An Electron in the Mirror

It was a morning in the microcosm of subatomic particles and a small electron woke up in a corner of the universe. Looking in the mirror, he saw just an empty reflection. His mind was full of questions “Who am I?”, and “What am I made of?”. “How do others see me in this vast world of particles?”. The electron felt lonely, a tiny particle among many others, apparently without any distinctive features.

As he was meditating on his existence, an unexpected friend appeared: the photon. Being, as usual, bright and lively, he immediately noticed the gloomy mood of the electron. “Ele, why are you so sad?”, the photon asked, enlightening the surrounding environment with his bright light. “Don’t worry, I’m on it!”

The photon gathered all of his energy and, with a spark of bright light, transferred part of his vitality to the electron. The electron was immediately filled with an overwhelming energy, similar to a rocket just launched into orbit. He quickly lifted up, surpassing other particles around him. As he was going up, the electron felt light-hearted, free, and full of life but, at a certain point, the force of attraction toward the nucleus prevailed and the electron started to fall back. However, this fall was not ordinary. It was as if he was sliding down a celestial descent, leaving behind a bright, green, and iridescent glow. While the electron was floating in space, he started to perceive a strange duality. He felt now diffused, as a wave of energy extending in all directions and then absorbed and contained, as a bright spot in a vast subatomic sky. Subsequently, like a green-colored comet, the electron landed gently in front of the mirror. He looked at himself, but now he saw a completely different reflection. It was a sparkling entity, a blaze of colors that radiated in every direction.

“Wow!”, the electron exclaimed, still stunned by the transformation. “Thanks, my dear friend, I could never imagine I would be able to be so bright and vibrant.”. The photon smiled, glad to have brought joy to his friend. “ Remember, Ele, we are all connected in this subatomic universe”. Each particle has its uniqueness, its property to share with the others: “My dear friend”, the electron asked the photon, “Who am I, actually? Am I a spreading wave or a focused point?”. The photon replied: “Ele, like me, you are both. We particles are a wave and a point at the same time, and this duality is part of our quantum nature. Our existence is a dance between a wave-corpuscle dualism and it is exactly this duality that makes us special”. The electron reflected upon these words as he continued his subatomic dance. Now, he could spread like a wave, interacting with the other particles in a more subtle way, but at the same time, he was able to focus on a point, intensely affecting the environment.

The understanding of this duality added a new dimension to his existence and the electron felt even more connected to the essence of the subatomic world. He danced between these dualities, embracing his quantum nature with grace and curiosity. The photon smiled, observing the electron moving through his new awareness: “You see, Ele, your essence is like a quantum symphony, a melody of waves and particles that intertwine harmoniously. Accept your duality and continue to shine in your uniqueness. Thus, the electron continued his dance in the microcosm, bringing with him the awareness of his quantum duality. Wave and particle, light and matter, the small electron became a harmonious expression of the complexity underlying the subatomic world.

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Commentary: Buttons

March 5, 2024

The essay that won 2nd place in the SCI’s 1000xChemistry essay competition, tells the story of a mysterious button that triggers chaos, causing the protagonist to reflect on his academic and life choices