Natural Science Forum / Physics / Particle Physics / August 2004

Is it possible that electron transitions from a high energy state to a
low energy state are caused by the electrons interacting with some
other partilces in the space around atoms.Let's look at the case of a
hydrogen atom:
According to Niels Bohr, for an electron, r = n^2 h^2 / (8 pi x
epsilonx me^2)
and Energy =  - E / n^2

So in Bohr's model an electron with a greater energy (an electron that
has undergone a transition) has a greater value of orbital radius.

The de broglie wavelength of the electron is given by lambda = h/mv
and is about 10^-11 metres.This a length we can associate with the
electron.
So if we square the de Broglie wavelength we get an area we can
associate with the electron and this is 10^-22 square metres.

Now, space is filled with dark energy, at a density of 10^-27 kg per
cubic metre.If the area of our electron was facing 1m^2 of dark energy
this would
be 10^-22 x 10^-27 = 10^-49 kg of the mass of the total mass of dark
energy in a cubic metre.Nobody knows what dark energy really is but
let's suppose
that like anything else in the universe that has energy it consists of
particles of some sort.These particles must move close to the speed of
light because dark energy is considered by experts to be more
energy-like than mass-like.
At the speed of light,10^8 m/s, 10^49 kg of dark energy particles
could strike
an area equal to the de Broglie wavelength squared in 10^-8 seconds.
Thus is the maximum force the dark energy particles can exert on the
area (assuming the dark energy particles are all repelled by the
coulomb charge) is F = m x change of velocity/ time = 10^-49 x
10^8/10^-8
= 10^-33 Newtons.The acceleration this would produce on an electron of
mass 10^-31 kg is acceleration = Force/mass = 10^-2 m/s^2.
A transition from n = 2 to n= 1 in the Bohr model of hydrogen amounts
to a distance of about 10^-10 m.An acceleration of 10^-2 m/s^2 acting
on an electron would thus move it back to the ground state in a
minimum time of
10^-8 seconds.This is what is observed.Can anyone come up with a
quantum mechanical calculation that could give some more convincing
evidence for dark energy causing an electronic transition from an
excited to a ground state.