Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

InTech eBooks

The Fundamental Physics of Electromagnetic Waves

Juliana H. J. Mortenson

Published Jun 21, 2011• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A new foundational physics is emerging which radically changes our concepts of electromagnetic waves. The original quantum ideas of Max Planck and Albert Einstein from the turn of the twentieth century, are undergoing an impressive renaissance now at the turn of the twenty-first century. The result is a fundamental physics of electromagnetic waves that is both new and classical. Einstein’s insistence that quantum mechanics was incomplete that “hidden variables” were yet to be discovered was correct. The recent discovery of those variables is the driving force behind this rebirth of the foundations of quantum mechanics and the fundamental physics of electromagnetic (“EM”) waves. The new quantum variables have led to the discovery of new universal constants for EM waves. The new constants have revealed an elegant simplicity in quantum concepts, that requires no paradoxical explanations and imposes no uncertainties or limits. Instead, the new physics provides a more realistic understanding of physical concepts related to EM waves. The old paradigm is disappearing, and yielding to a new paradigm which is both more understandable and more powerful.

DOI
10.5772/16750

Related papers

Classical Physics Versus Quantum Physics: an Overview

Hardev Singh Virk

Newtonian mechanics is the foundation of Classical Physics. Newton’s mechanics, Thermodynamics, Wave theory of Optics and Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory belong to regime of Classical Physics and can be used to explain a wide range of phenomena in the Universe at macroscopic scale. These theories fail spectacularly when applied to phenomenain the atomic and nuclear regime, for example, proton-atom scattering or the flow of electrons in a semiconductor. Quantum mechanics is the most successful scientific theory that has ever been created and it has completely changed our view of the world. The failure of Classical Physics was highlighted by black body radiation and photoelectric effect. Max Planck and Albert Einstein provided explanations of both phenomena based on quantum hypothesis and are thus considered founders of Quantum Physics. The origin of quantum mechanics goes back to the mid-1920s.It was formulated first as matrix mechanics by Werner Heisenberg, Max Born and Pascual Jordan; then as wave mechanics by Louis de Broglie and Erwin Schrödinger; and later on asquantum statistics of subatomic particles by Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein. Combining relativistic mechanics with quantum mechanics, Dirac formulated his relativistic quantum mechanics during 1930s. Uncertainty Principle is thecornerstone of Quantum Physics. The role of randomness in microscopic physical processes shatters the myth that the universe is deterministic. Quantum world is unpredictable in the classical sense and demolishes the idea of an objective universe. The Copenhagen interpretation remains the quantum mechanical formalism that is currently most widely accepted amongst physicists.Quantum theories support cosmic spirit pervading the cosmos and inter – relationship of individuals in the world society. Quantum philosophy is holistic and is going to revolutionize our world-view.

OmniScience A Multi-disciplinary Journal•Aug 1, 2014•2 citations

Recent Developments in Quantum Mechanics

E. U. Condon

The fundamental fact for quantum physics which has emerged from experimental investigations in the field is a double duality of wave and particle concepts. The wave theory of light, firmly grounded by the wave explanations of interference and diffraction and by Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory of light waves, is now recognized as giving but one aspect of the nature of radiation. The corpusclar aspect of radiation is revealed in the photoelectric effect and in the Compton effect. In these effects Planck’s constant appears as a universal constant which connects the wave and particle modes of description of the same radiation.

Science•Aug 31, 1928•0 citations

Waves and Particles

David K. Ferry

Science has developed through a variety of investigations more or less over the time scale of human existence. On this scale, quantum mechanics is an extremely young field, existing essentially for only just over a century. Even our understanding of classical mechanics has existed for a comparatively long period—roughly having been formalized with Newton's equations published in his Principia Mathematica , in April 1686 (1687). Up until the very end of the nineteenth century, mechanics in the form of Newton's laws were comfortable, being understood and accepted by all who dealt with the motion of reasonable bodies. With the turn of the new century, however, mechanics would be shaken to its roots. The change began already on December 14, 1900, when Planck (1900) presented his new theory of black-body radiation to the German Physical Society, and this change would affect mechanics in physically small structures (and lead to quantum mechanics). Mechanics of large bodies would similarly be changed in 1905 with the arrival of Albert Einstein's (1905a) relativity theory. In this book, we will deal with only the first of these two great breakthroughs.

CRC Press eBooks•Nov 6, 2020•0 citations

Why Quantum Mechanics and Electromagnetism Cannot Unify Physics—but SpacePhase Can

James E Beecham

For more than a century, physics has relied upon two enormously successful butphilosophically incomplete frameworks: Quantum Mechanics (QM) and Electromagnetism(EM). Quantum Mechanics provides extraordinary predictive capability at microscopicscales, yet leaves unresolved foundational questions concerning wave-particle duality,measurement, nonlocal correlations, and the apparent action-at-a-distance implied byquantum entanglement. Electromagnetism, meanwhile, accurately describes electric andmagnetic phenomena but does so within a framework that abandoned the concept of aphysically conditionable medium. As a result, EM provides mathematical description whileoffering limited explanation of how fields exist, propagate, and interact with matter at adeeper ontological level.The Space-Phase (SP3) framework proposes that space is not empty but is instead aconditionable medium possessing physical properties. Within this view, both quantumphenomena and electromagnetic phenomena emerge naturally from interactions betweenmatter, energy, and the Space-Phase medium. Apparent paradoxes become consequencesof medium behavior rather than indications of fundamental mystery. This paper examinesthe conceptual limitations of QM and EM and discusses how Space-Phase offers a unifiedexplanatory framework extending from laboratory physics to cosmological observations,includin

•Jun 15, 2026•0 citations

The origin of quantum theory in the crisis of classical physics

Robert Golub, S. K. Lamoreaux

Abstract With the failure of classical physics to explain the experimentally observed black body radiation spectrum, the photoelectric effect and the existence of narrow spectral lines in the light emitted by excited atoms, physicists were forced to reach out for new ideas. Following Planck’s initial “drastic hypothesis” of light “quanta”, Einstein led the way in exploring some of the myriad implications of this idea. In particular, the study of fluctuations led to a new understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with atoms. Einstein invented the photon by showing, through fluctuation studies, that light emitted by atoms must be in the form of plane waves. These ideas led to the first notions regarding the quantization of matter and its dynamics.

•Feb 28, 2023•0 citations

An Introductory History of Quantum Mechanics-I

Shabnam Siddiqui

This chapter begins by understanding the classical view of an electromagnetic wave and proceed step-by-step in exploring the historical development of quantum mechanics. The frequency of the electromagnetic wave is the same as the frequency of mechanical oscillation of the charge, and the intensity of the electromagnetic wave is the square of the amplitude of the mechanical oscillation of the charge. The origin of quantum mechanics is linked to the discovery of then new laws of radiation by Max Planck in 1900. The explanation of the empirical facts of radiation by Planck using an extraordinarily powerful yet simple model lead to the discovery of the "quantum" nature of radiation. The work to develop a mathematical theory of quantum mechanics continued for a very long time. Two mathematical approaches for the formalism of quantum mechanics emerged. One was developed in 1925 by Werner Heisenberg, called matrix mechanics, and the other was developed by Erwin Schrodinger in 1926 called wave mechanics.

CRC Press eBooks•Oct 10, 2018•0 citations
A new foundational physics is emerging which radically changes our concepts of electromagnetic waves. The original quantum ideas of Max Planck and Albert Einstein from the turn of the twentieth century, are undergoing an impressive renaissance now at the turn of the twenty-first century. The result is a fundamental physics of electromagnetic waves that is both new and classical. Einstein’s insistence that quantum mechanics was incomplete that “hidden variables” were yet to be discovered was correct. The recent discovery of those variables is the driving force behind this rebirth of the foundations of quantum mechanics and the fundamental physics of electromagnetic (“EM”) waves. The new quantum variables have led to the discovery of new universal constants for EM waves. The new constants have revealed an elegant simplicity in quantum concepts, that requires no paradoxical explanations and imposes no uncertainties or limits. Instead, the new physics provides a more realistic understanding of physical concepts related to EM waves. The old paradigm is disappearing, and yielding to a new paradigm which is both more understandable and more powerful.
Newtonian mechanics is the foundation of Classical Physics. Newton’s mechanics, Thermodynamics, Wave theory of Optics and Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory belong to regime of Classical Physics and can be used to explain a wide range of phenomena in the Universe at macroscopic scale. These theories fail spectacularly when applied to phenomenain the atomic and nuclear regime, for example, proton-atom scattering or the flow of electrons in a semiconductor. Quantum mechanics is the most successful scientific theory that has ever been created and it has completely changed our view of the world. The failure of Classical Physics was highlighted by black body radiation and photoelectric effect. Max Planck and Albert Einstein provided explanations of both phenomena based on quantum hypothesis and are thus considered founders of Quantum Physics. The origin of quantum mechanics goes back to the mid-1920s.It was formulated first as matrix mechanics by Werner Heisenberg, Max Born and Pascual Jordan; then as wave mechanics by Louis de Broglie and Erwin Schrödinger; and later on asquantum statistics of subatomic particles by Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein. Combining relativistic mechanics with quantum mechanics, Dirac formulated his relativistic quantum mechanics during 1930s. Uncertainty Principle is thecornerstone of Quantum Physics. The role of randomness in microscopic physical processes shatters the myth that the universe is deterministic. Quantum world is unpredictable in the classical sense and demolishes the idea of an objective universe. The Copenhagen interpretation remains the quantum mechanical formalism that is currently most widely accepted amongst physicists.Quantum theories support cosmic spirit pervading the cosmos and inter – relationship of individuals in the world society. Quantum philosophy is holistic and is going to revolutionize our world-view.
The fundamental fact for quantum physics which has emerged from experimental investigations in the field is a double duality of wave and particle concepts. The wave theory of light, firmly grounded by the wave explanations of interference and diffraction and by Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory of light waves, is now recognized as giving but one aspect of the nature of radiation. The corpusclar aspect of radiation is revealed in the photoelectric effect and in the Compton effect. In these effects Planck’s constant appears as a universal constant which connects the wave and particle modes of description of the same radiation.
Science has developed through a variety of investigations more or less over the time scale of human existence. On this scale, quantum mechanics is an extremely young field, existing essentially for only just over a century. Even our understanding of classical mechanics has existed for a comparatively long period—roughly having been formalized with Newton's equations published in his Principia Mathematica , in April 1686 (1687). Up until the very end of the nineteenth century, mechanics in the form of Newton's laws were comfortable, being understood and accepted by all who dealt with the motion of reasonable bodies. With the turn of the new century, however, mechanics would be shaken to its roots. The change began already on December 14, 1900, when Planck (1900) presented his new theory of black-body radiation to the German Physical Society, and this change would affect mechanics in physically small structures (and lead to quantum mechanics). Mechanics of large bodies would similarly be changed in 1905 with the arrival of Albert Einstein's (1905a) relativity theory. In this book, we will deal with only the first of these two great breakthroughs.
For more than a century, physics has relied upon two enormously successful butphilosophically incomplete frameworks: Quantum Mechanics (QM) and Electromagnetism(EM). Quantum Mechanics provides extraordinary predictive capability at microscopicscales, yet leaves unresolved foundational questions concerning wave-particle duality,measurement, nonlocal correlations, and the apparent action-at-a-distance implied byquantum entanglement. Electromagnetism, meanwhile, accurately describes electric andmagnetic phenomena but does so within a framework that abandoned the concept of aphysically conditionable medium. As a result, EM provides mathematical description whileoffering limited explanation of how fields exist, propagate, and interact with matter at adeeper ontological level.The Space-Phase (SP3) framework proposes that space is not empty but is instead aconditionable medium possessing physical properties. Within this view, both quantumphenomena and electromagnetic phenomena emerge naturally from interactions betweenmatter, energy, and the Space-Phase medium. Apparent paradoxes become consequencesof medium behavior rather than indications of fundamental mystery. This paper examinesthe conceptual limitations of QM and EM and discusses how Space-Phase offers a unifiedexplanatory framework extending from laboratory physics to cosmological observations,includin
Abstract With the failure of classical physics to explain the experimentally observed black body radiation spectrum, the photoelectric effect and the existence of narrow spectral lines in the light emitted by excited atoms, physicists were forced to reach out for new ideas. Following Planck’s initial “drastic hypothesis” of light “quanta”, Einstein led the way in exploring some of the myriad implications of this idea. In particular, the study of fluctuations led to a new understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with atoms. Einstein invented the photon by showing, through fluctuation studies, that light emitted by atoms must be in the form of plane waves. These ideas led to the first notions regarding the quantization of matter and its dynamics.
This chapter begins by understanding the classical view of an electromagnetic wave and proceed step-by-step in exploring the historical development of quantum mechanics. The frequency of the electromagnetic wave is the same as the frequency of mechanical oscillation of the charge, and the intensity of the electromagnetic wave is the square of the amplitude of the mechanical oscillation of the charge. The origin of quantum mechanics is linked to the discovery of then new laws of radiation by Max Planck in 1900. The explanation of the empirical facts of radiation by Planck using an extraordinarily powerful yet simple model lead to the discovery of the "quantum" nature of radiation. The work to develop a mathematical theory of quantum mechanics continued for a very long time. Two mathematical approaches for the formalism of quantum mechanics emerged. One was developed in 1925 by Werner Heisenberg, called matrix mechanics, and the other was developed by Erwin Schrodinger in 1926 called wave mechanics.