The Charge of the Electron

The charge of the electron is a fundamental property of nature, meaning it doesn't "come from" anything in the way that, for example, mass might arise from interactions with the Higgs field. Instead, the electron's charge is an intrinsic characteristic, much like its mass or spin.

From a physics perspective, the charge of the electron is a fundamental parameter in the Standard Model of particle physics. It is associated with the way electrons interact with the electromagnetic field, governed by quantum electrodynamics (QED). The value of the electron charge (e) is one of the fundamental constants of nature and is not derived from deeper principles—at least not within our current understanding.

Some theories beyond the Standard Model, such as grand unified theories (GUTs) or string theory, attempt to explain why particles have the charges they do. In these models, the charge of the electron might emerge from deeper symmetries or higher-dimensional structures, but as of now, no experimental evidence has confirmed such explanations.

What Happens to the Charge of an Electron in a Superposition State?

In quantum mechanics, when an electron is in a superposition state, its charge remains well-defined and does not become "spread out" or uncertain like other properties (such as position or spin). The charge of the electron is a fundamental, conserved quantity, meaning that even if the electron exists in a superposition of different states (e.g., different positions or energy levels), its charge remains exactly -e in all those states.

This is because charge is a conserved quantum number, meaning that quantum superposition does not affect its value. If an electron were in a superposition of two locations, for example, measurements would reveal it at one location or the other, but in both cases, it would still have the same charge of -e. There is no known mechanism in quantum mechanics that allows charge to be "fractionalized" or "blurred" due to superposition.