Two types of proton-electron atoms in a vacuum and an extremely strong magnetic field

Abstract

The Rutherford planetary model of a proton-electron atom is modified. Besides the Coulomb interaction of the point electron with the proton, its strong Coulomb interaction with the physical vacuum as well as the magnetic interaction between moving charges are taken into account. The vacuum interaction leads to the motion of the electron with the velocity of light \textit{c} in the circle with the radius being equal to the so-called classical electron radius $r_e$. Therefore, the velocity of the electron consists of two components: the velocity $\vec{\upsilon}$ of the mechanical motion and the velocity $\vec{c}$ of the photon-like motion. We postulate that $\vec{\upsilon}\bot \vec{c}$, and $\upsilon < c $. Hence, the electron inside the atom moves with the resulting faster-than-light velocity. The existence of two types of proton-electron atoms, the hydrogen atom and the neutron, is interpreted by the different motion and interaction of particles at large ($ r >> r_e $) and short ($ r < r_e $) distances. In the first atom, the effect of photon-like motion is small, and the electron moves around the proton with the velocity $\upsilon << c$ in an orbit of the radius $ r>>r_{e}$. In the second atom, the photon-like motion is the determining factor, and the electron moves around the proton with the faster-than-light velocity in an orbit of the radius $r < r_{e}$. The calculated ground-state properties of the free hydrogen atom and the free neutron are in good agreement with the experimental data. The properties of these atoms in extremely strong magnetic fields ($B >> 10^8 T$) that are typical for neutron stars are discussed.