If indeed the universe is expanding because time is being created, it provides a convenient mechanism for the propagation of a photon through a vacuum. There is no accepted mechanism for how a photon propagates through a vacuum. The only explanation offered by science is that it is a ‘field’. Precisely how it moves from A to B is not known despite the fact that we can describe a photon’s behaviour with exquisite accuracy through Maxwell’s equations - much like Einstein’s GR describes gravity of which we have no understanding of the underlying mechanism.
The only thing that exists between two points in an absolute vacuum is time. Could it be that this is the mechanism that allows a photon to traverse the entire visible universe or across a room?
The only thing that exists between two points in an absolute vacuum is time. Could it be that this is the mechanism that allows a photon to traverse the entire visible universe or across a room?
You've been AWOL since Monday Steve and I was wondering if you were OK.
But all appears to be normal. How I've missed seeing those same old images!
According to Ethan, if you were a photon:
- You will not experience any of your travels through space. All the distances along your direction of motion will be contracted down to a single point.
- And you will not experience the passage of time; your entire journey will appear to you to be instantaneous.
Cue the tesseract!You've been AWOL since Monday Steve and I was wondering if you were OK.
But all appears to be normal. How I've missed seeing those same old images!
Einstein imagined as a young man what it would be like to travel on a photon and that eventually lead to the insight that time would have no meaning ie it would ‘stand still’ for something moving at c, and that lead to SR (with acknowledgments to Minkowski who was also thinking about this).
There has been an attempt to explain the propogation by considering the 'quantum vacuum', as in this 6 page pdf originally alluded to by rayma:
https://www.epj.org/images/stories/news/2013/epj_d_2a-03-13.pdf
Extract:
"We show that the vacuum permeability and permittivity may originate from the magnetization and the polarization of continuously appearing and disappearing fermion pairs. We then show that if we simply model the propagation of the photon in vacuum as a series of transient captures within these
ephemeral pairs, we can derive a finite photon velocity."
I simple terms, photons propagate in a "leapfrog" fashion!
Yes, here's my original post with the paper link. Glad someone recognized the novelty, and possible importance,
of that paper. Note that according to this model, the fermion pairs travel at a finite velocity, but not the photon itself.
The speed of light is then seen as an average propagation velocity.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...e-expanding-into.258035/page-136#post-6761178
of that paper. Note that according to this model, the fermion pairs travel at a finite velocity, but not the photon itself.
The speed of light is then seen as an average propagation velocity.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...e-expanding-into.258035/page-136#post-6761178
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Think it's fixed now, but in case it still does not link, attached is the paper:
"The quantum vacuum as the origin of the speed of light"
Remember that Leonard Susskind says "GR = QM".
An excerpt:
"Conclusions
We describe the ground state of the unperturbed vacuum as containing a finite density of charged ephemeral fermions antifermions pairs. Within this framework, ε0 and μ0 originate simply from the electric polarization and from the magnetization of these pairs when the vacuum is stressed by an electrostatic or a magnetostatic field respectively.
Our calculated values for ε0 and μ0 are equal to the measured values when the fermion pairs are produced with an average energy of about 30 times their rest mass. The finite speed of a photon is due to its successive transient captures by these virtual particles.
This model, which proposes a quantum origin to the electromagnetic constants ε0 and μ0 and to the speed of light, is self consistent: the average velocity of the photon cgroup, the phase velocity of the electromagnetic wave cφ, given by
cφ = 1/ √ε0μ0, and the maximum velocity used in special relativity crel are equal. The propagation of a photon being a statistical process, we predict fluctuations of its time of flight of the order of 0.05 fs/√m. This could be within the grasp of modern experimental techniques and we plan to assemble such an experiment."
"The quantum vacuum as the origin of the speed of light"
Remember that Leonard Susskind says "GR = QM".
An excerpt:
"Conclusions
We describe the ground state of the unperturbed vacuum as containing a finite density of charged ephemeral fermions antifermions pairs. Within this framework, ε0 and μ0 originate simply from the electric polarization and from the magnetization of these pairs when the vacuum is stressed by an electrostatic or a magnetostatic field respectively.
Our calculated values for ε0 and μ0 are equal to the measured values when the fermion pairs are produced with an average energy of about 30 times their rest mass. The finite speed of a photon is due to its successive transient captures by these virtual particles.
This model, which proposes a quantum origin to the electromagnetic constants ε0 and μ0 and to the speed of light, is self consistent: the average velocity of the photon cgroup, the phase velocity of the electromagnetic wave cφ, given by
cφ = 1/ √ε0μ0, and the maximum velocity used in special relativity crel are equal. The propagation of a photon being a statistical process, we predict fluctuations of its time of flight of the order of 0.05 fs/√m. This could be within the grasp of modern experimental techniques and we plan to assemble such an experiment."
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The link to the diyAudio thread is still to the wrong location, but is not necessary since we have both referred to the PDF.
Can't wait to see those "fluctuations" in the photon's time of flight - if "modern experimental techniques" manage to confirm it in my lifetime!
Yes I am aware of that. Sabine Hossenfelder has a different opinion, as no doubt did the guy who proposed WIMPs to explain dark matter, got funding for a $ multi-million probe to look for them and came up with zero.
Truth is, no one knows, but when there’s a difference of 120 orders of magnitude between the relativity guys and the QM guys on vacuum energy, it’s safe to say this whole thing is still wide open.
The concept of "second" is of course just a local fling in these parts of the woods... second feel natural but it isn't really 🙂 not in the bigger scheme... time.... yeeesss.... 🙂
//
Earlier, I mentioned the 'DARWIN project' that was first mooted in 2016: https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.07001
DARWIN is a proposed dark matter WIMP detector employing a massive underground vat of supercooled Xenon.
As of summer 2023, the project seems to be very much still on the cards and keeping DARWIN and other physicists in a job!
Some thesis-biography and method-criticism - "science":
Our present calculations of "gravitational effects" are still based on Newton. But the observations at that time were limited to our solar system. Aside: Newton's equations applicable to the solar system do not explain gravitation: mathematics only describes, but does not explain.
Observations in the last century went beyond the solar system. Newton's equations did not apply any more. But instead of going to the mathematics, or to revise the theses, one has simply adapted the observation to the now inapplicable equations and theses: the "dark matter" was thinked up;-) The beautiful also still: it is not visible, must not be proved;-)
Circular reasoning.
Disregard of: first the observation, then the explanation.
Disregard of: separation of observation and interpretation.
An interpretation is given as fact, as observation.
I think, this should show sufficiently that (also) "dark matter" has nothing to do with "science"-)
Our present calculations of "gravitational effects" are still based on Newton. But the observations at that time were limited to our solar system. Aside: Newton's equations applicable to the solar system do not explain gravitation: mathematics only describes, but does not explain.
Observations in the last century went beyond the solar system. Newton's equations did not apply any more. But instead of going to the mathematics, or to revise the theses, one has simply adapted the observation to the now inapplicable equations and theses: the "dark matter" was thinked up;-) The beautiful also still: it is not visible, must not be proved;-)
Circular reasoning.
Disregard of: first the observation, then the explanation.
Disregard of: separation of observation and interpretation.
An interpretation is given as fact, as observation.
I think, this should show sufficiently that (also) "dark matter" has nothing to do with "science"-)
As I said earlier, "dark matter" is simply a cover-all term used for the various theories that could account for the accelerating expansion of the Universe.
What is your position on the accelerating expansion of the Universe? I believe you have said in the past that cosmic expansion cannot be "observed".