Classical electron radius
Encyclopedia
The classical electron radius, also known as the Lorentz
radius or the Thomson scattering
length, is based on a classical (i.e., non-quantum
) relativistic
model of the electron
. Its value is calculated as
where
and 
are the electric charge
and the mass
of the electron,
is the speed of light
, and
is the permittivity
of free space.
In cgs units
, this becomes more simply
with (to three significant digits)
.
Using classical electrostatics
, the energy required to assemble a sphere of constant charge density
, of radius
and charge 
is
.
If the charge is on the surface the energy is
.
Ignoring the factors 3/5 or 1/2, if this is equated to the relativistic energy of the electron (
) and solved for 
, the above result is obtained.
In simple terms, the classical electron radius is roughly the size the electron would need to have for its mass to be completely due to its electrostatic potential energy - not taking quantum mechanics into account. We now know that quantum mechanics, indeed quantum field theory, is needed to understand the behavior of electrons at such short distance scales, thus the classical electron radius is no longer regarded as the actual size of an electron. Still, the classical electron radius is used in modern classical-limit theories involving the electron, such as non-relativistic Thomson scattering
and the relativistic Klein-Nishina formula
. Also, the classical electron radius is roughly the length scale at which renormalization
becomes important in quantum electrodynamics
.
The classical electron radius is one of a trio of related units of length, the other two being the Bohr radius
and the Compton wavelength
of the electron
. The classical electron radius is built from the electron mass 
, the speed of light
and the electron charge 
. The Bohr radius is built from 
,
and Planck's constant 
. The Compton wavelength
is built from
, 
and 
. Any one of these three lengths can be written in terms of any other using the fine structure constant 
:
Extrapolating from the initial equation, any mass
can be imagined to have an 'electromagnetic radius' similar to the electron's classical radius.
where
is Coulomb's constant, 
is the fine structure constant and 
is Planck's constant.
Hendrik Lorentz
Hendrik Antoon Lorentz was a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pieter Zeeman for the discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect...
radius or the Thomson scattering
Thomson scattering
Thomson scattering is the elastic scattering of electromagnetic radiation by a free charged particle, as described by classical electromagnetism. It is just the low-energy limit of Compton scattering: the particle kinetic energy and photon frequency are the same before and after the scattering...
length, is based on a classical (i.e., non-quantum
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
) relativistic
Special relativity
Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...
model of the electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
. Its value is calculated as
where
and are the electric chargeElectric charge
Electric charge is a physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when near other electrically charged matter. Electric charge comes in two types, called positive and negative. Two positively charged substances, or objects, experience a mutual repulsive force, as do two...
and the mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
of the electron,
is the speed of lightSpeed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
, and
is the permittivityPermittivity
In electromagnetism, absolute permittivity is the measure of the resistance that is encountered when forming an electric field in a medium. In other words, permittivity is a measure of how an electric field affects, and is affected by, a dielectric medium. The permittivity of a medium describes how...
of free space.
In cgs units
Gaussian units
Gaussian units comprise a metric system of physical units. This system is the most common of the several electromagnetic unit systems based on cgs units. It is also called the Gaussian unit system, Gaussian-cgs units, or often just cgs units...
, this becomes more simply
with (to three significant digits)
.Using classical electrostatics
Electrostatics
Electrostatics is the branch of physics that deals with the phenomena and properties of stationary or slow-moving electric charges....
, the energy required to assemble a sphere of constant charge density
Charge density
The linear, surface, or volume charge density is the amount of electric charge in a line, surface, or volume, respectively. It is measured in coulombs per meter , square meter , or cubic meter , respectively, and represented by the lowercase Greek letter Rho . Since there are positive as well as...
, of radius
and charge is.If the charge is on the surface the energy is
.Ignoring the factors 3/5 or 1/2, if this is equated to the relativistic energy of the electron (
) and solved for , the above result is obtained.In simple terms, the classical electron radius is roughly the size the electron would need to have for its mass to be completely due to its electrostatic potential energy - not taking quantum mechanics into account. We now know that quantum mechanics, indeed quantum field theory, is needed to understand the behavior of electrons at such short distance scales, thus the classical electron radius is no longer regarded as the actual size of an electron. Still, the classical electron radius is used in modern classical-limit theories involving the electron, such as non-relativistic Thomson scattering
Thomson scattering
Thomson scattering is the elastic scattering of electromagnetic radiation by a free charged particle, as described by classical electromagnetism. It is just the low-energy limit of Compton scattering: the particle kinetic energy and photon frequency are the same before and after the scattering...
and the relativistic Klein-Nishina formula
Klein-Nishina formula
The Klein–Nishina formulagives the differential cross section of photons scattered from a single free electron in lowest order ofquantum electrodynamics...
. Also, the classical electron radius is roughly the length scale at which renormalization
Renormalization
In quantum field theory, the statistical mechanics of fields, and the theory of self-similar geometric structures, renormalization is any of a collection of techniques used to treat infinities arising in calculated quantities....
becomes important in quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics and special relativity is achieved...
.
The classical electron radius is one of a trio of related units of length, the other two being the Bohr radius
Bohr radius
The Bohr radius is a physical constant, approximately equal to the most probable distance between the proton and electron in a hydrogen atom in its ground state. It is named after Niels Bohr, due to its role in the Bohr model of an atom...
and the Compton wavelengthCompton wavelength
The Compton wavelength is a quantum mechanical property of a particle. It was introduced by Arthur Compton in his explanation of the scattering of photons by electrons...
of the electron
. The classical electron radius is built from the electron mass , the speed of lightSpeed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
and the electron charge . The Bohr radius is built from , and Planck's constant . The Compton wavelengthCompton wavelength
The Compton wavelength is a quantum mechanical property of a particle. It was introduced by Arthur Compton in his explanation of the scattering of photons by electrons...
is built from
, and . Any one of these three lengths can be written in terms of any other using the fine structure constant :Extrapolating from the initial equation, any mass
can be imagined to have an 'electromagnetic radius' similar to the electron's classical radius.where
is Coulomb's constant, is the fine structure constant and is Planck's constant.