0
$\begingroup$

Some sites claim that atoms would be larger in size if the EM force was weaker, because the electrons would 'orbit', on average, farther from the nucleus....

Other physicists claim that atoms would, overall, become smaller because the protons in the nucleus would not repel each other as much....

Still others claim these effects would, essentially, cancel out and therefore atomic radii would remain the same, or very nearly so...

https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-tool-for-finding-dark-matter-digs-up-nothing-20220321/

(Check out the section close to the middle, where a physicist claims that the materials(s) gravitational wave detectors are made of may, in fact, fluctuate in size rather than stay the same due to dark-matter-related changes to the strength of the EM force...)

Also, I read this Reddit by an (alleged) physicist:

r/AskPhysics u/mia_says What would happen if the electromagnetic force was slightly stronger/weaker? How about the force of gravity?

$\endgroup$
3
  • $\begingroup$ Absent references I'm inclined to dismiss the purported disagreement out of hand. I strongly suspect that the author of the linked article has failed to understand that there is a difference between atoms, molecules, and intermolecular bonds, and mistranslated "the spacing between atoms will decrease" as "atoms will shrink". $\endgroup$
    – g s
    Commented Mar 24, 2022 at 3:18
  • $\begingroup$ Reading your comment, I just thought... If the Electromagnetic force was weaker, the distance between electrons of neighboring atoms in molecules would decrease... In addition to the nuclei shrinking... This may outweigh the growing distance between protons and electrons.... At least, this is the logic used by the GEO600 scientist in the Quanta Magazine article... $\endgroup$
    – Kurt Hikes
    Commented Mar 24, 2022 at 5:23
  • $\begingroup$ Any hypothetical changes in the EM force would also involve a change in the weak force through the SU(2) X U(1) group with consequent effects. $\endgroup$
    – user226006
    Commented Mar 24, 2022 at 5:45

0