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Physics Essays

Instantaneous Relativistic Action‐at‐a‐Distance

N. Vivian Pope, Anthony D. Osborne

Published Sep 1, 1992• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It is popularly believed that there is some strange disparity between quantum physics and physics generally, that whereas ordinary physical interaction takes time to travel, at speeds up to the finite limit c, quantum interaction (action-at-a-distance) is instantaneous, regardless of distance. We shall demonstrate that there is nothing paradoxical about this situation, by proposing a new phenomenalistic approach to relativity in which the 'photon' ceases to be a space-travelling action-capsule and becomes, instead, an irreducible element of those informational timesequences out of which the phenomena of distance and motion are observationally projected.

DOI
10.4006/1.3029001

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This book is an attempt to build a consistent relativistic quantum theory of interacting particles. In the first part of the book "Quantum electrodynamics" we follow rather traditional approach to particle physics. Our discussion proceeds systematically from the principle of relativity and postulates of quantum measurements to the renormalization in quantum electrodynamics. In the second part of the book "Quantum theory of particles" this traditional approach is reexamined. We find that formulas of special relativity should be modified to take into account particle interactions. We also suggest reinterpreting quantum field theory in the language of physical "dressed" particles. This formulation eliminates the need for renormalization and opens up a new way for studying dynamical and bound state properties of quantum interacting systems. The developed theory is applied to realistic physical objects and processes including the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom, the decay law of moving unstable particles, and the electric field of relativistic electron beams. These results force us to take a fresh look at some core issues of modern particle theories, in particular, the Minkowski space-time unification, the role of quantum fields and renormalization as well as the alleged impossibility of action-at-a-distance. A new perspective on these issues is suggested. It can help to solve the old problem of theoretical physics -- a consistent unification of relativity and quantum mechanics.

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Abstract After forty years of EPR experiments, it appears on the face of the experimental facts that one of the oldest ideas in Physics has been falsified, namely the retarded interaction paradigm, the notion that long range interactions between quanta, or equivalently causal influences between point events, are mediated by physical entities - fields, particles or “causal influences” in general - that travel through space from one point to the other at or below the characteristic velocity, c. A critical examination of this basic idea shows it to be unsatisfactory in all respects. An alternative is then proposed that satisfies both causality and local action, “distributed action”, which is germane to local realist field models of the quanta, where matter and energy extend in space and interact locally and causally at all locations where they overlap. Bell Inequalities cannot be derived in this context because, with distributed fieldfield interactions, spacelike separation of events does not guarantee the fundamental “no influence” assumption from which all the various Bell Inequalities are derived. Distributed action thus explains what appears to us as instantaneous action at a distance. PACS: 03.65.Ud 03.75.-b

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Action at a distance and causality in quantum theory

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The relation between quantum theory and special relativity is peculiar. On the one hand it is close and essential. Steven Weinberg [1], for example, takes the position that the standard model is an inevitable consequence of the marriage of the two theories. On the other, the action at a distance implied by the famous paper by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen [2] is certainly contrary to the implications of special relativity in spite of the fact that it does not allow transmission of information. The setting of quantum theory is a Hilbert spaceH and a path inH whose development in time is governed by a one parameter group of unitary transformations while the setting for special relativity can be thought of as Minkowski space with the time development not absolute, but dependent on the inertial system of the observer. The problem is to show how these two very different viewpoints can be reconciled in a way that includes an explanation of the "action at a distance" conundrum.

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Causality Violation in Quantum, Electromagnetic and Gravitational Phenomena – Wave- Particle Duality as an Overwhelming Direct Evidence of Divine Intervention!

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One of the yet unsolved, simplest yet fundamental problems in physics is the question of the speed ofgravitational action. Suppose that the Sun disappeared suddenly. The question is: will gravitational pull of the Sun on Earth disappear instantaneously or with a delay of the speed of light? Based onastronomical observations, some experts have argued that the direction of gravitational pull of the Sun on Earth now is directed towards the position of the Sun now, implying instantaneous transmission. Moreover, they have argued that finite speed of gravity would result in instability of planetary systems. However, another line of reasoning by this author has also shown that this literal view of instantaneous transmission is also wrong. This paradox leads us to a profound conclusion that the speed of gravity has dual nature: light speed and instantaneous. How can this be? The new finding is that causality will be (apparently or actually) violated in gravitational phenomenon as follows. Suppose that the Sun disappeared at time t = 0. The strange thing is that the Sun will anticipate its disappearance and will emit zero gravitational field toward the Earth 8.3 minutes before its actual disappearance! This signal travels at the speed of light and reach the Earth after 8.3 minutes. This means that the signal of zero gravitational field will reach the Earth at time t = 0. The arrival of zero gravitational field at the Earth will coincide exactly in time with the disappearance of the Sun, implying instantaneous transmission. Actually, the discovery of this idea of causality violation did not emerge from investigation of the gravitational phenomenon discussed above. It emerged from a line of reasoning during investigation of quantum phenomena, such as particle interference patterns in double-slit experiments, quantum entanglement, “which way” and quantum erasure experiments. From a new insight about the internal structure and dynamics of quantum particles such as photons and electrons, a conclusion has been reached that the exact point on the detector screen of a double-slit experiment where a photon will land is completely predetermined by fine tuning the initial conditions of the photon and the electron during emission. This means that where exactly a photon lands on the detecting screen is completely predetermined by its initial conditions, just as where exactly a ball lands on the ground is predetermined by its initial conditions. This means that in principle an interference pattern or any arbitrary pattern could be formed on the detector screen by (almost) infinitely fine-tuning the initial conditions of the photon during emission, regardless of whether one or both slits are open, regardless of the distance between the slits, regardless of the distance of the detecting screen. The conclusion is that aiming a photon to a particular atom on the screen requires (almost) infinite fine-tuning during emission. This raises the burning question: WHO fine-tunes the photons during emission so that they form an interference pattern or a Gaussian pattern? The emitting atom? The light source conspiring with the detecting screen? Atoms have infinitely small intelligence as to do the infinitely complex task of fine-tuning a photon. The conclusion is that a super natural being is fine-tuning and, literally, aiming each and every photon emitted not only from the light source of a double slit experiment, but also all photons emitted from all light sources in the universe. The overwhelming evidence of divine intervention is that photons and electrons cannot by themselves behave both as waves and as particles simultaneously. LITERALLY, God has been behind all confusing light speed experiments and observations made over centuries. It has been discovered that the correct model of the speed of light is a novel, seamless fusion of ether theory and emission theory ( Apparent Source Theory ). Photons cannot by themselves exhibit this dual nature. Literally, all dualities observed so far in light, electromagnetism and gravity are possible ONLY by DIRECT divine intervention.

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B. G. Sidharth

We first deduce Special Relativity from Quantum Mechanics. Then we discuss the implications and ramifications.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•May 14, 2015•1 citation
It is popularly believed that there is some strange disparity between quantum physics and physics generally, that whereas ordinary physical interaction takes time to travel, at speeds up to the finite limit c, quantum interaction (action-at-a-distance) is instantaneous, regardless of distance. We shall demonstrate that there is nothing paradoxical about this situation, by proposing a new phenomenalistic approach to relativity in which the 'photon' ceases to be a space-travelling action-capsule and becomes, instead, an irreducible element of those informational timesequences out of which the phenomena of distance and motion are observationally projected.
It is the tenet of quantum mechanics that Einstein rejected as “spooky action at a distance”: if two particles are entangled, then any tinkering with one can cause an instantaneous change in the other – no matter how far apart they may be. But what if quantum mechanics is not quite right – that the change is not instantaneous but instead prompted by a signal transmitted between the two entangled particles? Now an experiment in Switzerland has shown that if such a signal does exist, then it would have to travel at least at the speed of light, and probably thousands of times faster.
This book is an attempt to build a consistent relativistic quantum theory of interacting particles. In the first part of the book "Quantum electrodynamics" we follow rather traditional approach to particle physics. Our discussion proceeds systematically from the principle of relativity and postulates of quantum measurements to the renormalization in quantum electrodynamics. In the second part of the book "Quantum theory of particles" this traditional approach is reexamined. We find that formulas of special relativity should be modified to take into account particle interactions. We also suggest reinterpreting quantum field theory in the language of physical "dressed" particles. This formulation eliminates the need for renormalization and opens up a new way for studying dynamical and bound state properties of quantum interacting systems. The developed theory is applied to realistic physical objects and processes including the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom, the decay law of moving unstable particles, and the electric field of relativistic electron beams. These results force us to take a fresh look at some core issues of modern particle theories, in particular, the Minkowski space-time unification, the role of quantum fields and renormalization as well as the alleged impossibility of action-at-a-distance. A new perspective on these issues is suggested. It can help to solve the old problem of theoretical physics -- a consistent unification of relativity and quantum mechanics.
Abstract After forty years of EPR experiments, it appears on the face of the experimental facts that one of the oldest ideas in Physics has been falsified, namely the retarded interaction paradigm, the notion that long range interactions between quanta, or equivalently causal influences between point events, are mediated by physical entities - fields, particles or “causal influences” in general - that travel through space from one point to the other at or below the characteristic velocity, c. A critical examination of this basic idea shows it to be unsatisfactory in all respects. An alternative is then proposed that satisfies both causality and local action, “distributed action”, which is germane to local realist field models of the quanta, where matter and energy extend in space and interact locally and causally at all locations where they overlap. Bell Inequalities cannot be derived in this context because, with distributed fieldfield interactions, spacelike separation of events does not guarantee the fundamental “no influence” assumption from which all the various Bell Inequalities are derived. Distributed action thus explains what appears to us as instantaneous action at a distance. PACS: 03.65.Ud 03.75.-b
The relation between quantum theory and special relativity is peculiar. On the one hand it is close and essential. Steven Weinberg [1], for example, takes the position that the standard model is an inevitable consequence of the marriage of the two theories. On the other, the action at a distance implied by the famous paper by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen [2] is certainly contrary to the implications of special relativity in spite of the fact that it does not allow transmission of information. The setting of quantum theory is a Hilbert spaceH and a path inH whose development in time is governed by a one parameter group of unitary transformations while the setting for special relativity can be thought of as Minkowski space with the time development not absolute, but dependent on the inertial system of the observer. The problem is to show how these two very different viewpoints can be reconciled in a way that includes an explanation of the "action at a distance" conundrum.
One of the yet unsolved, simplest yet fundamental problems in physics is the question of the speed ofgravitational action. Suppose that the Sun disappeared suddenly. The question is: will gravitational pull of the Sun on Earth disappear instantaneously or with a delay of the speed of light? Based onastronomical observations, some experts have argued that the direction of gravitational pull of the Sun on Earth now is directed towards the position of the Sun now, implying instantaneous transmission. Moreover, they have argued that finite speed of gravity would result in instability of planetary systems. However, another line of reasoning by this author has also shown that this literal view of instantaneous transmission is also wrong. This paradox leads us to a profound conclusion that the speed of gravity has dual nature: light speed and instantaneous. How can this be? The new finding is that causality will be (apparently or actually) violated in gravitational phenomenon as follows. Suppose that the Sun disappeared at time t = 0. The strange thing is that the Sun will anticipate its disappearance and will emit zero gravitational field toward the Earth 8.3 minutes before its actual disappearance! This signal travels at the speed of light and reach the Earth after 8.3 minutes. This means that the signal of zero gravitational field will reach the Earth at time t = 0. The arrival of zero gravitational field at the Earth will coincide exactly in time with the disappearance of the Sun, implying instantaneous transmission. Actually, the discovery of this idea of causality violation did not emerge from investigation of the gravitational phenomenon discussed above. It emerged from a line of reasoning during investigation of quantum phenomena, such as particle interference patterns in double-slit experiments, quantum entanglement, “which way” and quantum erasure experiments. From a new insight about the internal structure and dynamics of quantum particles such as photons and electrons, a conclusion has been reached that the exact point on the detector screen of a double-slit experiment where a photon will land is completely predetermined by fine tuning the initial conditions of the photon and the electron during emission. This means that where exactly a photon lands on the detecting screen is completely predetermined by its initial conditions, just as where exactly a ball lands on the ground is predetermined by its initial conditions. This means that in principle an interference pattern or any arbitrary pattern could be formed on the detector screen by (almost) infinitely fine-tuning the initial conditions of the photon during emission, regardless of whether one or both slits are open, regardless of the distance between the slits, regardless of the distance of the detecting screen. The conclusion is that aiming a photon to a particular atom on the screen requires (almost) infinite fine-tuning during emission. This raises the burning question: WHO fine-tunes the photons during emission so that they form an interference pattern or a Gaussian pattern? The emitting atom? The light source conspiring with the detecting screen? Atoms have infinitely small intelligence as to do the infinitely complex task of fine-tuning a photon. The conclusion is that a super natural being is fine-tuning and, literally, aiming each and every photon emitted not only from the light source of a double slit experiment, but also all photons emitted from all light sources in the universe. The overwhelming evidence of divine intervention is that photons and electrons cannot by themselves behave both as waves and as particles simultaneously. LITERALLY, God has been behind all confusing light speed experiments and observations made over centuries. It has been discovered that the correct model of the speed of light is a novel, seamless fusion of ether theory and emission theory ( Apparent Source Theory ). Photons cannot by themselves exhibit this dual nature. Literally, all dualities observed so far in light, electromagnetism and gravity are possible ONLY by DIRECT divine intervention.