The behaviour of every atom, and so all of biology and chemistry as we know them, depends on the mass of the electron.
Electrons are one of the fundamental particles (the very smallest building blocks of nature) that make up the atom. They orbit the atom’s central nucleus, which is made up of proton and neutron particles. The mass of the electron is very small, contributing little to the mass of the atom, but it is vital for determining an atom’s size.
If the mass of the electron was made significantly lighter or heavier, it would affect not only the size of the atom, but also the way that chemistry works throughout the universe – potentially making biology impossible.
Physicists have never confirmed how the electron acquires its mass. But a proposed collider at Cern, in Geneva, could finally put that to the test.
The masses of fundamental particles span an enormous range. The current best theory to explain fundamental physics, known as the Standard Model, offers no explanation for this. So testing the origin of particle masses offers a crucial check on this theory. It could also point researchers towards new discoveries in physics.
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