The electron as a harmonic electromagnetic oscillator (original) (raw)
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The electron as a harmonic quantum-mechanical oscillator
The particular flavor of the Zitterbewegung interpretation that we have developed in previous paper assumes the electron mass is the equivalent energy of a harmonic oscillation in a plane. We developed the metaphor of a perpetuum mobile driven by two springs that work in tandem⎯in a 90-degree angle and with the same phase difference. This paper explores the limitations of that metaphor.
Electromagnetic Potentials, Zitterbewegung, and the Electron Wave Function
In this paper, we delve into the potential implications of the Aharonov-Bohm effect on the conventional interpretation of the wave function, suggesting that the effect may reveal deeper connections between quantum mechanics and electromagnetic potentials. We extend this exploration by investigating the relationship between zitterbewegung, the rapid oscillatory motion of electrons, and their observable motion. We propose that the electron's wave function could be interpreted as a manifestation of oscillatory changes in its electromagnetic potentials. These changes are influenced by both the intrinsic zitterbewegung oscillations, which arise from the electron's rest energy, and the electron's momentum-dependent motion through space. Furthermore, we consider how this interpretation can provide a physical basis for phenomena such as quantum interference and phase shifts, offering a new perspective on the role of electromagnetic potentials in quantum mechanics. Through this approach, we aim to bridge the gap between classical electromagnetic theory and quantum mechanical descriptions, potentially leading to novel insights into the nature of quantum systems.
Zitterbewegung in Quantum Mechanics
Foundations of Physics, 2010
The possibility that zitterbewegung opens a window to particle substructure in quantum mechanics is explored by constructing a particle model with structural features inherent in the Dirac equation. This paper develops a self-contained dynamical model of the electron as a lightlike particle with helical zitterbewegung and electromagnetic interactions. The model admits periodic solutions with quantized energy, and the correct magnetic moment is generated by charge circulation. It attributes to the electron an electric dipole moment rotating with ultrahigh frequency, and the possibility of observing this directly as a resonance in electron channeling is analyzed in detail. Correspondence with the Dirac equation is discussed. A modification of the Dirac equation is suggested to incorporate the rotating dipole moment.
The zitterbewegung interpretation of quantum mechanics
Foundations of Physics, 1990
The zitterbewegung is a local circulatory motion of the electron presumed to be the basis of the electron spin and magnetic moment. A reformulation of the Dirac theory shows that the zitterbewegung need not be attributed to interference between positive and negative energy states as originally proposed by Schroedinger. Rather, it provides a physical interpretation for the complex phase factor in the Dirac wave function generally. Moreover, it extends to a coherent physical interpretation of the entire Dirac theory, and it implies a zitterbewegung interpretation for the Schroedinger theory as well.
Eprint Arxiv Quant Ph 0502139, 2005
A simple real-space model for the electron wavefunction is suggested, based on a transverse wave with helicity, rotating at ω = mc 2 /h. The mapping of the real twodimensional vector phasor to the complex plane permits this to satisfy the standard timedependent Schrödinger equation. This model is extended to provide an intuitive physical picture of electron spin. Implications of this model are discussed.
Zitterbewegung in Quantum Mechanics -- a research program
2008
Spacetime Algebra (STA) provides unified, matrix-free spinor methods for rotational dynamics in classical theory as well as quantum mechanics. That makes it an ideal tool for studying particle models of zitterbewegung and using them to study zitterbewegung in the Dirac theory. This paper develops a self-contained dynamical model of the electron as a lightlike particle with helical zitterbewegung and electromagnetic interactions. It attributes to the electron an electric dipole moment oscillating with ultrahigh frequency, and the possibility of observing this directly as a resonance in electron channeling is analyzed in detail. A modification of the Dirac equation is suggested to incorporate the oscillating dipole moment. That enables extension of the Dirac equation to incorporate electroweak interactions in a new way.
This article continues to develop the charged-photon model of the electron. In particular, the relativistic de Broglie wavelength of a moving electron is derived from the model. De Broglie’s own derivation is also summarized and compared with the present derivation. The quantum wave function of a free electron is derived from the plane wave function of a circulating charged photon. The article suggests that quantum mechanics may be reinterpreted based on considering the quantum wave functions of an atom as being descriptions of charged photons in the atom.
The Electron and the Quantum Enigma
2017
We show that the wavefunction is associated with a real electromagnetic wave generated by the electron and prove the de Broglie conjecture. This wave creates a space permittivity wave that guides the electron and gives the wavefunction its predictive probabilistic nature.
Quantum theory and the electromagnetic world-view
Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences, 2004
ABSTRACT: This paper has two goals: to use the electromagnetic world-view as a means of probing what we now know as the quantum theory, and to use the case of the quantum theory to explicate the practices of the electromagnetic program. It focuses on the work of Arnold Sommerfeld (1868––1951) as one of the leading theorists of the so-called ““older”” quantum theory. By 1911, the year he presented a paper on the ““Quantum of action”” at the Solvay Conference, Sommerfeld vocally espoused the necessity of some form of a quantum hypothesis. In his earlier lectures, however, his reservations about Max Planck's position were far more apparent. Section 1 argues that Sommerfeld's hostility towards Planck's derivation of the Black-body law, and his support for the result achieved by James Jeans and rederived using the electron theory by Lorentz, can be traced to his commitment to the programmatic aims of the electromagnetic world-view. Section 2 suggests that this conclusion has ...
A Classical Quantum Theory of Light
The Zitterbewegung model of an electron offers a classical interpretation for interference and diffraction of electrons. The idea is very intuitive because it incorporates John Wheeler's idea of mass without mass: we have an indivisible naked charge that has no properties but its charge and its size (the classical electron radius) and it is easy to understand that the electromagnetic oscillation that keeps this tiny circular current going -like a perpetual current ring in some superconducting material -cannot be separated from it. In contrast, we keep wondering: what keeps a photon together? Hence, the real challenge for any realist interpretation of quantum mechanics is to explain the quantization of light: what are these photons?