What is the significance of the number 137 in quantum physics?

[AfRoMaNn]

What is the significance of the number 137 in quantum physics??

What is the significance of the number 137 in quantum physics??

 

[NobodySpecial]

The fine structure constant (roughly 1/137) basically sets how strong electromagnetism is

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

Look at the nice little relation between 4 fundamental constants and the fine structure constant (alpha):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-structure_constant

 

[diazona]

We wanted it to be 1337 but that was already taken

 

[arkajad]

http://books.google.fr/books?id=-v8...#v=onepage&q=pauli 137 hospital room&f=false".

 

[Fredrik]

"It would be less unsettling if the relationship between all these important concepts turned out to be one or three or maybe a multiple of pi, but 137?"

This is a pretty strange comment, because it strongly suggests that the number is exactly 137. If it had been exactly pi (or exactly anything that's defined in a completely different context), that would have been a lot more remarkable than the actual fact, which is that the fine structure constant is approximately 1/137.036.

 

[Bob S]

This may help show the physical significance of the factor 137.

mc² = 511,000 eV = 2·137²·13.6 eV

where 13.6 eV is the binding energy of the electron in the hydrogen atom, and mc² is the rest mass of the electron.

Bob S

 

[Vanadium 50]

That's so misleading I have to jump in. The fine structure constant is absolutely not a way to calculate the electron mass given the Rydberg constant: it's a way of calculating the Rydberg constant given the electron mass.