EAS Neutron Beta Decay

The following discussion is offered in contradistinction with the standard model. Quarks and gluons are not considered.

In the EAS model of electrodynamics a neutron is comprised of a proton with a "grazing orbit" nuclear electron. The electron is kept in orbit by the impulses of inbound momentum-bearing positive and negative chargelets coming in from the EAS-particle environment. (This idea is related to that of Dudley's neutrino sea.) The nuclear electron travels in short straight line segments between collision or emission events. Each "centripetal" collision changes the direction of the electron's path by a small amount so that overall the electron "skids" around the proton. The nuclear electron's hypothetical average orbital speed is approximately 0.91c. The kinetic energy associated with this speed corresponds to the maximum value (0.78 MEV) of the neutron Beta decay 's kinetic energy spectrum. (The 0.91c figure was arrived at by illegally using relativistic considerations to explain the equivalent of 1.51 electron masses increase in mass of a neutron compared to the combined masses of a proton and an electron. The author actually proposes a shielding function to account for what's called nuclear mass excess. See EAS Mass Excess.)

The impinging collisions are considered to be stochastic. The binding ability of the impinging flux will be proportional to the number of centripetal impacts during any given portion of the electron's orbit. We might expect, on average, 500 or more centripetal events per orbit, with the orbit period being on the order of 10 exp -22 sec. If a sufficient temporal lull in this impingement rate occurs, the electron will shoot off tangentially, away from the proton, at its current linear velocity. (In this model a proton and electron are not created in a beta decay event, they simply part company. Anti-neutrinos, as beta decay products, are not considered in the model.)

Here is an animated cross-section of an amplitude varying Coulomb barrier postulated to result from the stochastic bombardment of a nucleus by EAS particles. The animation includes a bombardment lull as described in the previous paragraph. [Added 1-3 September 2005.]

Height Varying Coulomb Barrier

For multiple nucleon systems the nuclear electrons interact in what is called an attractive sense with "shared" protons in a manner which significantly reduces the probability of electron escape, and the probability that the protons will then part company. (This is pretty close to the visual picture of protons playing "tug-or war with negatively charged virtual muons. The idea needs more development.) Suffice it to say for now, that (using a Deuteron for discussion's sake) whichever proton is entertaining the electron during a given period of time, that proton-electron association would be the neutron. If the electron were to be executing a figure-eight path around the "pylon-like" protons, the proton-to-neutron switching period would be on the order of 2 x 10exp-22 secs. This is not to infer that the path is a figure-eight. It might be a bed-spring/slinky type spiral. Magnetic studies of Deuterons should be able to shed light on the electron's actual path. (The magnetic moment of a bedspring/slinky path would be orders larger than that of a figure eight path.)

The so-called weak interaction for neutrons, might be interpreted as evidence of the bombardment lulls occurring at such a rate that, on average, half of the existing nuclear electrons, within a population of free neutrons near the surface of the Earth, escape every 10.5 minutes. [Modified 03 September 2005.] . . .

The bombardment lulls might well play a catalytic role in so-called cold fusion and/or other low energy nuclear transmutations. [Added 03 September 2005.]