11/24/2017 Coupling Constants for the Fundamental Forces

Coupling Constants for the Fundamental

Forces
In attributing a relative strength to the four fundamental forces, it has proved useful to Index
quote the strength in terms of a coupling constant. The coupling constant for each force is
a dimensionless constant. The links below take you to some information about Fundamental
determining the value of the coupling constants. force
concepts
Coupling Constants
Reference
Strong s 1 Rohlf
Ch. 1
Electromagnetic 1/137

Weak w 10-6

Gravity g 10-39

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Index
Strong Force Coupling Constant
Fundamental
In obtaining a coupling constant for the strong interaction, say in comparison to the force
electromagnetic force, it must be recognized that they are very different in nature. The concepts
electromagnetic force is infinite in range and obeys the inverse square law, while the strong
force involves the exchange of massive particles and it therefore has a very short range. It is Reference
clear that the strong force is much stronger simply from the fact that the nuclear size (strong Rohlf
force dominant) is about 10-15 m while the atom (electromagnetic force dominant) is about Ch. 1
10-10 m in size. From consideration of the "particle in a box" problem and from just the
uncertainty principle, we know it takes greater energy to confine a particle to a smaller
volume.

The body of data describing the strong force between nucleons is consistent with a strong
force coupling constant of about 1:

s 1
But the standard model sees the strong force as arising from the forces between the
constituent quarks, which is called the color force. One of the discoveries about this force is
that it dimishes inside the nucleons, so that the quarks are able to move freely within the
hadrons. The implication for the strong force coupling constant is that it drops off at very
small distances. This phenomenon is called "asymptotic freedom" because the quarks

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11/24/2017 Coupling Constants for the Fundamental Forces

approach a state where they can move without resistance in the tiny volume of the hadron.
Analysis of the coupling constant with quantum chromodynamics gives an expression for the
diminishing coupling constant:

Coupling constants for fundamental forces

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Electromagnetic Force Coupling Constant

The strength of the electromagnetic force can be related to the force between two electrons
given by Coulomb's law.

The force and the has the units of energy times

is constant distance.

Another quantity with those dimensions which occurs naturally in the interaction of radiation
with matter is Index

Fundamental
force
concepts

Reference
A dimensionless constant which characterizes the electromagnetic force is Rohlf
Ch. 1

This coupling constant is also called the "fine structure constant" since it shows up in the
description of the fine structure of atomic spectra. It appears naturally in the equations for
many electromagnetic phenomena.

Coupling constants for fundamental forces

Fine structure constant in Rutherford formula
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Weak Force Coupling Constant

The weak interaction has such an incredibly short range that it's strength must be evaluated
in a different way than the electromagnetic force. The fact that the both the strong force and
the weak force initiate decays of particles gives a way to compare their strength. The lifetime
of a particle is proportional to the inverse square of the coupling constant of the force which
causes the decay. From the example of the decays of the delta and sigma baryons, the weak Index
coupling constant can be related to the strong force coupling constant. This application gives
Fundamental
force
concepts

Reference
Rohlf
Since the strong coupling constant has a value of about 1 in the energy range around 1 GeV, Ch. 1
this suggests a value for the weak coupling constant in the range

Coupling constants for fundamental forces

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Index
Gravity Force Coupling Constant
Fundamental
The strength of the gravitational force can be related to the force between two selected force
masses. concepts

Reference
The force and the has the units of energy Rohlf
is constant times distance. Ch. 1

Since the masses and charges of basic particles like the electron and proton are independent
of each other, the strength of the gravity force relative to the electromagnetic force depends
upon which particles you choose for comparison. If two protons are chosen for the
comparison, then

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11/24/2017 Coupling Constants for the Fundamental Forces

Using the electromagnetic coupling constant of 1/137 then leads to a gravitational coupling
constant

If the force between an electron and a proton is used, the comparison between gravitational
and electric force is

.
Coupling constants for fundamental forces

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