Lie #4 – Photons are Fundamental
The fourth entry in this greatest lies in physics series is “Photons are fundamental particles.” There is a contradiction in teaching that begins with the most basic description of a photon. Photons are consistently referred to as fundamental particles while at the same time it is said they are known to produce electric and magnetic fields and have wave properties. The later properties are true as they are the result of experimental observation. So how does a photon produce electric and magnetic fields, and waves? Physicists do not tell us that, as of course “they” do not know. It is physicist magic. Even without the requisite knowledge they insist that a photon must be fundamental. Perhaps some of them do think of the question from time-to-time, but that sort of questioning is rapidly discouraged as it is detrimental to all sorts of physics theories as we will see.
If we ignore all the dogma and scientific politics and take a step back, the first and most obvious question to ask is; how does a photon produce an electric and magnetic field. The simplest way to produce an electric field is with an electric charge dipole where something has a positive charge on one end and a negative charge on the other. Since the electric field is time-varying the dipole most rotate. But, if the dipole rotates it will produce a magnetic field, and that matches exactly with experimental observation. That means a photon must be composed of an electric charge dipole of some kind, so already we are part way to a more fundamental description of a photon.
The next experimentally confirmed observation of importance is that during each successive half wavelength the electric and magnetic fields are oriented in the opposite direction. Consequently the dipole must be oriented and rotating in the opposite direction. This motion negates the angular momentum of the previous dipole giving a photon a net zero angular momentum even with all that rotation going on.
We can get a clue as to the nature of these particles by looking at the energy of each half wavelength of a photon, which happens to be Planck’s constant divided by two. That happens to be the energy of a quantum harmonic oscillator. It also happens to be the maximum energy under Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle where the dipole is undetectable. The dipole in a photon is a vacuum fluctuation. That is why all the vacuum fluctuation denying physicists refuse to think about the fundamental composition of a photon. Successive vacuum fluctuations that make up the photon appear out of and disappear into the zero-point field. Each vacuum fluctuation dipole is induced from the vacuum conserving energy and momentum and counter-rotates such that angular momentum is conserved.
I once read that Bohr figured out in the early 30’s shortly after Anderson’s discovery of the positron that a photon can be described as being composed of virtual electron-positron pairs, what we know of as vacuum fluctuation. I have never found the quote in one of his writings, but he certainly had the capacity to think of it as did many other physicists of the day and since. In principle a photon could be made of any virtual particle pair that really exists and forms a charge dipole such as a proton-antiproton pair.
The wave question is answered just as easily once one rejects the vacuum fluctuation deniers point if view. The medium of the vacuum is filled with vacuum fluctuations such that there are virtual electron-positron and proton-antiproton pairs everywhere. It is these vacuum fluctuations that form the waves that are associated with the photons. Wave-particle duality was Lie #3.
It is very clear then that photons are not fundamental as there is and has been a more fundamental description for them if one ignores the vacuum fluctuation deniers. Photons are composed of vacuum fluctuations and are nothing more than a means of transporting energy through the vacuum. They truly cannot be considered to be a particle at all.
From my blog: http://www.physicsheretic.com