Wave-Particle Duality

 

On May 2005, a new theory, the "Spacetime Model", has been deposited and published.

This theory, based on Einstein Spacetime, gives the solution to 53 enigmas of quantum mechanics, solves the mass and gravity enigmas, and unifies the electroweak, nuclear and gravitational forces in two generic forces.

Following, is an abstract of the Spacetime Model concerning the Wave-Particle duality. The entire theory, a free 220 pages PDF document, may be downloaded from the website specified at the end of this webpage.


Background

Matter presents the particularity of having a wave and particle behaviour. This phenomenon is known as the wave-particle duality, or Complementarity. However, this enigma, which was challenged by so many physicists, has still not been solved.

This web page solves the mystery of the wave-particle duality, or complementarity, from a scientific point of view, giving a rational and logical explanation to this enigma.

 

Current definition of the wave-particle duality

It is generally accepted that the wave-particle duality is two different visions of a single object (fig. 1). Usually, physicists take a cylinder to explain duality. We observe either a rectangle or a circle depending on where we stand.

This metaphor is very interesting but it doesn't explain anything. It does not explain what really occurs on the particle level.

As a physicist, it is necessary to leave this philosophical aspect to the philosophers and to try to solve this enigma in a scientific way, with a logical and rational explanation.

 

Scientific explanation of the wave-particle duality

To understand the enigma of the wave-particle duality, let's take the following example.

A toy boat is in the middle of a swimming pool. If you want to capsize it, you have two possibilities: to launch stones (particle concept) or to make waves (waves concept).

Let's replace stones by a high-pressure water cleaner like a “Kärcher”. The water that flows out of the Kärcher can be considered as a particle and has all of its characteristics. In fact, we can capsize the small boat by pointing the Kärcher towards it.

Now let's put the end of the gun in the water of the swimming pool. The water from the Kärcher, which was like a particle in the air, will also be like a particle in the water. This operation does not change the corpuscular nature of the water that flows out of the lance.

We can then observe that the water, therefore like a particle, is transformed gradually into waves.

If, moreover, we actuate the Kärcher for a short time, comparable to the action time of a particle, we can see that the small jet of water coming out from the gun becomes a single wave.

Nature offers us identical situations: the water of Niagara Falls has a particle behavior during its fall and, once it has reached the river down below, the particles become "eddies", like waves.

The opposite situation also exists: let's take the example of an almost empty swimming pool. If we make only one wave in the residual water, some amount of water will spill out of the evacuation valve. Thus, the wave is transformed into a short filament of water, or "particle". The water that comes out from the evacuation valve is obviously not a wave. Yet, it is the same water that, a few seconds ago, was a wave.

It is useful to formalize these observations and to define the basic principles of the wave-particle duality.

 

Explanation of the wave-particle duality

When the particle and the wave are of a different matter, like stone and water, the enigma of wave-particle duality can't be solved. On the contrary, if the particle and the wave are of identical matter, like water/water in our example of the Kärcher, we see that the wave can be transformed into particles and the converse.

However, in our example, water coming out from the gun can't be transformed into waves if the experiment is done in air. This transformation is possible only if the medium is also water. In other words, the medium must also be in the same composition as the particle and the wave. It is a necessity.

Note: Medium and waves are obviously of identical matter. However, we will separate them for teaching purposes. Sometimes, in quantum mechanics, we need the wave concept, for example when we are taking about 511 KeV gammas, and sometimes we need the medium concept.

To summarize: Wave–Particle Duality appears only in this very particular situation where the wave, the particle and the medium are of identical matter. Figure 2 shows several possibilities of duality between water and different matters.

 

Thus, we have a duality in the following cases: water/water/water, air/air/air etc... If one of these three elements is different to the others, the duality can't be explained logically and becomes a true mystery. Therefore, the first principle of the Wave-Particle Duality is:

Wave-particle duality can exist only if, and only if

  • The particle

  • The wave

  • The medium

have the same constitution.

 

Confirmation

We have three indications in favour of this explanation:

  1. The fact that, in experimentations, the particle and the wave states never appear simultaneously (second principle of the wave-particle duality).

  2. The fact that the solving of the wave-particle duality explains perfectly why electromagnetism appears only when the particle is moving (third principle).

  3. The fact that the solving of the wave-particle duality solves all enigmas of quantum mechanics, up to 53 !!! (see the Spacetime Model). The logical solution to all these enigmas may be the best proof that the explanation given here is correct. Solving so many enigmas can't be merely a matter of chance.

 


Conclusions

The wave-particle duality has always been regarded as a burden for the physicists because no one has been able to explain it rationally. This enigma is summarized as follows:

We note a wave-particle duality, which is very strange. However, this is a normal situation since quantum mechanics is, by definition, illogical and irrational.

The present explanation (the Spacetime Model) does not share this “theory of irrational” of quantum mechanics. It transforms this disadvantage into an advantage. Instead of regarding duality as a burden, it regards it as luck, the great luck to solve the mystery of matter. Indeed, this enigma, which is not a mystery anymore, is summarized as follows:

Since we have a wave-particle duality in quantum mechanics, we can deduce from it that we are in the very particular case where waves, particles and medium have the same constitution. Thus, if we find the constitution of the medium, we will know the constitution of waves and particles (or the converse).

 


The Theory of Everything

The explanation of the wave-particle duality described in this web page is a part of a global theory, called "The Spacetime Model", which explains up to 53 enigmas of quantum mechanics. This theory contains five parts:

  • Part 1: Mass and gravity
  • Part 2: Wave-Particle duality, constitution of particles
  • Part 3: Quarks, antimatter, nuclear force
  • Part 4: Electromagnetism
  • Part 5: Nucleus, unification of forces, the universe

This 220 pages PDF document is very easy to read. It is free, and you can download it from the following website:

www.Spacetime-Model.com

The entire document can also be downloaded on Google Books

Other Author's Websites:

www.higgs-boson.org

www.mass-gravity.com

Author and site designer: Jacky JEROME

Author's email: diaverre@orange.fr

Last update: 29/06/09

 

Note from the Author

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