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A comment on Inside the proton, the ‘most complicated thing you could possibly imagine’. Parent comment

Re:Inside the proton, the ‘most complicated thing you could ... by wrycoder on Wednesday February 14, 2024 @04:57PM (#39376110)
It’s even more complicated. The charge on the electron is partially screened by virtual positive charges emerging briefly from the vacuum, so what we measure is less than the actual charge.
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Re:Inside the proton, the ‘most complicated thing you could ... by AnimalMuppet on Wednesday February 14, 2024 @05:25PM (#39376433)
But isn't the same thing going on for the proton?

(Of course, absent some good reason, one wouldn't expect the two screenings to exactly balance...)

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Re:Inside the proton, the ‘most complicated thing you could ... by nyssos on Friday February 16, 2024 @05:52AM (#39395395)
> (Of course, absent some good reason, one wouldn't expect the two screenings to exactly balance...)

Charge conservation still applies: vacuum polarization can only modify the apparent charge distribution, not the net value.

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