The Relationship Between Electricity and Magnetism in Strong Interactions within Natural Quantum Theory (NQT)
I. Problem Statement
In the NQT picture of strong interactions, we have previously argued that the short-range strong attraction between nucleons primarily arises from the spatial overlap and coupling of magnetic multipole fields. However, nucleons are also carriers of charge-fields: protons carry a unit positive charge, and while neutrons have zero net charge, they possess non-trivial internal charge distributions. Consequently, electric multipole moments constitute independent degrees of freedom in nuclear field dynamics that cannot be ignored.
This supplement posits: Magnetic multipole degrees of freedom dominate the nuclear binding mechanism, while electric multipole degrees of freedom dominate the nuclear radiation mechanism (gamma transitions). Together, they form the complete framework of the NQT nuclear force picture.
II. Two Types of Multipole Degrees of Freedom in the Nuclear Field
2.1 Magnetic Multipoles: Binding Degrees of Freedom
Nucleons act as finite-sized magnetic entities (proton gp≈5.6 , neutron gn≈−3.8 ). At the nuclear scale (~fm), their magnetic fields undergo intense spatial overlap. High-order magnetic couplings—such as dipole-dipole and dipole-quadrupole interactions—provide the short-range attraction of the nuclear force. The ground-state structure of the nucleus is determined primarily by the energy minimization of the magnetic field configuration.
2.2 Electric Multipoles: Radiative Degrees of Freedom
The spatial configuration of charge distribution within the nucleus can be expanded into multipoles: electric monopole (total charge), electric dipole (E1), electric quadrupole (E2), electric octupole (E3), etc. Each order of electric multipole moment describes a specific mode of spatial reorganization of the charge-field configuration. The excitation and relaxation of these electric multipole degrees of freedom correspond to the emission and absorption processes of nuclear gamma radiation.
III. The NQT Field-Theoretic Picture of Gamma Radiation
3.1 Standard Model Treatment: Replacing Mechanism with "Coupling"
In standard nuclear physics, gamma transitions are classified into electric multipole radiation (E1, E2, E3...) and magnetic multipole radiation (M1, M2, M3...), with selection rules dictated by conservation of angular momentum and parity. However, this classification is often treated merely as a mathematical tool for multipole expansion, lacking an ontological explanation of the radiation mechanism.
A deeper issue lies in the fact that the "mechanism" provided by the Standard Model for all interactions is essentially the same word: "coupling." Electromagnetic interaction is "electromagnetic coupling," strong interaction is "color charge coupling," weak interaction is "weak coupling," and gamma radiation is "the coupling of nuclear multipole moments to the electromagnetic field." Yet, "coupling" itself is not a physical mechanism; it is merely a renaming of the fact that "two entities interact." To say A couples to B is equivalent to saying A interacts with B—a tautology that offers no information on how the interaction occurs or through what physical process it is realized.
The Standard Model's operational method is to write down coupling terms in the Lagrangian, calculate matrix elements of Feynman diagrams, and obtain transition probabilities. While mathematically consistent and precise, this process never answers a fundamental question in terms of physical imagery: How do fields reorganize in space? Through what geometric process is energy transferred from one configuration to another? The vertices in Feynman diagrams represent "where coupling occurs," but these vertices are scale-less mathematical points carrying no information about the spatial and temporal structure of the process.
In other words, the Standard Model provides a precise "accounting ledger"—telling you the transition probability, selection rules, and matching of conserved quantities—but it fails to provide the "engineering blueprint." It does not tell you how this event physically unfolds step-by-step in space. All dynamical content is compressed into an abstract coupling constant and a set of operator algebras. Strictly speaking, the Standard Model provides not a mechanism, but the absence of a mechanism.
3.2 NQT Reinterpretation: From "Coupling" Back to Spatial Field Processes
It is precisely in this context that the field realism framework of NQT demonstrates its irreplaceable value. NQT is not satisfied with the semantic shell of "coupling" but demands a concrete spatial field process for every interaction:
E-type Transitions (Electric Multipole Radiation): The nuclear charge-field configuration undergoes spatial rearrangement, and changes in electric field energy are released as electromagnetic radiation. E1 corresponds to electric dipole oscillation, E2 to the oscillation of electric quadrupole deformation, and so on. Each order corresponds to a real geometric reorganization of the charge distribution—not an abstract "electromagnetic coupling," but a continuous evolution of the charge field from one distribution mode to another in three-dimensional space.
M-type Transitions (Magnetic Multipole Radiation): The nuclear magnetic moment-field configuration undergoes rearrangement, and changes in magnetic field energy are released as electromagnetic radiation. M1 corresponds to the flipping of magnetic dipole orientation or changes in precession modes; M2 corresponds to the reorganization of magnetic quadrupole configurations. Here too, it is not the empty name of "magnetic coupling," but a concrete process of change in the topological structure of the magnetic field.
Key Distinction: E-type and M-type transitions correspond to independent motion modes of the electric and magnetic components of the nuclear field, respectively. The Standard Model unifies them under "different multipole orders of electromagnetic coupling," thereby erasing the physical distinction between electricity and magnetism as two independent field degrees of freedom. NQT restores this distinction: the rearrangement of charge-fields and the rearrangement of magnetic moment-fields are two different physical processes. They produce gamma photons with different polarization characteristics because they originate from two distinct modes of spatial motion of the field.
This contrast reveals the fundamental advantage of NQT over the Standard Model: NQT demands that behind every "coupling" there lies a field process that can be depicted in space, whereas the Standard Model systematically evades this requirement, using the term "coupling" to fill the void where physical mechanisms should reside. In the specific case of nuclear gamma radiation, NQT reduces the empty phrase "coupling of nuclear multipole moments to the radiation field" to concrete processes of reorganization and radiation of charge-fields and magnetic moment-fields within the nuclear-scale space.
IV. Division of Labor: Magnetic Binding and Electric Radiation
Under the NQT picture, nuclear field dynamics exhibits a clear "division of labor" structure:
表格
| Magnetic Multipoles | Nucleon Binding (Nuclear Force) | Binding Energy, Nuclear Radius, Magnetic Moment |
| Electric Multipoles | Relaxation of Nuclear Excited States (Radiation) | Gamma Spectrum, Transition Probability, Multipole Mixing Ratio |
| Magnetic-Electric Coupling | Mixed Transitions (e.g., M1+E2) | Internal Conversion Coefficient, Angular Correlation |
4.1 Static Level
The deformation of the nuclear ground state (e.g., ellipsoidal deformation) directly reflects the magnitude of the electric quadrupole moment ( Q ), i.e., the degree to which the charge-field configuration deviates from spherical symmetry. The magnetic moment ( μ ) of the ground state reflects the net orientation of the magnetic field configuration. Together, they determine the static field structure of the nucleus.
4.2 Dynamic Level
The relaxation of the nucleus from an excited state to the ground state is primarily accomplished through electric multipole radiation channels (especially E2 transitions in collective excitations). Magnetic multipole radiation channels (such as M1) correspond to smaller adjustments in the magnetic configuration. Enhanced E2 transitions (such as gamma cascades in rotational bands) directly correspond to large-scale collective deformation oscillations of the nuclear charge distribution, which is fully consistent with NQT's core assertion that "particles possess finite spatial extension."
V. Reinterpretation of Experimental Evidence
5.1 Nuclear Electric Quadrupole Moments and Collective Motion
A large number of atomic nuclei (particularly in the rare-earth and actinide regions) possess significant electric quadrupole moments, indicating large-scale deformations in the internal charge distribution. The probability of E2 gamma transitions in rotational bands far exceeds single-particle estimates (with enhancement factors reaching hundreds of times). This indicates a collective spatial reorganization of multi-nucleon charge-fields—precisely the collective behavior of finite-sized field entities predicted by NQT.
5.2 Internal Conversion Coefficients
In the internal conversion process, the nuclear electromagnetic field directly transfers energy to inner-shell electrons rather than radiating a gamma photon. The internal conversion coefficient is extremely sensitive to the multipole type; it is essentially a measure of the direct coupling strength between the nuclear field (electric or magnetic component) and the atomic electron field. This provides a precise quantitative test for NQT's field-to-field coupling picture.
5.3 Isomers
The existence of long-lived nuclear excited states (isomers) corresponds to gamma transitions from the excited state to the ground state being highly suppressed due to angular momentum selection rules. In the NQT picture, this means the geometric difference between the field configuration of the excited state and that of the ground state is too large to be effectively reorganized via low-order multipole radiation. The transition must proceed through higher-order, low-probability channels—the topological constraints of field configurations directly determine the transition lifetime.
VI. Conclusion
In the NQT picture of strong interactions, nuclear field dynamics possesses a complete electric-magnetic dual structure:
Magnetic multipole coupling provides the short-range binding force between nucleons, determining nuclear binding and stability.
Electric multipole degrees of freedom provide the radiative relaxation channels for nuclear excited states, determining the characteristics of gamma transitions.
Electric-magnetic coupling gives rise to rich nuclear electromagnetic phenomena such as mixed transitions and internal conversion.
The multipole classification of gamma radiation (E1, M1, E2, M2...) in NQT is no longer merely a mathematical tool but a direct reflection of the distinct motion modes of the two physical degrees of freedom within the nucleus: the electric field and the magnetic field.
While the Standard Model systematically evades the inquiry into physical mechanisms with the term "coupling," NQT demands that behind every interaction lies a field process depictable in space, thereby reducing "coupling" to concrete field reorganization dynamics.
This supplement expands the NQT nuclear force picture from "magnetic binding" to a complete framework of "magnetic binding + electric radiation." It clarifies the fundamental opposition between the Standard Model's dilemma of "no mechanism" and NQT's "field process realism," enabling it to simultaneously explain both the static structure of the nucleus (binding energy, deformation) and its dynamic processes (gamma spectra, transition lifetimes), forming a logically closed field-theoretic picture of nuclear physics.