Ergism

Ergism is an artificial force that is carried by ergon particles. This force interacts with quarks and leptons and can alter their interaction with the electromagnetic force. In particular, ergism can be used to create leptons with an electromagnetic charge greater than 1 or -1. Likewise, it can be used to create quarks with charges lower than -1/3 or higher than +2/3.

In nature, leptons with such high charges very rapidly decay into single charge leptons (such as electrons or positrons, and exotic quarks also decay back to their original up-type (+2/3) or down-type (-1/3) variants. However, under the influence of equilism, such exotic particles can be stabilised.

Hence, this force, combined with equilism, allows for the existence of high-charged fundamental particles, the most famous of which being bilectrons, which interact with normal matter in unique ways. It can also be used to create as a fast track way to create antimatter from regular matter.

Function
There are variants of ergon particles that carry different charges. Integer ergons (which carry a charge of +/-1) are used for altering the charges of leptons, increasing their positive or negative charges. Tertial ergons (which carry a charge of +/-1/3) are used for altering the charges of quarks. Bitertial ergons (which carry a charge of +/-2/3) are also used for altering quarks.

Although they work best when acting on specific particles, every different type of ergon can interact with both quarks and leptons. These reactions, however, are harder to achieve and more complex.

The final type of ergons are neutral ergons. These are very light particles (in a similar mass range to neutrinos) and are reacted with other particles to generate charged ergons. These charged ergons express charge in the opposite way to how normal particles express it. This causes them to be drawn to particles of like charge, instead of opposite charge (as is usually the case). This generally allows for a spontaneous reaction with the target particle once the ergon is created.

Leptons
Ergons must be generated from a particle that already has an electromagnetic charge, in order to conserve the balance between positive and negative charges in the Universe. In the case of integer ergons (used on leptons) these particles are usually themselves leptons.

In the reaction to create bilectrons, a neutral ergon is collided with one of the two electrons in a helium atom. This electron instantly becomes an integer ergon. It carries a charge value of -1, but acts like a particle with a charge of +1. Therefore, it spontaneously collides with the second electron in the helium atom, forming a bilectron and releasing a neutrino. This bilectron quickly decays back into a pair of electrons, but if the reaction takes place within an equilon field, the particle is stabilised.

An ergon with a charge of +1 will react with a positron to create a dipositron. It may also act with an electron to produce a neutrino and a high energy photon.

Quarks
Just as in the case of leptons, quarks must be irradiated with neutral ergons to create charged ergons. In the case of quarks, tertial ergons are created. These tertial ergons carry a charge of either +1/3 or -1/3.

A -1/3 ergon will react with a down-type quark (charge -1/3) to produce an up-type antiquark (charge -2/3).

A -1/3 ergon will react with an up-type quark (charge +2/3) to produce a down-type antiquark (charge +1/3).

A +1/3 ergon will react with a down-type quark (charge -1/3) to produce a neutrino (charge zero).

A +1/3 ergon will react with an up-type quark (charge +2/3) to produce an electron (charge +1).

There are many more possible reactions than this. Generally, however, the use of tertial ergons is a way to create anti-quarks, the basis of antimatter, which can be used as a propellant or weapon.

Bitertial ergons are commonly used to create exotic charged quarks.

''A +2/3 ergon will react with an up-type quark (charge +2/3) to produce a quark with a charge of 1.333. This will spontaneously decay into a pair of up-type quarks unless equilism can prevent it.''