For example he tells one reason he may have felt this way is because it defines the charge around a solitary electron as being caused by the spontaneous creation and evaporation of virtual electron-positron pairs which then instantaneously disappear.  In other words when a virtual electron-positron pair is created near the (real) electron, the (imaginary) virtual positron will be attracted toward the real electron, while the virtual electron is repelled. Therefore there should be a resulting separation of charge

I think most rational people would consider someone irrational if they tried to convince l us the reason why they were late for work was because a swam of virtual or imaginary cars were blocking the road and disappeared after we showed up.

Shouldn’t we hold our scientists to the same degree of rationality?

Most who have studied the history of science are aware that Einstein was vehemently opposed to many of the fundamental components of quantum mechanics such as the existence of virtual particle’s to explain an isolated charge. 

This was true even though he was able, in his General Theory of Relativity to derive the force of gravity in terms of the geometry of space and time while being unable to do the same for electromagnetism and charge, as was documented by the American Institute of Physics.

“From before 1920 until his death in 1955, Einstein struggled to find laws of physics far more general than any known before. In his Theory of Relativity, the force of gravity had become an expression of the geometry of space and time. The other forces in nature, above all the force of electromagnetism, had not been described in such terms. But it seemed likely to Einstein that electromagnetism and gravity could both be explained as aspects of some broader mathematical structure. The quest for such an explanation — for a “unified field” theory that would unite electromagnetism and gravity, space and time, all together — occupied more of Einstein’s years than any other activity”.

One reason why it was difficult of him to visualize electromagnetic fields including those around a single charge may have been because he chose to define the universe in terms of four dimensional space-time instead of four *spatial* dimensions because, as will be shown below it easier to visualize the properties of electrometric waves and charge in terms of their spatial rather time or space-time properties.

However he did provide a method of understanding them in terms of their common properties when he chose to define gravity in a space-time environment in terms of the equation E=mc^2 and constant velocity of light because that give him the ability to redefined it terms of the spatial properties of four *spatial* dimensions.  Additionally because the velocity of light is constant he also defined a one to one quantitative and qualitative correspondence between his space-time universe and one made up of four *spatial* dimensions.

The fact that one can use Einsteinâ€s equations to qualitatively and quantitatively redefine the curvature in space-time he associated with gravity in terms of four *spatial* dimensions is one bases for assuming as was done in the article “Defining energy?” Nov 27, 2007 that all forces can be derived in terms of a spatial displacement in a “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension.

One of the advantages to using this technique is that it allows one to define the physicality of gravitational and electrical forces including those around a single electron in the same terms.

For example In the article “Gravity in four spatial dimensions” Dec. 15, 2007 it was shown one can derive gravitational forces in terms of curvature or physical displacement in a “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension as well as one in a four dimensional space-time environment.

However the article “What is electromagnetism?“ Sept, 27 2007 showed one can also derive the forces associated with electromagnetism in terms of a similar displacement in the “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension.

Briefly that article showed it is possible to derive the forces associated with an electromagnetic wave by extrapolating the laws of Classical Wave Mechanics in a three-dimensional environment to a matter wave moving on a “surface” of three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension.

A wave on the two-dimensional surface of water causes a point on that surface to be become displaced or rise above or below the equilibrium point that existed before the wave was present.  A force will be developed by the differential displacement of the surfaces, which will result in the elevated and depressed portions of the water moving towards or become “attracted” to each other and the surface of the water.

Similarly a matter wave on the “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension would cause a point on that “surface” to become displaced or rise above and below the equilibrium point that existed before the wave was present.

Therefore, classical wave mechanics, if extrapolated  to four *spatial* dimensions tells us a force will be developed by the differential displacements caused by a matter wave moving on a “surface” of three-dimensional space with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension that will result in its elevated and depressed portions moving towards or become “attracted” to each other.

This defines the causality of the attractive forces of unlike charges associated with the electromagnetic wave component of a photon in terms of a force developed by a differential displacement of a point on a “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension.

However, it also provides a classical mechanism for understanding why similar charges repel each other because observations of water show that there is a direct relationship between the magnitudes of a displacement in its surface to the magnitude of the force resisting that displacement.

Similarly the magnitude of a displacement in a “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension caused by two similar charges will be greater than that caused by a single one.  Therefore, similar charges will repel each other because the magnitude of the force resisting the displacement will be greater for two charges than it would be for a single charge.

One can define the causality of electrical component of electromagnetic radiation in terms of the energy associated with its “peaks” and “troughs” that is directed perpendicular to its velocity vector while its magnetic component would be associated with the horizontal force developed by that perpendicular displacement.

However, Classical Mechanics tells us a horizontal force will be developed by that perpendicular or vertical displacement which will always be 90 degrees out of phase with it.  This force is called magnetism.

This is analogous to how the vertical force pushing up of on mountain also generates a horizontal force, which pulls matter horizontally towards the apex of that displacement.

However, as was mentioned earlier gravity can also be explain in terms of a differential force caused by a displacement in a “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension.

This shows how one can define a common mechanism for the causality of both electromagnetism and gravity in terms of a “unified field” consisting of four *spatial* dimension by extrapolating the laws of classical mechanics in a three-dimensional environment to four *spatial* dimensions. 

In other words one can visualize the fact that unlike charge attract each other while like ones repel in terms of the asymmetrical properties of space-time or four spatial dimensions.

Einstein was unable to accomplish this in terms of four-dimensional space-time because time is only observe to move in one direction forwards and therefore making it difficult to visualize the bi-directional movement of the spatial component of a matter wave moving on its “surface” that is responsible for electromagnetism . 

However it also give a more rational explanation of the charge around a solitary electron than the spontaneous creation and evaporation of virtual electron-positron pairs because it shows that it can be understood in terms of a physical displacement in a “surface” of a three-dimension space manifold with respect to fourth spatial dimension.

In other words it shows that electric forces are related to a physical displacement in a surface of a three dimensional space manifold with respect to a either a higher spatial or time dimension thereby eliminating the need to evoke the existence of virtual electron-positron pairs to understand the behavior of a charge around a solitary electron.

It should be remember Einsteinâ€s genius allows us to choose to define charge in either a space-time environment or one consisting of four *spatial* dimension when he defined that environment in terms mass energy and the constant velocity of light. This interchangeability broadens the environment encompassed by his theories thereby giving us a new perspective on the physicality of charge.

Latter Jeff

Copyright Jeffrey Oâ€Callaghan 2016

The post Finally a logical explanation of the field around a solitary charge. appeared first on Unifying Quantum and Relativistic Theories.

The effects of vacuum energy can be experimentally observed in various phenomena such as the accelerated expansion of the universe and the Casmir effect.

Unfortunately as was just mentioned there is a very large discrepancy between the values observed for the Casmir made by Quantum Field Theory and those of vacuum energy that it assumes is responsible for the universe’s expansion. 

For example the Casimir effect is a small attractive or repulsive force which acts between two close parallel-uncharged conducting plates, which many physicists believe is due to quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field.

According to modern quantum theory, a vacuum is full of fluctuating electromagnetic waves of all possible wavelengths, which imbue it with a vast amount of energy.  Casimir realized that between two plates, only those electromagnetic waves whose wavelengths fit a whole number of times into the gap should be counted when calculating the vacuum energy.   As the gap between the plates is narrowed, fewer waves can contribute to the vacuum energy and so the energy density between the plates falls below the energy density of the surrounding space.  This generates either an attractive or a repulsive force depending on the specific arrangement of the two plates.  This is because Quantum theory requires that each of these vibration be quantized and therefore the field, at each point in space would be a simple harmonic oscillator that has the energy of the particle associated with the force that Casimir observed to be pushing the plates together.

However as was just mentioned there is very large discrepancy between the observed vacuum energy density quantum mechanics associates with the Casmir effect that it associates with our expanding universe.

Nevertheless one may be able to understand why if instead of deriving vacuum or zero point energy purely from a mathematical perspective as Quantum Field Theory does one derives it from the observations associated with the Casimir effect.

For example in the article ”Why is mass and energy quantized?“ Oct.4, 2007 it was shown that one can derive the quantum mechanical properties of energy/mass and electromagnetic waves by extrapolating the laws of classical resonance in a three-dimensional environment to matter wave in four *spatial* dimension. 

(Louis de Broglie was the first to predict the existence of wave properties of a  when he theorized that all particles have a wave component.  His theories were confirmed by the discovery of electron diffraction by crystals in 1927 by Davisson and Germer.) 

(Einstein gave us the ability to do this when he used the constant velocity of light to define the geometric properties of space-time because it allows one to convert a unit of time in his four dimensional space-time universe to a unit of space in a one consisting of only four *spatial* dimensions.   Additionally because the velocity of light is constant it is possible to mathematically derive a one to one correspondence between his space-time universe and one made up of four *spatial* dimensions.)

Briefly, that article showed the four conditions required for resonance to occur in a classical environment, an object, or substance with a natural frequency, a forcing function at the same frequency as the natural frequency, the lack of a damping frequency and the ability for the substance to oscillate spatial would occur in one composed of four.

The existence of four *spatial* dimensions would give the field properties of energy/mass (the substance) the ability to oscillate spatially on a “surface” between a third and fourth *spatial* dimensions thereby fulfilling one of the requirements for classical resonance to occur.

These oscillations would be caused by an event such as the decay of a subatomic particle or the shifting of an electron in an atomic orbital.  This would force the “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension to oscillate with the frequency associated with the energy of that event.

However, the oscillations caused by such an event would serve as forcing function allowing a resonant system or “structure” to be established in a field consisting energy/mass.

Additionally it also tells us why in terms of the physical properties four dimensional space-time or four *spatial* dimensions an electron cannot fall into the nucleus is because, as was shown in that article all energy is contained in four dimensional resonant systems. In other words the energy released by an electron “falling” into it would have to manifest itself in terms of a resonate system. Since the fundamental or lowest frequency available for a stable resonate system in either four dimensional space-time or four spatial dimension corresponds to the energy of an electron it becomes one of the fundamental energy units of the universe.

However it can also be shown they are responsible for the Casimir effect because observations of resonant systems in a classical environment indicate the number of simple harmonic oscillators that can be established in a given environment is dependent on the distance or “gap” between the “end points” of their environments.

But this same concept can be applied to two uncharged metallic plates in a vacuum, because even without an external electromagnetic field the electromagnetic components of the atoms in each plate are vibrating or have thermal energy because they are not at absolute zero.  These random vibrations of their electromagnetic components will result in a random electromagnetic field to be generated between the plates.

However, classical wave mechanics tells us these random electromagnetic vibrations would be reinforced only at certain points in space.  The number of simple harmonic oscillators in the space between two plates formed by this reinforcement would decreases as the gap between them decreases.  In other words, the smaller the gap between the plates the fewer number of quantum fields or particles that gap could support.

This means as was shown in the article ”Why is energy/mass quantized?“ there will be a greater number simple harmonic oscillators impacting the plates from outside of the gap than between it.  This will cause a force that will push the plates together because the energy density associated with the harmonic oscillations outside of the gap would be greater than inside of it.

However, it also tells us there will be also be places where the distance between the plates will be equal to the wavelength associated with a fundamental or harmonic of the fundamental frequency of these oscillations.  At those distances their energy will reinforce force each other and push them apart.

Therefore, if one assumes as us done here that the quantum mechanical properties of energy/mass are a result of a resonant system in four *spatial* dimension one can understand why the specific arrangement of the two plates causes an attractive or repulsive force to be developed by extrapolating the properties of a three-dimensional environment to a fourth *spatial* dimension.

However it also shows the reason zero-point energy predicted by quantum mechanics is so much higher than what is observed in the Casmir effect is because, according to it each zero point mode of oscillation is subject to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.  That produces a tiny amount of energy in each point, but the number of modes is enormous.  Since energy density is mathematically determined by multiplying the density of modes times the energy per mode the product of the tiny point source of energy times the huge spatial density of modes yields a very high theoretical zero-point energy density per cubic centimeter.

Yet as was shown above the Casmir effect may not be the result of the summation of a large number of individual zero point harmonic oscillators acting individually but only those that are defined by a fundamental resonant property of space and distance between the plates.  In other words every point in space may not experience random fluctuations as is required by quantum field theory but instead it may have a fundamental oscillating frequency that requires a volume that is larger that of a single point. 

In other words the magnitude of vacuum energy would be defined by the fundamental harmonic of space and not by the random fluctuations associated with the zero point energy of a quantum vacuum.

However one can use the known the value for both the Casmir effect and as mentioned earlier the accelerated expansion of the universe to mathematically determine the energy associated with that fundamental harmonic and determine if it agrees with the observed value of each.

This would give one the ability to experimentally verify or falsify the hypotheses outlined above because as was mentioned earlier vacuum energy is assumed not only responsible for the Casimir effect but also for the accelerated expansion of the universe.

Later Jeff

Copyright Jeffrey O’Callaghan 2016

The post The vacuum catastrophe: A classical interpretation appeared first on Unifying Quantum and Relativistic Theories.