were talking about atoms, now you are talking about molecules. They are different.

g.lemaitre

Still confused.

Vanadium 50

It would help if you pointed out exactly what you were reading and exactly what it said.

g.lemaitre

Like I said Wiki said "bosons are the glue that hold fermions together." Let's just try to understand that given the example of water. Hydrogen and Oxygen are held together in a covalent bond. What are the photons doing that bond? How are the photons holding that bond together. I'm guessing that the electrons are exchanging photons with each other, absorbing and emitting them from time to time but more details would help.

Vanadium 50

That's useless.

Please post exactly what you are reading and exactly what it said.

g.lemaitre

Wiki wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosons

Vanadium 50

OK, so go to the Wiki article, and click on the little [3]. That takes you to the link where Wiki got that from, and has a page of explanatory text. Once you read that, please let us know specifically what is not clear.

g.lemaitre

I read the Carroll paper. What is still unclear is Hydrogen and Oxygen are held together in a covalent bond. What are the photons doing that bond? How are the photons holding that bond together. I'm guessing that the electrons are exchanging photons with each other, absorbing and emitting them from time to time but more details would help.

The_Duck

The exchange of photons causes the various electrons to be attracted to the various nuclei, which ultimately is what is binding the molecule together. (It also causes the nuclei to be repelled from each other, and the electrons to be repelled from each other, but these forces are not strong enough to break the molecule apart).

The general idea here is: suppose I have an electron in between two protons. The protons are each attracted to the electron (because of the electromagnetic interaction, mediated by photons). So the protons are both pulled inward. This gives us a simple molecule (H2+) where we might speak of the protons as being bound together by the sharing of an electron.

g.lemaitre

Thanks. That's what I needed to know.