The nature of physical objects cannot be clarified independent of our concepts of space and time. We present arguments to show that neither the classical 3D space - 1D time nor 4D space-time of special relativity provide a satisfactory theoretical framework to this end, as we encounter non-classical objects. The general relativity is perhaps able to accomplish this task. But, it does so only at the expense of rendering the empty physical space neither isotropic nor homogeneous. Waves are not candidates to represent fundamental objects. We use the celebrated example of Compton scattering to argue that the full description of the experiment makes use of both wave-like and particle-like behavior in the early quantum-mechanical formulations. The later quantum field theoretical descriptions of the same phenomenon abandon causality. We present model arguments from modern particle physics experiments that the photon may be a hadron, at least part of the time.
The nature of physical objects cannot be clarified independent of our concepts of space and time. We present arguments to show that neither the classical 3D space - 1D time nor 4D space-time of special relativity provide a satisfactory theoretical framework to this end, as we encounter non-classical objects. The general relativity is perhaps able to accomplish this task. But, it does so only at the expense of rendering the empty physical space neither isotropic nor homogeneous. Waves are not candidates to represent fundamental objects. We use the celebrated example of Compton scattering to argue that the full description of the experiment makes use of both wave-like and particle-like behavior in the early quantum-mechanical formulations. The later quantum field theoretical descriptions of the same phenomenon abandon causality. We present model arguments from modern particle physics experiments that the photon may be a hadron, at least part of the time.
The aim of the paper is to show the fundamental advantage of the Euclidean Model of Space and Time (EMST) over Special Relativity (SR) in the field of wave description of matter. The EMST offers a unified description of all particles of matter as waves moving through four-dimensional Euclidean space at the speed of light. Unlike the usual description in three dimensions, where the group and phase velocities of a particle differ, in four-dimensional space the wave and the associated particle can be treated as a single object. The paper deepens understanding of the EMST as a viable alternative to SR. The EMST clarifies the origin of relativistic phenomena and at the same time explains the apparent mysteries associated with the wave nature of matter. From the broader perspective, the EMST has all the prerequisites to become the starting point for the mutual combination of “relativistic” and “quantum” physics into a single physical theory.
A physical theory is proposed that obeys both the principles of special relativity and of quantum mechanics. Time and space are treated on exactly the same footing, namely as quantum mechanical observables on a Hilbert space. The theory is not based upon Lagrangian or Hamiltonian mechanics and cannot be formulated within the framework of unitary dynamics. As a most important aspect, the theory breaks with the concept of a continuously flowing time in favour of a discrete jump process in spacetime. All physical statements are formulated in terms of detector events rather than particle states. The physical object under consideration is a spinless particle in empty space. Yet the theory also accounts for particle-antiparticle pair creation and annihilation, and is therefore not a single-particle theory in the strict sense. The Maxwell equations are derived as a straightforward consequence of some fundamental commutation relations. In the non-relativistic limit, and in the limit of infinitely small time uncertainties, one obtains the familiar Schr\\"odinger equation of a spinless particle exposed to an external electromagnetic field.
concept is one of the most debated issues in the history of physical science. Some thirty years ago, we published an article in Physics Today entitled The Concept of the Photon, 1 in which we described the photon as a classical electromagnetic field plus the fluctuations associated with the vacuum. However, subsequent developments required us to envision the as an intrinsically quantum mechanical entity, whose basic physics is much deeper than can be explained by the simple 'classical wave plus vacuum fluctuations' picture. These ideas and the extensions of our conceptual understanding are discussed in detail in our recent quantum optics book. 2 In this article we revisit the concept based on examples from these sources and more.
While our natural intuition suggests us that we live in 3D space evolving in time, modern physics presents fundamentally different picture: 4D spacetime, Einstein's block universe, in which we travel in thermodynamically emphasized direction: arrow of time. Arguments for such nonintuitive and nonlocal living in kind of "4D jello" come among others from: Lagrangian mechanics we use from QFT to GR saying that history between fixed past and future situation is the one optimizing action, special relativity saying that different velocity observers have different own time directions, general relativity deforming shape of the entire spacetime up to switching time and space below the black hole event horizon, or the CPT theorem concluding fundamental symmetry between past and future for example in the Feynman-Stueckelberg interpretation of antiparticles as propagating back in time. Accepting this nonintuitive living in 4D spacetime: with present moment being in equilibrium between past and future - minimizing tension as action of Lagrangian, leads to crucial surprising differences from intuitive "evolving 3D" picture - allowing to conclude Bell inequalities, violated by the real physics. Specifically, particle in spacetime becomes own trajectory: 1D submanifold of 4D, making that statistical physics should consider ensembles like Boltzmann distribution among entire paths (like in Ising model), what leads to quantum behavior as we know from Feynman's Euclidean path integrals or similar Maximal Entropy Random Walk (MERW).
In quantum mechanics, light cannot be described in terms of waves and particles at the same time. However, the question about light "as it really is" implies a description that is independent from the constraints of measurement. It is rather preferable to incorporate both aspects in a causal ontological theory, especially if it simplifies explanation and improves predictions. Hence, the photon can be described as an extended longitudinal association of discrete indivisible constituents, which are held together by the effect of their own waves on each other. The same waves can then be used to interpret the force of interactions between different pulses of light, or between light and matter. The concept of wavemediated interaction between sub-photonic entities is entirely consistent with the observations of quantum mechanics. The key is to assume that elementary sources of waves never collide, and that they have constant parameters. Novel experimental implications follow from this approach. For example, the speed of propagation of changes within magnetic or electrostatic fields may not be equal to the speed of light. Also, interference fringes should be detectable beyond the volume of overlap of two non-entangled beams, but only in special experimental settings.
I am not sure whether space or matter existed or not but i am sure enough that time always existed, but actually we dont have control over it” I present a critical argument on the essay by Prof. Carlo Rovelli. ”Forget Time” is a 2008-2009 essay by physicist Carlo Rovelli arguing that time is not a fundamental feature ofthe physical universe, but rather an emergent, subjective, or relativistic concept. It proposes that quantum gravity requires abandoning the notion of a universal,independent time variable in favor of relational, ”thermal” time. Several modern approaches to quantum gravity propose that time is not a fundamental elementof nature, but rather an emergent or purely relational concept. In this work we critically examine this claim from an operational and dynamical standpoint. We demonstrate that the elimination of time undermines the mathematical and experimental foundations of physics itself. Core structures such as quantum evolution, wave propagation, conservation laws, thermodynamics, and cosmological expansion all require an explicit temporal parameter to retain physical meaning. Without time, the notions of dynamics, causality, and prediction collapse,rendering physical theory observationally empty. We argue that while the classical notion of absolute time may require generalization, the complete removalof time from fundamental theory is neither mathematically consistent nor physically viable. A successful theory of quantum gravity must therefore incorporate time as an indispensable structural element, rather than discard it. Time may be refined, reinterpreted, or extended—but it cannot be eliminated.