Re: electron, proton size

[John Denker <jsd@MONMOUTH.COM>]

At 12:31 PM 8/14/99 -0500, JACK L. URETSKY (C)1998; HEP DIVISION,
   ARGONNE NAT wrote:
>        The second regime, however, is where a truly short range force
> changes the elastic scattering of two electrons.  This is the so-called
> "weak force" and corresponds to the exchange of Z-particles, which behave
> much like massive photons.  This happens at a distance of around 10^(-16)
> cm.  In quasi-poetic language, one can say that this is the distance at
> whci the weak force becomes strong and the elctron behaves as though it had
> a hard core.

Jack's right, of course.  I should have thought of that.  Check out e.g.
  http://hepwww.rl.ac.uk/pub/bigbang/file12.html

This brings the story for electrons basically into line with the story for
protons.  There's just a factor of 1300 or so in the mass of the bosons
that mediate the force (W,Z versus pi).