Ideas in Physics

I have written up a few ideas of mine on these pages. These are mainly to do with electro-magnetic fields, but in different contexts, from the Expansion of the Universe, to the nature of the neutron. This is done from the point of view of electromagnetic field theory, rather than quantum mechanics. Neither is invalid, since both viewpoints are working models of what happens in the real universe, and they can both predict things along the lines of “what happens if...?”.

Accelerating electrons don’t radiate!

There is a school of thought that says that if you accelerate an electron then it will radiate electromagnetic energy. This in turn implies that if an electron orbits a nucleus in an atom, the centripetal acceleration will cause it to radiate energy and decay into the nucleus. The idea that electrons radiate under acceleration is wrong, implying as it does a violation of the Conservation of Energy. The idea seems to have arisen in the 19th century from a misunderstanding of how X-rays generators worked. It was believed that the X-rays came from the sudden deceleration of the electrons as they hit the target, causing radiation. We now know that X-rays are generated by the interaction of high-speed electrons interacting with atomic fields inside atoms in the target, but the idea that arose from it - that charged particles radiate under acceleration - is a long time dying. Get some more details on this page.

Strong force & electromagnetics

The concept of a point particle with a point charge is very powerful and simplifies a lot of physics, whether you use Quantum Mechanics or Classical fields. But sometimes it can get in the way of a solution that can be provided by looking at Field Theory and the structure of a distributed field. All approaches must of necessity describe the same reality to be at all valid, of course, but the point charge approach is better for some things and the distributed Field Theory approach is better for others. One of the strengths of Field Theory is in describing the nuclear strong force as an electromagnetic phenomenon. Simply add an outer bound to the neutron’s positive electrostatic field, as described on this page.

The 4/3rd problem

If we take an electric field, and move it with respect to our rest frame, a magnetic field is induced. This induced magnetic field contains energy, and so energy is required to create it. This appears as inertia that resists us when we try to accelerate it. Hence at least part of the inertia of an electron is caused by its electric field. A polar electric field - such as an electron has - creates an inertia that is 4/3^rd of what we expect, equating the energy in the field to its equivalent mass. This implies that no more than 3/4 of the electron’s mass can be tied up in its electric field. However, Feynman and others in Quantum Mechanics have opposed the view that the field contributes to the inertia, and this may well be another area where the field model and the quantum model have irreconcilable differences. We know the field model works because electric motors work, the question is, is there anything in field theory that stops the electric field causing the whole of the electron’s inertia? Neutrons certainly have localised electric fields so this could apply to the neutron and proton too. Have a look at this page.

Big Bang versus Einstein

Before anyone ever knew that the universe was expanding, Einstein created the Theory of Relativity, which to his surprise described an expanding universe. The big question is this - if Einstein was able to prove that the universe is expanding, based on the nature of light and the Universe’s present physical laws, why do we need to postulate a “Big Bang” - in which the laws of the universe have to be different to our current ones - to account for the expansion of the universe. There is a simple test to determine whether the Big Bang or the Relativistic Expansion is correct, and the measurements have already been made. Have a look at this page.

The Electron’s magnetic field

Is the electron’s magnetic field intrinsic or extrinsic? It is an important question, because a lot of effects seem to contradict each other. Have a look at this.

The nature of space and mass

Put together the above, and a picture of the relationship between space and mass begins to appear. Have a look here.

Origin of the Earth’s Magnetic Field

This examines the current theory on the origin of the Earth’s Magnetic field, and points out the obvious difficulties with it. Then an alternative mechanism is described and critiqued. Have a look at this page.

Wave-particle duality

I am putting together a list of issues related to wave-particle duality. Have a look here and email me with any more you can think of.