The Electron

This BBC podcast episode of "In Our Time" features Melvyn Bragg leading a discussion with Victoria Martin, Harry Cliff, and Frank Close about the electron. The discussion begins with the historical context of the electron's discovery by JJ Thomson and moves to its significance in modern technology. The panel explores the experiments that revealed the electron's properties, including its charge and mass, and the development of the plum pudding model of the atom. They discuss Paul Dirac's theoretical work, which predicted antimatter, and delve into the electron's role in collider physics and quantum electrodynamics. The conversation touches on the shape and size of the electron, the Coulomb force, and the mysteries surrounding the balance of charge in atoms, as well as the relationship between electrons, muons, and other particles. The episode concludes with a discussion of ongoing research and future directions in electron physics, including the construction of new colliders to probe the fundamental nature of these particles.