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Volume 16: Pages 200-212, 2003

A Purely Electromagnetic and Spatially Extended Elementary Particle

Henrik Tauber

Natural Science Research Unit, National Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark

A radically new type of spatially extended elementary particle is sketched. The model, which primarily represents an electron, is purely electromagnetic and has an extended, string‐like charge structure, without internal self‐repulsion. The proposed structure automatically results in a quantization of spin and electric charge, embodies a 4π rotational symmetry as demanded for fermions, and provides a possible physical mechanism for particle creation and annihilation. With some additional assumptions the structure further allows a direct calculation from first principles of particle properties like electric charge (αħc)^1/2, spin (ħ/2), and magnetic moment (eħ/2mc). The model contains an internal rotational variable, corresponding to the Zitterbewegung of the Dirac equation, and unaccounted for in the general quantum‐mechanical formalism. The predicted charge structure deviates from spherical and axial symmetry, which may give rise to an experimental testing of the model. The model may possibly be extended to include other types of elementary particles and thus lead to a general unification of matter and electromagnetic radiation.

Keywords: extended elementary particle, purely electromagnetic electron, elementary charge, quantization of charge, quantization of spin, 4π symmetry, arbitrary phase factor

Received: June 4, 2002; Published online: December 15, 2008