On Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 5:10 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > In reply to Eric Walker's message of Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:56:07 -0700: > Hi, > [snip] >>On Sun, Mar 17, 2013 at 2:50 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >>> BTW there is no potential barrier here. The proton and the electron carry >>> opposite charges, so they are attracted to one another, rather than >>> repelled. >>> >> >>I take it that when physicists refer to a "potential barrier," they mean >>specifically an electrostatic potential barrier, and not simply an energy >>threshold that must be overcome? >> >>Eric > > A barrier usually implies an impediment that gets in the way of a reaction > that > would otherwise release energy. However the formation of a neutron from a > proton > and an electron does not release energy, it consumes it. > > Regards, > > Robin van Spaandonk > > http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html >
Some sort of "barrier" is necessary to stymie the mutual attraction of electrons and protons otherwise matter would quickly consist of nothing but neutrons. Isn't this barrier supplied by the weak force? Harry
