What is a Photon?
Posted: Saturday, September 09, 2006
by Mark Fiorentino
http://www.superrelativity.org
In this article I will describe the physical structure of a photon using the SR Theory physical model as the basis for the explanation. By definition in Quantum Theory the photon is considered the quantum of the electromagnetic field. Basically, electromagnetic fields are made up of large numbers of photons. This of course means that electromagnetic interaction is mediated by the exchange of photons. SR Theory does not disagree with any of those statements.
Also the photon is one of the elementary particles and its interactions with electrons and atomic nuclei account for a great many features of matter. SR Theory goes beyond the current limited knowledge of what a photon is. It physically describes what it is and why it behaves as it does.
According to the current paradigm in physics which concerns the wave-particle duality it is normal for the photon to exhibit either aspect of its nature. The behavior that the photon displays depends completely on the circumstances. If we use an experiment that looks at the wave nature of the photon we see that the photon acts like a wave. If we then use an experiment that examines the particle nature of the photon we get results that prove that it is a particle. Physicists say that a photon "sometimes acts like a wave and sometimes acts as a particle. What SR Theory says is that a photon always acts like both. For instance when photons strike a light-sensitive device such as a solar cell it acts like a particle. At other times a photon acts like a wave, as in the case when light passes through the slit in Thomas Young's Double Slit Experiment.
SR Theory explains all the properties of the photon. The properties of the photon are:
1. wavelength
2. spin
3. energy
4. momentum
The key to understanding the Universe is by asking the right questions. The right questions in the instance of the photon are:
1. What is the photon made of?
2. How is it constructed?
Since using current theories of Quantum Mechanics ordinary Relativity and String Theory offer no explanation for what a photon is made up of. I turned to SR Theory for a possible explanation.
The SR Theory Mechanical Model
SR Theory says that there is only one thing that exists in the Universe and everything is made up of this physical material. Space is the one and only thing, it is the only material object there is. Therefore a Photon must be made up of spatial material. This answers question number one. If in fact the Photon is made of space then it is reasonable to assume all of the other various particles are also made up of space as well. In order for particles to be able to be distinguished from ordinary space they have to be physically different in some way. A particle, therefore is defined as any region of space that has been physically deformed in a mechanical way. A very important axiom of Super Relativity is that particle geometries can be transformed but they cannot be destroyed. Examples of this principle are proven by particle collision experiments and the laws of conservation of energy and mass.
• Conservation of linear momentum and total energy. This forbids the creation of a single gamma ray.
• Conservation of angular momentum.
Figure Electron / Positron Annihilation
1. Neutrally charged fundamental particles always have zero mass.
2. Neutrally charged fundamental particles always travel in straight lines and have zero angular momentum.
3. According to SR's Theory "Origin of Gravity Axiom" because they travel in a straight line with zero angular momentum and are traveling at a constant speed they do not generate any inertial gravitational field. They have no mass.
4. These particles are composed of equal amounts of positive and negative charge.
5. The positive and negative charge represents matter and anti-matter components of the particle therefore these particles are there own anti-particles.
2. Unbalanced Charged Fundamental particles always travel in curve paths and have angular momentum.
3. According to SR Theory Origin of Gravity Axiom because they do not travel in a straight line they possess angular momentum and are therefore accelerating. Since they are accelerating they do generate an inertial gravitational field. They have mass.
Non-fundamental Particles
1. Non-fundamental Particles that are composed oppositely charged fundamental particles and they always possess mass.
2. The Non-fundamental Particles which are composed of oppositely charged fundamental particles are moving in tight orbits at high speeds.
3. Since these composition particles possess angular momentum and are therefore accelerating they generate inertial mass.
The Dimensions of Space
There are 4 different ways to distort space mechanically. See drawings Below:
1. On the X axis (back and forth)
2. On the Y axis (up and down)
3. On the Z axis (to and fro - Diagonally)
Stretching or contracting space in this way allows for spherical geometries to exist. See Figure 1, this is what is required for gravity to manifest itself in the Universe.
There is still another type of deformation needed to allow electrostatic fields to occur. This mechanical distortion is what drives the matter and energy phenomena in our Universe.
In figures 2 and 3 the most important property of matter / energy is revealed. This most important property is the physical twisting i.e., spatial inversion. In figure 2 a simple 2 dimensional view from the side shows a slice of space that is twisted. This should help you visualize what is actually happening. In Figure 3 a direct head on view of what space looks like when there is an inversion. This is the only way that can create a situation in which electrostatic charge can manifest itself in our Universe. If you think about it, this is the way it has to be. It makes perfect sense. Without the spatial inversion deformation type we have a Universe that has only 3 dimensional particles that exhibit a force of attraction only. The Universe would have never been born from the Big Bang if there was gravity only. If a Universe could expand it would most certainly collapse in a hurry. We need charge, the Coulomb force so that there is a force of attraction and repulsion.
The Coulomb force also provides a mechanism by which particles can establish more complicated structures such as atoms and molecules. It also forms the basis for fundamental force mediating particles such as the Photon. We have to have attraction and repulsion so that atomic and subatomic particles do not collapse into one big clump. The spatial inversion also endows particles with another important attribute. It gives them motion. Not just ordinary motion, but places the particles in a state of perpetual motion. Photons and Electrons never stand still. They never stop. They may slow down when they enter a different medium such as air or water but they do not stop. Quite simply, the reason is this, any region of space that is twisted will be pulled forward because of the negatively charged inverted region and also be pushed forward because of the positively charged region.
What is charge?
At this point a brief definition for charge needs to be given. Charge according to SR Theory occurs whenever there is a particle that has a disproportionate amount of inherent twist in clockwise or counterclockwise direction. For the sake of discussion we can call space that is twisted clockwise as negatively charged space and space that is twisted counterclockwise as positively charged space. When a fundamental particle is composed of equal amounts of charge this particle is symmetrical. These types of particles tend to be chargeless and massless. They also travel in a straight path and have a spin of zero. The photon possesses all of the above traits. SR Theory makes one important distinction that differs from the standard model. SR Theory says that photons are not chargeless meaning that they possess no charge at all. Photons according to SR Theory possess an equal amount of both positive and negative charge which yields an overall value of zero charge. The physical construction of the particle has both components and they cancel out. The photon is its own anti-particle and is a helix that is composed a front end twist composed of ordinary matter and a backend composed of anti-matter.
The Internal Structure of the Photon
The internal core of the photon is composed of two regions. The first region is twisted in one direction lets say clockwise. The front of the photon starts at zero degrees of spatial twist and builds to a maximum of 180 degree inversion. The inversion then begins its decline all the way to zero degrees. At this point the inversion begins again but this time the twist is a reverse counter clockwise motion. The last statement is a bit confusing so I will attempt to explain what I mean by reverse counter clockwise. The photon's construction is 1 part matter and another part anti-matter. The first half is composed of space that is twisted 180 degrees clockwise. The second half of the photon is composed of a region of space that is twisted counterclockwise and flipped and therefore is facing the opposite direction. The two pieces are coupled back to back. This ensures that the deformation of space continues in the same direction but causes space to be turned in the negative region generating the negative charge, while at the same time helps the photon to travel in the same direction as the front end of the photon. This is the push pull mechanism I talked about earlier.
This means that the photon for the most part is isolated from the external environment and prevented from reacting strongly gravitationally speaking with other matter. Therefore there are to components that inhibit photons from generating gravitational fields.
- The photon is a balanced charge particle
- The reason that photons are not accelerating is because they travel in straight lines.
- The spatial twist stretches space dampening the interaction between the internal core and space.
In SR theory there is a prediction that says that there will be a transformational equation that describes space's finite ability to support force. Space has a finite amount of force potential capability stored within it. An example of space's limitation is the phenomenon known as the Black Hole or Singularity. This is a region of space that is one-dimensional, having only one property, in this case gravity. When mass concentration reaches a certain density space collapses and a singularity is born. This is the key. If space can become one dimensional in the gravitational sense why can't it also have a finite limit for the other two properties, electrostatic fields and magnetic fields?
The above example of how a photon is constructed is basically the way all particles work. The degree of spatial twisting and spatial collapse gives the particle the unique properties that it exhibits. Spatial collapse can only occur when there are particles that have mass. The degree of collapse is determined by the Fitzgerald-Lorentz contraction formula and the Lorentz mass increase formula. The explanation for spatial collapse and the source of gravitational fields is given in the chapter describing the nature of gravity later on in the book.
SR Theory states that spatial twisting can to a degree cloak or mask the gravitational component of both fundamental and non-fundamental particles. This is due to the fact that twisting space causes space to stretch. This type of spatial deformation caused by twisted space causes space itself to become tighter. The increased tension enables particles to slip through space faster and without resistance.
The photon which is a 3 dimensional spiral like device is composed of at most 90 degrees of clockwise turning. This gives the first part of the component maximum negative charge. The turning begins a decline returning to zero degrees. The second part of the photon construction is its ant-particle twin half which begins turning in the opposite direction for -90 degrees maximum and then returns to 0 degrees turn. It is also important to note that theses two halves are connected back to back. This construction ensures that both spatial turns are in the same direction and gives the photon a united push pull motion in the same direction. It path is straight as the opposite charges cancel and so it manifests no mass with a net total zero charge but has energy that perpetually propels it through space.
Summary
SR Theory describes the photon as a mechanical object that is constructed using a special geometric configuration that is twisted. The twisting causes space to be stretched. Stretching space modifies the properties of space. Since SR Theory states that universal constants are affected by the structure of space it is therefore safe to conclude that all the constants that we use to calculate mass and energy are affected by spatial deformation fields. The configuration of particles also determines how they behave. The reason particles move is because of spatial twisting which SR Theory defines as charge. Different values of charge and the degree of intensity of the twists affect the particles frequency and energy characteristics. These variations in turn affect the particles behavior which is manifested by how particles move and interact with other particles and fields.
sounds iffy to me.. first of all its not very well written. Second, no empirical or experimental evidence is given to support this mans conclusions..
I read this article and found it to be very interesting. It brings some very exciting new ideas. On the surface it seems to make a great deal of sense.
"In Classical Theory the photon is considered the quantum of the electromagnetic field." See what he did there, he said in Classical Mechanics we have Quantum Mechanics. That's not right. This guy has pretty well established himself as a nutjob.
To the anonymous person above: Good catch that is correct. I fixed the error. I don't think that small error makes me a not job though. But your name calling does identify you as an immature person. You loose credibility when you start calling people ugly names.
This article seems to be a compilation of misconceptions."It has no charge and no mass yet it does have energy. Hmm, this is a bit of a contradiction if it has energy it must have mass according to E=MC^2."The relativistic invariant mass equation, solved for energy is E^2 = (mc^2)^2+(pc)^2. For a photon of 0 mass, and using some relationships in quantum mechanics for momentum, this reduces to E=hf. ( Energy = planc's constant * frequency of the photon).I would suggest the author read a book about Modern Physics, which has a section on relativity, as this paper is riddled with a ton of misconceptions as the one above. It doesn't make sense to write a paper about relativity, if you don't know what's already been done in relativity.
Ummm ... I didn't really understand that last comment, but what seems a little more intuitively obvious regarding this article is that it's wrong when it says "energy it must have mass according to E=MC^2".That's not what E=mc^2 means. Instead, all E=mc^2 says is that mass-energy may either manifest itself as mass OR as energy OR a combination of both ... but not necessarily a combination of both. A photon is a packet of energy without mass, but theoretically it should be able to undergo a change converting it to mass. Of course we never see that happen in the universe, because well ... E=mc^2. In other words you'd have to concentrate c^2 amount of energy in a singularity for light to result in mass. This would be the opposite of what happens in nuclear reactions (in fusion or fission) ... wherein mass is converted into electromagnetic radiation ... sometimes as heat and sometimes as light.When you consider that the universe is in constant entropy there are NO naturally occuring conditions in our current state that would allow photons or energy of any kind to be converted back into mass, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible - but I'm getting off topic here.This author has some neat ideas but they need some obvious refinement ... the suggestion that he bone up on his physics is good. I suspect that a Theory of Everything will not be reached using the current popular models and Mark also needs to work on his especially with regard to existing phenomena.That said, there are some brilliant people who seem to be more empirically based that Mark is here, and that empirical data is on the verge of explosion. At some point another Einstein will pop up who will be able to assimilate all that empirical data and see relationships our scientists today seem incapable of doing. As of yet it seems that when something new is learned (like the recent background radiation info) it's manipulated as proof for existing theories whereas in most cases some of the proofs seem contrived and somewhat wishy-washy to me.
So I can't say what Mark is doing here is any different than what most physicists do and at least he's willing to think out of the box, except that he really should say from the start that his "Super Relativity" is a theory of his own making and is still under development.
To the person above''When you consider that the universe is in constant entropy there are NO naturally occuring conditions in our current state that would allow photons or energy of any kind to be converted back into mass, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible - but I'm getting off topic here.''Are you sure? I could give you a nice example but that would spoil my fun. (Hint: accretion disc)The problem with this article is the following: it is written by a lyman, not a scientist. I do not even know where to begin to start. I just give up because I am not bothered; I am happy with life as it is. If you want to read science the are hundreds of books published by Addison Wesley, Wiley, OUP, CUP, Palgrave. That's all I can say.
See an interesting "theory of everything", which explain that everything is made of photons on SearchWarp: "One way to explain the Universe".
I think the biggest difficulty with this line of thinking is explaining why space would quantify into only certain types of twists. Why would certain types of folds be allowable and others forbidden?
No scale is given for his twists, are they quantum, planck or sub-quantum in size? Do Cartesian points in space actually exist? Space cannot twist but it can spin, and a point with three spins twists till the spins are perpendicular, Plank time, relativity and gluons are not addressed at all in his discussion of super=relativity. Visit my youtube video which will soon encompass all wave/particles.on youtube at /watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XQkhurJxhhk#t=5s