1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 288 The mysterious number 137! The fine structure constant! The origin of the universe!
As the quantum number of orbital number, orbital shape quantum number, and orbital direction quantum number were successively proposed.

The Bohr model was also upgraded to the Bohr-Lee model.

The latest atomic model can explain all spectral phenomena discovered so far.

It explained the problems of two Nobel Prize winners in succession, which was the final word and completely established the status of the theory.

So it already qualifies as a true theory for studying atoms.

It can be said that physics has achieved remarkable results in the study of the internal structure of atoms.

In terms of composition, it has gone through atoms, electrons, and atomic nuclei.

Physicists have now begun to conduct in-depth research on the composition of atomic nuclei.

In terms of structure, it has gone through the date cake model, planetary model, Bohr model, and Bohr-Lee model.

Going deeper step by step, we finally succeeded in explaining all the movement forms of electrons.

At this moment, all the physicists present felt that a new era was about to arrive.

Atomic research is bound to produce even more world-shocking results.

From now on, atomic physics will truly become a new discipline.

Many people present thought that the Bohr-Lee model was perfect enough and there was no possibility of anything going wrong.

But now, Bruce, the foremost developer of the Bohr-Lee model, says there is another oddity.

Everyone's curiosity was aroused.

"When I was deriving the orbital shape quantum numbers just now, I saw it very clearly and there was no problem. Why did Professor Bruce say there was something strange?"

"I remember there seemed to be a constant."

"Don't think about it. Just listen to Professor Bruce. Now I don't dare to believe anything other than him."

Li Qiwei did not keep everyone waiting for long and spoke directly:
“I think the question Professor Michelson raised earlier can be summed up in one word: fine structure.”

"The splitting phenomenon of the Balmer spectrum is a very subtle phenomenon, and its splitting structure is also subtle."

“So I think it’s more appropriate to express it in terms of fine structure.”

The big guys in the front row nodded slightly.

With Bruce's current status, it was more than enough for him to name a physical phenomenon.

Everyone also agrees with it.

Of course if he named it Bruce Structure, many people would definitely object.

After all, it wasn't him who discovered it.

"Look, everyone. When I used the formula to deduce the energy difference between fine spectral lines, I discovered an interesting phenomenon."

"The energy difference between a circular orbit and an elliptical orbit of the same orbit is a fixed constant."

"e/2εhc"

"Where e is the charge of the electron, ε (epsilon) is the dielectric constant of a vacuum, h is the Lee-Planck constant, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum."

"This is a dimensionless constant, and its calculated value is approximately equal to 1/137 (1/137.035999)."

"Moreover, it is also the ratio of the linear velocity of the electron in the first orbit to the speed of light."

“I think this constant is very interesting.”

"At least it should imply some deep physical essence."

Wow!
There was an uproar in the venue.

Bruce actually attaches so much importance to a small constant, there must be a huge secret hidden in it.

But the people present couldn't figure out what physical meaning it represented no matter how hard they tried.

Michelson, Lorentz, Planck, Thomson and other big names were also confused.

Isn't this just a ratio that happens to appear in the derivation process?

Why does Bruce care about it.

So Michelson asked, "Bruce, I don't quite understand. This number is just a combination of some physical constants."

“It doesn’t seem to have any special meaning.”

Li Qiwei shook his head and smiled: "If the number 137 only appears in the split spectrum, then it really has no meaning."

"but."

"Everyone, please take a look."

"When there are two electrons repelling each other, the energy between them is comparable to the energy of a quantum of light with a wavelength equal to the distance between the electrons."

"Its value is also 1/137."

As Li Qiwei spoke, he demonstrated the calculation process on the blackboard.

Wow!
This time, everyone was shocked.

The number 137 seems to have magical power.

"Of course, this is just a sudden thought. If I want to verify this number, I need to find more examples."

"I believe that as we learn more about physics, this fine structure constant will reveal its mystery."

Li Qiwei is certainly not shooting in the dark.

In real history, the fine structure constant is a difficult problem that has always puzzled all physicists.

After Sommerfeld derived it, he didn't care about it at the time.

But soon, the number 137 began to appear frequently in every corner of physics.

Quantum electrodynamics is the study of electromagnetic force. This theory finds that any electromagnetic phenomenon is related to the fine structure constant.

It represents the strength of electromagnetic interaction.

Similar constants have also been discovered in the study of strong force quantum chromodynamics, which determines the strength of strong interactions.

Even later, the electroweak theory of the weak and electromagnetic forces discovered similar constants that determine some of the properties of the weak force.

Ultimately, physicists speculate that the fine structure constant must have some unknown connection to gravity, representing the strength of gravity.

Of course, there has been no definitive evidence.

But no matter what, the fine structure constant, like a ghost, permeates the essence of physics.

The most incredible thing is that with the development of astrophysics.

Physicists have discovered that the fine structure constant is actually slowly increasing.

Of course, the changes are very small.

That's only one part in 30 trillion growing each year.

But even so, it is enough to make people feel incredible.

Because the number 1/137 is calculated by combining several physical constants.

If the number gets bigger, it means that the value of one of the constants is not a constant.

Later, physicists ruled them out one by one.

The charge of an electron is fixed;
The dielectric constant of a vacuum is fixed;

The Lee-Planck constant is fixed;
Finally, the only thing that could change is the speed of light.

However, the speed of light is changing!
This is simply unbelievable to all physicists.

Of course, this is all speculation at this point.

In short, the number 1/137 represents the cosmic nature of electromagnetic force.

If it changes, it will affect all matter in the entire universe.

It is even possible that the universe will cease to exist.

So, in a sense, it is one of the fundamental parameters of the universe.

God wanted to create a universe and first gave a number 137.

Or: "Hello, Universe 137."

The fine structure constant is most likely not a physical constant, but a mathematical constant.

Just like π, it is the origin of the universe.

These parameters determine the space-time rules of our universe and give birth to everything in the universe.

Perhaps at the moment of the Big Bang, the fine structure constant could have any value.

But the most peculiar thing is that only when it is at its current value can it give birth to human beings.

It’s chilling to think about it.

Everything seems like a coincidence.

Perhaps this constant really is the underlying code of some advanced civilization.

Historically, many physics giants have been concerned about the fine structure constant.

“It is the most fundamental unsolved problem in physics,” Dirac said.

Pauli said: "When I die, the first question I will ask God is what the fine structure constant means."

“The fine structure constant is one of the great mysteries of physics,” Feynman said. “All good physicists should have this number on their wall and worry about it.”

Even if Li Qiwei had the foresight of future generations, he could not convince the bigwigs present that there was something magical about this number. However, he could plant a seed.

Let the current geniuses start studying it in advance.

Perhaps in this life, people can explain this ultimate mystery.

Then Li Qiwei will truly change history and move in an unpredictable direction.

After listening to Li Qiwei's explanation, Michelson looked thoughtful.

This is a whole new field.

Perhaps it can be brought back to the United States and become one of the characteristics of American physics research.

Michelson had made up his mind today to pack up all the contents of the meeting and take them away.

As for Einstein, Bohr and others, they were very interested in the fine structure constant.

They didn't expect that there would be such strange numbers in the field of physics.

And this was proposed by Professor Bruce.

Even if it is 1+1, it is worth studying carefully.

Such is the power of Ridgway.

As for those ordinary students, they were just confused at this moment.

Apart from shouting 666, they didn't know what to say.

The problem of the fine structure constant has exceeded their imagination.

At this moment, facing everyone, Li Qiwei smiled and said: "Of course, this is just a small episode in today's meeting."

"In any case, this fine structure constant will not affect the correctness of the Bohr model."

"Okay, let's get back to the point."

"Next, does anyone have any questions?"

Wow!
This one sentence instantly made the meeting place, which had been relatively quiet just now, become noisy.

Everyone was talking about it.

When faced with the complete Bohr model, everyone doesn't know how to ask questions.

"I don't think it's possible that anyone can ask questions anymore."

"Yes, quantum theory has reached its peak. It is a mature and self-consistent theory."

However, just when everyone looked around and finally found nothing, and thought that no one asked any questions.

Suddenly, a man stood up.

When everyone saw his face clearly, there was another round of gasps.

boom!
It turned out to be Rutherford.

Another Nobel Prize winner has taken action.

Moreover, this big guy is a classmate of Professor Bruce.

This is simply a love-hate relationship.

The people present were shocked.

"Wow, it's Professor Rutherford."

"It is said that he has a very good relationship with Professor Bruce."

"Just now I saw Boss Lu smiling, which means there must be something wrong. Sure enough, Boss Lu was thinking about something."

"Today's meeting was really full of ups and downs and wonderful."

After Michelson and Lorentz, the third questioner, Rutherford, successfully attracted everyone's attention.

He carries everyone's hope of "defeat" Bruce.

If Bruce defeats three Nobel Prize winners in a row, today's meeting will become legendary.

Everyone looked at Rutherford nervously, expecting his questions.

However, he just stood up but did not walk onto the podium.

This surprised everyone in the audience.

"It's over. Professor Rutherford didn't even come on stage. It shows that he was not well prepared."

“Maybe it’s because the question is too simple and doesn’t need a demonstration.”

"Ah, the first two difficult questions were not difficult for Professor Bruce, so shouldn't the simple questions be difficult for him?"

"You know what? The simplest questions are often the most difficult. I believe Professor Rutherford will not let us down."

At this point in the meeting, everyone's focus was no longer on the theory itself, but on who would win.

The physics community unites to defeat Bruce!

At this time, Rutherford looked at Li Qiwei and said with a smile: "Bruce, I have two questions in total, and they are both very simple."

"I hope you can explain that."

boom!
The venue was in a state of excitement.

No one expected that Rutherford was the hidden trump card.

There are two questions right away.

How embarrassing it is for others.

The boss is indeed a boss.

The little Karamis racked their brains but couldn't think of a question, but the other person actually opened his mouth and asked two.

Everyone was shocked by Rutherford's dominance.

"Based on Professor Rutherford's aura, I feel that Professor Bruce has met his match."

"Now there's something good to watch."

Thomson, who was in the first row, was relieved to see Rutherford stand up.

He felt that the ultimate showdown of today's meeting would be between Bruce and Rutherford.

Both of them are members of the young generation that has emerged in the last decade.

They are leaders in their respective fields.

At the same time, they are all super geniuses and are very good at leading students.

There is no need to mention Bruce, and his seven doctoral students are all extremely talented.

Rutherford is not bad either. Galton, Moseley and others all have very high potential.

Moreover, Thomson knew that Rutherford was currently studying atomic nuclei. If a breakthrough was made, it would certainly be a huge event.

It will definitely make a sensation in the physics community.

The key point is that these two people are his favorite disciples, and now they have grown into a large group of disciples.

Thomson felt that his ability to bring out Bruce and Rutherford was a hundred times more important than his discovery of the electron.

They are the people destined to advance and change physics.

And now, they finally had their first fight!
Li Qiwei looked at Rutherford with a smile, and the other was also looking at him with a smile.

Such an opportunity is very rare for the two of them.

He and Rutherford are no longer the young men they were ten years ago.

Both have become giants in physics.

Although they have a close relationship and can discuss anything in private.

However, this kind of public occasion, this kind of challenging questioning with a "battle of will", is what makes people most excited.

Discuss the most advanced academic issues under the gaze of thousands of people.

Even people like Li Qiwei and Rutherford felt their hearts shaken and their bodies trembled.

It was a feeling of joy that was indescribable.

Ridgway could probably guess Rutherford's two questions.

He could not solve one of the problems, but the impact was not significant and would not hinder the application of the Bohr model and the rise of quantum theory.

But the other problem is terrifying.

Li Qiwei even suspected that once he answered, it would probably cause a huge earthquake in the physics community.

That is far beyond the incredible and shocking concept of the relativity of space and time in the special theory of relativity.

I don't think anyone present would accept it.

Because it subverts even the basic logical laws that people respect.

But what about that?
come on!

Li Qiwei no longer concealed his breath, and a powerful aura that dominated the world burst out.

Everyone was suddenly overwhelmed and couldn't breathe.

"Professor Rutherford, please!"

(End of this chapter)