Causal Physics

Photons by Non-Interactions of Waves

Chandrasekhar Roychoudhuri

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781138705838
• eBook ISBN:
  9781351832298
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Philosophy & Ethics in Science

Causal Physics: Photons by Non Interactions of Waves redefines the mathematical Superposition Principle as an operational Superposition Effect; which is the measurable physical transformation experienced by a detector due to stimulations induced by multiple waves simultaneously acting on the detecting dipoles. This light-matter interaction process driven model emerges naturally by incorporating the observed properties, Non-Interaction of Waves (NIW) and quantized photo detectors needing to fill up their "quantum-cups" with the required quantity of energy from all the stimulating waves around it. By not incorporating this NIW-property explicitly, quantum mechanics failed to extract various embedded realities in the theory while incorporated unnecessary hypotheses like wave-particle duality. The book utilizes this NIW-property to explain all the major optical phenomena (diffraction, spectrometry, coherence.) without using any self-contradictory hypotheses that are prevalent now.

The book redefines the old ether (constituting the space) as a stationary Complex Tension Field (CTF), holding all the energy of the universe (no need for Dark Energy of Dark Matter). CTF sustains perpetually propagating EM waves as its linear excitations and the particles as self-looped localized resonant non-linear excitations. Tensions are identified by Maxwell, then the velocities of emitting and detecting atoms through the CTF contribute to the Doppler shifts separately. This calls for re-visiting physical processes behind Hubble Redshift and hence Expanding Universe.

The success of the book derives from a novel thinking strategy of visualizing the invisible interaction processes, named as Interaction Process Mapping Epistemology (IPM-E). This is over and above the prevailing strategy of Measurable Data Modeling Epistemology (MDM-E). The approach inspires the next generation of physicists to recognizing that the "foundation of the edifice of physics" has not yet been finalized. IPM-E will stimulate more of us to become technology innovators by learning to emulate the ontologically real physical processes in nature and become more evolution congruent.

Critical thinkers without expertise in optical science and engineering, will appreciate the value of the content by reading the book backward, starting from Ch.12; which explains the critical thinking methodology besides giving a very brief summary of the contents in the previous chapters.

• Establishes that abandoning the wave-particle-duality actually allows us to extract more realities out of quantum mechanics.
• Illustrates how the discovery of the NIW-property profoundly impacts several branches of fundamental physics, including Doppler effect and hence the cosmological red shift
• Summarizes that many ad hoc hypotheses from physics can be removed, a la Occam's razor, while improving the reality and comprehension of some of the current working theories
• Demonstrates that our persistent attempts to restore causality in physical theories will be guided by our capability to visualize the invisible light matter interaction processes that are behind the emergence of all measurable data
• Draws close attention to the invisible but ontological interaction processes behind various optical phenomena so we can emulate them more efficiently and knowledgably in spite of limitations of our theories

Designed as a reference book for general physics and philosophy, this optical science and engineering book is an ideal resource for optical engineers, physicists, and those working with modern optical equipment and high precision instrumentation.

1	Contradictions in Optical Phenomena

1.1 INTRODUCTION: CRITICAL ROLE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES IN ADVANCING FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE AND VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES

It is now well appreciated that the field of optical science and technology has been, and continues to be, one of the most important enabling forces in the entire history of human advancement in science and technology [1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4]. Accordingly, a deeper understanding of the nature of light, beyond that of the current level, has now become a critical necessity. We would be able to restore the progress in physics by changing our scientific culture from benign neglect to strong emphasis on visualizing the invisible light–matter interaction processes. A deeper understanding of the interaction processes will also help us emulate them in various novel forms to invent new technologies necessary for our sustained evolution. We need to embark anew on comprehensive foundational studies about generation, propagation, and detection of EM waves across the entire spectrum [1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11] while paying close attention to light–matter interaction processes at every stage. The existing knowledge base provides us with a solid platform to advance our knowledge horizon further by respectfully “standing on the shoulders of giants” (a la Newton) who have already contributed an enormous amount of knowledge over the millennia. This will assure the emergence of the 21st century as the century of photonics [1, 2, 3, 4]. The General Assembly of the United Nations has declared 2015 as the “Year of Light”. The unusual significance of EM waves derives from the fact that no other type of probing energy to explore natural objects has as much flexibility and capability as a scientific and engineering tool [1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12]. EM waves can deliver information at an unsurpassably high data rate (fiber optic, Internet system, etc.), extract information out of materials in a wide variety of ways (spectrometric and other optical sensor technologies), deliver energy in unusually precise and controlled ways (laser material processing, laser surgery, etc.), and facilitate the visualization of information through various displays (from TV and computer screens to cell phones). Today, we will be blind without these displays. It is the photonics-empowered fiber-optic communication system that has led human society to break into the Knowledge Age, which will facilitate the ushering in of a new stage in human evolution, consciously constructing a purposeful and collective evolution [1.13].

The deeper significance of EM waves of all frequencies, which relates to fundamental physics, derives from the unusual diversity of their physical properties: (1) They can perpetually propagate with enormously high velocity across the entire universe without the aid of any new force. (1) They can generate the electron–positron pair with well-defined mass and charges when their frequency is around 10²⁰Hz while interacting with heavy particles, even though they are chargeless and massless. The implication is obvious. At a deeper level, the EM waves and particles are inseparably interrelated. We need to understand the common cosmic substrate (vacuum) out of which both waves and particles emerge with distinctly different physical behavior and properties.

Hence, progress in physics will be emboldened by revisiting the foundational hypotheses behind our working theories to unite waves and matter, instead of stopping our enquiry by simply accepting wave–particle duality as the final answer. This is substantiated by many recent critical publications by Nobel Laureate authors such as Anderson [1.14] and Laughlin [1.15], and renowned physicists such as Smolin [1.16], Penrose [1.17], and others [1.18] who raise questions about the direction of physics research and suggest avenues of development. The content of this book is derived from articles published by the author over several decades [1.19–1.30, a,b,c,d] in pursuit of replacing the mistaken concept of interference of waves by the physical process: superposition effect (SE) as experienced by detectors. Noninteraction of waves or the NIW property is common to all waves in the linear domain and in the absence of interacting materials. Recent publications [1.31] and conferences [1.32,33] have now started acknowledging that the foundational hypotheses behind various established theories of physics need to be revisited and revitalized to enhance the rate of progress and a new understanding in physics. Fortunately, scientists with engineering minds continue to successfully advance our technologies. In optics, the fields of nanophotonics [1.9] and plasmonic photonics [1.10] are advancing rapidly, all using Maxwell’s wave equation rather than propagating indivisible photons. Hence, the author proposes an improvement in the scientific paradigm (Chapter 12) but validated by discussions on several common optical phenomena presented in this book from Chapters 2, 10, and then showing their possible implication in fundamental physics in Chapter 11.

1.2 CONTRADICTIONS AND PARADOXES

Let us now list a few contradictory and/or paradoxical assumptions behind our current understanding of optical phenomena.

1.2.1 DIFFRACTIVELY SPREADING WAVE PACKET VERSUS INDIVISIBLE PHOTON

Entire classical optical physics and optical signal processing, along with design and analyses of all practical optical instruments (telescopes, microscopes, spectroscopes, and all the recent accelerating developments in nanophotonics and plasmonic photonics), are essentially based upon the principle behind the Huygens–Fresnel (HF) diffraction integral [1.34, 1.35]. This integral, which is a linear mathematical superposition of spherical harmonic wavelets, obeys both Helmholtz’s and Maxwell’s wave equations. Note that the physical picture behind the HF integral is that every point in the path of a propagating beam acts like a secondary point source. It is worth pondering how a source-free region can facilitate the generation of innumerable secondary wavelets (see Chapter 11). But the mathematics works amazingly well. The integral summation of all these forward-moving spherical wave fronts (Equation 1.1), multiplied by an amplitude-reducing cosine factor, has been working remarkably well. U(P_o) represents the total complex amplitude at a field point due to all the propagating secondary wavelets coming out of the source plane U(P) [1.35]:

$U\left(P_0\right)=\frac{-i}{\text{λ}}{\displaystyle \int {\displaystyle {\int }_{\text{Σ}}U\left(P\right)\frac{\exp \left(ikr\right)}{r}\cos \text{θ}ds}}$

(1.1)

For plasmonic photonics, mutual influences between the stimulated material dipoles are taken care of by directly using Maxwell’s wave equation to accommodate material properties.

Newton, a contemporary of Huygens, introduced serious doubt regarding wave nature of light by introducing the concept for light as corpuscular, which prevailed for about a century until Young demonstrated the double-slit interference effect in 1803. Then, classical physics of electromagnetism advanced rapidly to its maturity through the entire 1800s, especially with the help of the Maxwell wave equation presented in 1864. History was reversed again in 1905 when Einstein introduced the concept of indivisible quanta to explain the observed quantumness in the photoelectric data instead of attributing it to quantization of the binding energies of the photoelectrons. His concept was emboldened by de Broglie’s introduction of the concept of wave–particle duality for electrons in 1924. This concept of duality was soon elevated from lack of sufficient knowledge to new knowledge after Dirac succeeded in quantizing the EM field in 1927. However, sustained progress in optical science and technologies has been ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 Contradictions in Optical Phenomena
• Chapter 2 Recognizing NIW Property
• Chapter 3 Emergence of Superposition Effects
• Chapter 4 Diffraction Phenomenon
• Chapter 5 Spectrometry
• Chapter 6 “Coherence” Phenomenon
• Chapter 7 Mode-Lock Phenomenon
• Chapter 8 Dispersion Phenomenon
• Chapter 9 Polarization Phenomenon
• Chapter 10 A Causal Photon without Duality
• Chapter 11 NIW Property Requires Complex Tension Field (CTF)
• Chapter 12 Evolving Scientific Inquiry
• Index