arXiv subjects

John Michael Williams

Publications and source records attributed to John Michael Williams.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2016

Biological Effects of Microwaves: Thermal and nonThermal Mechanisms

For over sixty years, it has been reported that microwave electromagnetic radiation (EMR) had effects on humans which could not be explained by detectible heating of tissue. Auditory responses to radar, called microwave hearing, have been the best known of these phenomena. To account for microwave hearing, many studies in the literature have adopted a rate-of-heating hypothesis advanced by Foster and Finch in 1974. We show here that theoretical and experimental studies supporting this hypothesis are weaker than usually assumed. We develop a simple framework of understanding of EMR that may be used to explain microwave hearing as a nonthermal, nonacoustic effect. We then extend this approach to other contexts, pointing out several fundamental misconceptions confounding the field. EMR, especially wide-band EMR, primarily must have a nonthermal effect on living tissue before conversion to heat. Auditory and tactile sensations, central neurological disability, and blood pressure loss caused by EMR have been documented. Except microwave hearing, parameters of irradiation causing such effects have not been explored adequately and remain unknown. There appears not to be any forensic methodology to prove the cause of harm at nonthermal levels.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2004

Temperature of the SN1987A supernova provides an estimate of the electron neutrino mass

Numerous estimates of upper bounds on the (anti)neutrino rest mass have been published based on the SN1987A observations. Here, we use a nonkinematic (thermal) time extent to provide a rest mass estimate of a few eV (as mc^2 mass), if not zero. In the solution, we find that a typical upper bound formula for the mass implies that this thermal extent was attributable to about 10% of the particle energy measured on Earth. The present approach yields an expected value for the mass, given any theoretical or model dependent estimate of the fraction of the detected neutrino energy attributable to the supernova temperature.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2003

The Olbers Conjecture, Revisited

The Olbers conjecture, that under reasonable assumptions, light from the stars should sum at the Earth to make the sky bright at night, has been a subject of study since the early 19th century. It has been incorporated into some of modern cosmology. To complement Olbers's conjecture, we suggest a new calculation modelled as a projecture, in the form of an imaginary star probe. We find that there are not enough of stars. We also confirm Olbers's reasoning analytically. Note: The SSI-31 slides are numbered and presented at the end of the text; the slides include some results omitted from the text.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2002

Existence Proof of nonThermal Vacuum Radiation from Acceleration

A proof is developed from first principles, independent of general relativity and of thermodynamics, that there exists a threshold acceleration above which radiation (real particle creation) from the vacuum must occur. The radiation is not expected to follow a Planckian distribution. PACS Codes: 03.65.Bz 04.70.-s 26.35.+c

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2001

Some Problems with Negative Refraction

J. B. Pendry's "Negative Refraction Makes a Perfect Lens" is analyzed. It appears that several statements may be understood in terms of lens design but not in terms of fundamental behavior of light.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2001

Asymmetric Collision of Concepts: Why Eigenstates Alone are Not Enough for Neutrino Flavor Oscillations

The symmetry of the problem of the apparent deficit in upward-going atmospheric muon neutrinos reveals two possible, nonexclusive kinds of solution: Nonlinearity in distance or nonlinearity in angle of observation. Nonlinearity in distance leads to the most popular theory for the atmospheric problem, neutrino flavor oscillations. If the observed deficit is caused by oscillations and not, say, flavor-changing or other weak-force scattering, neutrinos must be massive. But, if flavor oscillations occur in vacuum, all oscillating neutrinos must have exactly equal mass. Theories of oscillation in matter such as the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect do not work in vacuum. This is the conceptual conflict of kinematics versus vacuum oscillations. Flavor-changing oscillations like those of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark theory become possible in vacuum if freely propagating neutrinos may be associated with local substructure. Nonlinearity in angle of observation leads to a simple prediction of an excess of horizontal muon flavor. This and other angle-based effects should be observable at Super-Kamiokande or other instruments which can measure atmospheric flux by flavor.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2001

An Empirical Look at Neutrino Oscillations

The data supporting neutrino oscillations are reexamined empirically, ignoring the phase space of the usual theory. An absolutely minimum description can be constructed easily without assuming oscillations. An empirical fit to a simplified but representative set of neutrino problem data may require only two free parameters; the usual oscillation theory requires as many as four. Free parameters used were total mass in range of a propagating neutrino, distance travelled, and a detector profile parameter. The usual oscillation theory appears overcomplicated and inefficient. Even if future data do not demand it be complicated further, it should be abandoned for something better.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2001

The Distant Possibility of Using a High-Luminosity Muon Source to Measure the Mass of the Neutrino Independent of Flavor Oscillations

Short-baseline calculations reveal that if the neutrino were massive, it would show a beautifully structured difference spectrum; however, this spectrum seems beyond current experimental reach. An interval-timing paradigm would not seem feasible in a short-baseline experiment; however, interval timing on an Earth-Moon long baseline experiment might be able to improve current upper limits on the neutrino mass.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2001

Entropy Shows that Global Warming Should Cause Increased Variability in the Weather

Elementary physical reasoning seems to leave it inevitable that global warming would increase the variability of the weather. The first two terms in an approximation to the global entropy are used to show that global warming has increased the free energy available to drive the weather, and that the variance of the weather should increase correspondingly.

physics.gen-ph↗