The Rationale for the Present Book Perhaps the most critical problem facing present-day particle physicistsis to delineate the relationship between classical and quantum systems. This relationship has many facets. Particle-waveduality is one. The concept of the point particle is another. And theconcept of particle mass is yet another. The electron, as the lightest of the charged particles, represents a fundamental "ground state",and many of the essential problems in the murky area between the domainsofclassical and quantum physics can be brought into focus by studyingjust this one particle. Thus the present book is centered on questions that arise in connection with the electron, and in particular with its mass, which has remained an unsolved, and indeed almost unexplored, mystery. Each student ofphysics, beginner and professional alike, has to fashion for himselfa way of thinking about the electron. If, after reading this book, the reader views this topic somewhat differently than before, the efforts of the author will have been amply rewarded. When physicists were confronted with the properties of the electron, they made a conceptualleap into the unknown: they concluded that the electron does not obey classical laws with respect to mechanics (as connected to the spin of the electron), and also with respect to electrodynamics (as connected to the magnetic moment of the electron).

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This monograph offers a new look at the electron, which was the first elementary particle to be discovered, probably one of the simplest, and possibly one of the most misunderstood. A straightforward classical model is developed that accurately reproduces the main spectroscopic features of the electron, and also its principal quantum aspects. The key to this model is the relativistically spinning sphere, which has been clamoring for recognition for the better part of a century. Although its electrical charge is point-like, the electron itself is Compton-sized, and is composed mainly of non-electromagnetic `mechanical' matter. Due to the rigid nature of the mechanical mass, the electron scatters in a point-like manner at most energies. However, there is a narrow kilovolt energy window where Mott scattering experiments may reveal a finite size. Existing experiments are suggestive but inconclusive. The electron stands at the boundary between classical and quantum physics. This book has been written for researchers in nuclear and atomic physics, and for all scientists interested in the latest developments in fundamental particle physics.