Particle Black Hole
I am a Student, who finds beauty in simple things. I like to teach sometimes.
If a particle is a 0D point with no volume, why is it not a black hole? It has mass, and its mass is concentrated in a very small volume. Also, supposing one particle isn't enough to form a black hole, how many particles would be required? Two?
Some argue that this misunderstanding comes from the nature of particles themselves. A particle is an excited state of a quantum field. Others counter that a particle is just a point; while the exact position of the point is uncertain due to the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics, it remains a fundamental point-like entity.
The position of a particle is a point, meaning the particle itself is a point rather than an extended object like a disc or sphere. Quantum fields are merely mathematical operators—tools for calculating observables of a particle. To claim a particle is a field is as incorrect as claiming it is an operator. Just as classical mechanics describes a particle’s position using a vector without asserting that the particle is the vector itself, quantum mechanics employs these mathematical descriptions without equating them with the physical entity.
Some reject the idea that a particle is a point, dismissing it as junk science. This raises the question: if a singularity is not just a point, how many points exist within it? Others argue that the concept of a singularity—a theoretical point of infinite mass or energy—is simply a sign of our incomplete understanding of physics rather than an accurate depiction of reality.
Black holes and the Big Bang rely on singularity-based calculations, leading to further debate. Some maintain that quantum objects operate by different rules than macroscopic objects, requiring a unique conceptual approach. Yet, if the smallest quanta is a point, then how does that reconcile with the notion that particles have volume?
Those claiming that particles with mass do have volume face the challenge of providing empirical evidence. If a particle had volume, it would exhibit additional properties such as density and vibrational modes, none of which have been detected. Attempts to measure the electron’s radius consistently return results compatible with a point-like structure. The notion of an electron radius belongs to outdated models; assuming a zero radius aligns perfectly with experimental results.
In the end, a particle isn’t a black hole, and a singularity isn’t just a point. Reality is more complicated than the math that describes it.