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From: tmb@talcott.UUCP (Thomas M. Breuel)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Collison with ONE particle?
Message-ID: <493@talcott.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Aug-85 04:20:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: talcott.493
Posted: Mon Aug 19 04:20:19 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 14:13:37 EDT
References: <494@sri-arpa> <496@sri-arpa.ARPA> <1702@hao.UUCP>
Organization: Harvard University
Lines: 28

In article <1702@hao.UUCP>, hull@hao.UUCP (Howard Hull) writes:
> > From:  Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) 
> > (5) Only one electron in the whole universe.
> > 	The idea is that a positron can be considered an electron
> > 	going backward in time.  If one thinks solely in terms of
> > 	particle collisions in space-time, it becomes possible to
> > 	propose that there is only one electron/positron trajectory
> > 	zigzagging back and forth in time to produce all the
> > 	electrons and positrons that we observe.
>
> I was curious about how you describe a collision between two identical
> particles using only one particle in a space-time continuum (in which every
> space-time point is assumed to be unique).  I also thought there might be
> one or two others on the net wondering the same thing, which is why I put
> up this question instead of using mail.  Thanks in advance...

Doug Gwyn's explanation is oversimplified and inaccurate. You shouldn't
think of one material particle zigzagging around in space giving
the appearance of many particle. 

In the 'one electron' view, the electron *is* the quantum mechanical
function describing interactions of other particles with what we
would classically consider electrons. 'Collisions' of electrons are
just special distinguished features in the time development of
this function (we cannot observe collisions directly anyhow, only
their effects on the probability of later interactions).

						Thomas.