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J. H. Field

Publications and source records attributed to J. H. Field.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2016

Space-time symmetry is broken

Space-time intervals corresponding to different events on the worldline of any ponderable object (for example a clock) are time-like. In consequence, in the analysis of any space-time experiment involving clocks only the region for $cΔt \ge 0$ between the line $Δx = 0$ and the light cone projection $cΔt = Δx$ of the $cΔt$ versus $Δx$ Minkowski plot is physically relevant. This breaks the manifest space-time symmetry of the plot. A further consequence is the unphysical nature of the `relativity of simultaneity' and `length contraction' effects of conventional special relativity theory. The only modification of space-time transformation laws in passing from Galilean to special relativity is then the replacement of universal Newtonian time by a universal (position independent) time dilation effect for moving clocks.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2015

Langevin's `Twin Paradox' paper revisited

An in-depth and mathematically-detailed analysis of Langevin's popular 1911 article on the special theory of relativity is presented. For the reader's convenience, English translations of large parts of the original French text are given. The self-contradictory nature of many of Langevin's assertions is pointed out. Of special interest is the analysis of the exchange of light signals between the travelling and stay-at-home twins in Langevin's thought experiment, in which antinomies are found in the conventional relativistic treatment. Their resolution shows that the physical basis of the differential aging effect in the experiment is not `length contraction', as in the conventional interpretation, but instead the application of the correct relative velocity transformation formula. The spurious nature of the correlated `length contraction' and `relativity of simultaneity' effects of conventional special relativity is also demonstrated. In consequence, an argument given, claiming to demonstrate that an upper limit of $c$ on the speed of any physical signal is required by causality, is invalid. Its conclusion is also in contradiction with astronomical observations and the results of a recent experiment.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2015

Retarded electric and magnetic fields of a moving charge: Feynman's derivation of Liénard-Wiechert potentials revisited

Retarded electromagnetic potentials are derived from Maxwell's equations and the Lorenz condition. The difference found between these potentials and the conventional Liénard-Wiechert ones is explained by neglect, for the latter, of the motion-dependence of the effective charge density. The corresponding retarded fields of a point-like charge in arbitary motion are compared with those given by the formulae of Heaviside, Feynman, Jefimenko and other authors. The fields of an accelerated charge given by the Feynman are the same as those derived from the Liénard-Wiechert potentials but not those given by the Jefimenko formulae. A mathematical error concerning partial space and time derivatives in the derivation of the Jefimenko equations is pointed out.

physics.class-ph↗
arXiv2014

Einstein and Planck on mass-energy equivalence in 1905-06: a modern perspective

Einstein's theoretical analysis of mass-energy equivalence, already, at the time, experimentally evident in radioactive decays, in two papers published in 1905, as well as Planck's introduction, in 1906, of the concepts of relativistic momentum, and, by invoking Hamilton's Principle, relativistic energy, are reviewed and discussed. Claims in the literature that Einstein's analysis was flawed, lacked generality, or was not rigorous, are rebutted.

physics.hist-ph↗
arXiv2014

Translational invariance and the space-time Lorentz transformation with arbitrary spatial coordinates

Translational invariance requires that physical predictions are independent of the choice of spatial coordinate system used. The time dilatation effect of special relativity is shown to manifestly respect this invariance. Consideration of the space-time Lorentz transformation with arbitrary spatial coordinates shows that the spurious `length contraction' and `relativity of simultaneity' effects --the latter violating translational invariance-- result from the use of a different spatial coordinate system to describe each of two spatially separated clocks at rest in a common inertial frame

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2014

The Hafele-Keating experiment, velocity and length interval transformations and resolution of the Ehrenfest paradox

A relativistic analysis based on the paths, in a non-rotating frame comoving with the centroid of the Earth, of clocks carried by aircraft circumnavigating the Earth in different directions, as in the Hafele-Keating experiment, predicts time differences between airborne and Earth-bound clocks at variance with the results of the experiment. The latter imply new relativistic velocity transformations differing from the conventional ones. These transformations demonstrate in turn the invariance of length intervals on the surface of the rotating Earth and so resolve the Ehrenfest paradox for this case.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2013

Description of diffraction grating experiments for photons and electrons in Feynman's space-time formulation of quantum mechanics: The quantum origins of classical wave theories of light and massive particles

The five laws of relativistic quantum mechanics, according to Feynman's path integral formulation, are concisely stated and applied to experiments. Reflection diffraction grating experiments for both photons and electrons are analysed, in particular the Davisson-Germer experiment in which the wave-like property of electrons was first established. It is shown how classical, purely spatial, effective wave theories for both photons and electrons are predicted by the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics. The standard Copenhagen interpretation of wave mechanics is critically discussed in the light of the described experimental applications of the path integral formulation.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2013

Ruler measurements give space-time-transformation-independent invariant lengths

Two thought experiments are described in which ruler measurements of spatial intervals are performed in different reference frames. They demonstrate that such intervals are frame-independent as well as independent of the nature of the space-time transformation equations. As explained in detail elsewhere, the `length contraction' effect of conventional special relativity theory is therefore spurious and unphysical.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2012

Clock-transport synchronisation for neutrino time-of-flight measurements

A method to synchronise, at the sub-nanosecond level, clocks used for neutrino time-of-flight measurements is proposed. Clocks situated near the neutrino source and target are compared with a moveable clock that is transported between them. The general-relativistic theory of the procedure was tested and verified in an experiment performed by Hafele and Keating in 1972. It is suggested that use of such a synchronisation method may contribute to a precise test of the Sagnac effect ---a measured velocity greater than $c$--- for neutrinos of the proposed LBNE beam between Fermilab and the Homestake mine.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2012

Consequences for special relativity theory of restoring Einstein's neglected additive constants in the Lorentz Transformation

Evaluation of the additive constants in the space-time Lorentz transformation equations required, according to Einstein, to correctly describe synchronised clocks at different spatial locations, reveals the spurious and unphysical nature of the 'relativity of simultaneity' and 'length contraction' effects of conventional special relativity. Unlike time dilation, there is no experimental evidence for these putative effects. Only a universal (position independent) time dilation effect for different inertial frames distinguishes special from Galilean relativity.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2012

Derivation of the Schrödinger equation from the Hamilton-Jacobi equation in Feynman's path integral formulation of quantum mechanics

It is shown how the time-dependent Schrödinger equation may be simply derived from the dynamical postulate of Feynman's path integral formulation of quantum mechanics and the Hamilton-Jacobi equation of classical mechanics. Schrödinger's own published derivations of quantum wave equations, the first of which was also based on the Hamilton-Jacobi equation, are also reviewed. The derivation of the time-dependent equation is based on an {\it a priori} assumption equivalent to Feynman's dynamical postulate. De Broglie's concepts of 'matter waves' and their phase and group velocities are also critically discussed.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2011

Primary and reciprocal space-time experiments, relativistic reciprocity relations and Einstein's train-embankment thought experiment

The concepts of primary and reciprocal experiments and base and travelling frames in special relativity are concisely described and applied to several different space-time experiments. These include Einstein's train/embankment thought experiment and a related thought experiment, due to Sartori, involving two trains in parallel motion with different speeds. Spatially separated clocks which are synchronised in their common proper frame are shown to be so in all inertial frames and their spatial separation to be Lorentz invariant. The interpretions given by Einstein and Sartori of their experiments, as well as those given by the present author in previous papers, are shown to be erroneous.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2011

The physics of space and time III: Classification of space-time experiments and the twin paradox

A nomenclature for inertial frames and a notation for space and time coordinates is proposed to give an unambigous description of space-time experiments in special relativity. Of particular importance are the concepts of `base' and `travelling' frames and `primary' and `reciprocal' experiments. A detailed discussion of the twin paradox is presented. The physical basis of the differential aging effect is found to be a relativistic relative-velocity transformation relation, not, as hitherto supposed, the spurious `length contraction' effect.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2011

The physics of space and time II: A reassessment of Einstein's 1905 special relativity paper

A detailed re-examination of the seminal paper on special relativity, taking into account recent work on the physical interpretation of the space-time Lorentz transformation as well as the modern understanding of classical elecromagnetism as a certain limit of the fundamental underlying theory --quantum electrodynamics-- is presented. Many errors both of physical principle and of a mathematical nature are uncovered. The `relativity of simultaneity' and `length contraction' effects predicted in the paper are shown to be the spurious consequences of misinterpretations of the second postulate and the Lorentz transformation, respectively. The derivation of the latter in the paper is shown to be flawed. In this case, and other instances, due to cancellation of mistakes, a correct result is obtained in a fallacious manner. Separate lists of the correct and incorrect predictions of the paper are given. Due to the unique and revolutionary nature of its epistemological approach (the use of `thought experiments' and axiomatic derivations) and the experimentally verified predictions of time-dilatation and mass-energy equivalence the fundamental importance of the paper for the development of physics is little affected by the many mathematical errors and (to modern eyes) physical misconceptions that it contains.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2011

The physics of space and time I: The description of rulers and clocks in uniform translational motion by Galilean or Lorentz transformations

A calculus based on pointer-mark coincidences is proposed to define, in a mathematically rigorous way, measurements of space and time intervals. The connection between such measurements in different inertial frames according to the Galilean or Lorentz transformations is then studied using new, simple, and practical clock synchronisation procedures. It is found that measured length intervals are Lorentz invariant, whereas moving clocks show a universal time dilatation effect. The `relativistic length contraction' and `relativity of simultaneity' effects of conventional special relativity theory are shown to be the consequence of calculational error. Two derivations of the Lorentz transformation from simple postulates, without reference to electrodynamics or any other dynamical theory, are reviewed in an appendix.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2011

The Meaning of Coherence in Weak Decay Processes: `Neutrino Oscillations' Reconsidered

A Feynman path integral analysis of a two-neutrino-flavour electron appearence experiment following pion decay at rest recovers the standard oscillation phase, revealing an important contribution from the decay amplitude of the pion as well as an error in previous similar calculations by the present author. In the calculation, path amplitudes for different neutrino mass eigenstates add coherently, but no putative `neutrino flavour eigenstates' are invoked. It is shown that the coherent production of the latter states is incompatible with the measured values of $Γ(π\rightarrow {\rm e}ν)/Γ(π\rightarrow μν)$ and the PMNS matrix elements. Application of the path integral approach to other two-path quantum interference experiments is compared with that to neutrino oscillations, and other treatments of the latter in the literature are discussed.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2011

Proposals for Two Satellite-Borne Experiments to Test Relativity of Simultaneity in Special Relativity

An orbiting `photon clock' is proposed to test directly the relativity of simultaneity effect of special relativity. This is done by exchanging microwave signals between two satellites in low Earth orbit carrying clocks that have previously been synchronised in the Earth-centered inertial system. A similar experiment using synchronised signals from two GPS satellites with the receiver on a single satellite in low Earth orbit, is also proposed.

physics.gen-ph↗