Conductors and weak interaction

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the potential for observing parity violation in semiconducting or superconducting devices, particularly in the context of weak interactions among electrons. Participants explore the implications of weak force interactions compared to electromagnetic interactions, questioning whether weak elastic scattering could manifest in observable effects within conductors.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that weak interactions could be observable in semiconductors or superconductors, despite being overshadowed by electromagnetic interactions.
  • Others argue that atomic electron wave functions do not account for weak force interactions, suggesting that these effects are negligible.
  • A participant questions how much atomic wave functions would change if weak elastic scattering were considered, noting that these effects have different symmetries than electromagnetic interactions.
  • Concerns are raised about the practicality of observing weak interactions, with one participant likening the search for such effects to looking for a "unicorn."
  • Some participants assert that leptons, including electrons, do interact through the weak nuclear force, countering claims that weak interactions are limited to nuclear particles.
  • There is a discussion about the potential for future discoveries regarding weak force interactions with electrons, contingent on advancements in experimental techniques.
  • One participant highlights that beta decay and electron capture are classical examples of weak interactions, questioning the implications of weak elastic scattering on degeneracies in the electromagnetic Hamiltonian.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement on the nature and significance of weak interactions involving electrons, with no consensus reached on whether these interactions can be observed or their implications for atomic properties.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about weak interactions and their effects on electrons are challenged, but the discussion remains unresolved regarding the extent and nature of these interactions, particularly in relation to electromagnetic forces.

snorkack
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TL;DR
Can weak interaction on conduction electrons be seen if electromagnetic cancels out by symmetry?
Are there any plausible semiconducting or superconducting devices which would show clear parity violation?
Electrons in matter are governed overwhelmingly by electromagnetic interactions. Electron-electron, and electron-nuclei.

However, there is in principle some weak interaction. Elastic weak interaction collisions electron-electron and electron-nucleus.
And electromagnetic interactions are constrained by space and time parity.

Are there any effects where the electromagnetic interactions of electrons in conductor would cancel out by parity symmetries, leaving the weak elastic scattering as the macroscopically visible effect?
 
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Parity symmetries cancelling out electromagnetic interactions of electrons? Atomic electron wave functions don't include weak force interactions Electrons are Leptons.
 
shjacks45 said:
Parity symmetries cancelling out electromagnetic interactions of electrons? Atomic electron wave functions don't include weak force interactions
Because it is getting neglected?
How much is an atomic wave function changed if electron-nucleus and electron-electron weak elastic scattering were included? These are tiny effects, but have different symmetries than the electromagnetic Hamiltonian.
 
Your “effects” would be so small that no one has ever observed them. You seem to be searching for a unicorn, like neutrino mass which experimental results give an upper limit of next to nothing. Proton must! decay, so far the lower limit for half life is the age of the universe. There must be “dark matter” or our theory is wrong. Mossbauer, UV, NMR, other physics tools long in use show no weak interaction with electrons. The weak force acts between nuclear particles not Leptons like the electron. Since inner electron waveform maxima is inside the nucleus, why aren’t electrons and protons becoming neutrons? (K-shell capture and positron emission radioactive decay show no fine structure (energy levels) indicating nuclear weak force interaction. ) Do you have a theory that indicates that electrons are affected by the weak force?
 
shjacks45 said:
The weak force acts between nuclear particles not Leptons like the electron.

That isn't true. Leptons feel the nuclear force.
 
Most interactions are special circumstances e.g. mediated by neutrino. Question was does nuclear weak force affect shell electrons q.v. atomic properties, and answer is it hasn’t been discovered yet, perhaps to be discovered by better instruments in the future. Some answers confuse EM force with nuclear forces. Perhaps a purer question would be what are the weak force interactions of electrons and neutrons.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
That isn't true. Leptons feel the nuclear force.
Leptons interact through the electroweak (and gravitational) interaction but not the strong interaction. Their color charge is 0. Of course via higher-order diagrams also strong-interaction physics enters (and often make trouble, as for quantities like the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron).
 
Sorry...the word "weak" disappeared. Leptons feel the weak nuclear force. Unlike the claim I was responding to.
 
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shjacks45 said:
The weak force acts between nuclear particles not Leptons like the electron. Since inner electron waveform maxima is inside the nucleus, why aren’t electrons and protons becoming neutrons? (K-shell capture and positron emission radioactive decay show no fine structure (energy levels) indicating nuclear weak force interaction. ) Do you have a theory that indicates that electrons are affected by the weak force?
Erm. Beta decay and electron capture are classical examples of weak interaction. And electron capture is NOT limited to K-shell - all s-orbitals qualify.
But apart from the inelastic electron capture, does the weak elastic scattering electron-nucleus have any effects through its different symmetry? Like breaking degeneracies which would be exact in pure electromagnetic Hamiltonian?
 

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