Mediator of electrostatic repulsion

[rrosenthal]

Is the repulsive force between 2 electrons---(as in an electrostatic situation)---mediated by a photon----?------R Rosenthal

 

[OhYoungLions]

Yes.

 

[rrosenthal]

any idea what wavelength the photon would be that would mediate the electrostatic repulsion----?---randy rosenthal

 

[CAF123]

The mediator here, the photon, is a virtual particle and as such exists for an amount of time allowed by the Hesenberg Uncertainty Principle. Therefore the photon must satisfy, ΔE Δt ≥\hbar
To find this ΔE requires knowledge of Δt, which could be found using the distance between the electrons divided by the speed of light. Then use the above equation to solve for ΔE, from which λ can be found using ΔE = \frac{hc}{λ}