New Grand Unified Theory : an explanation

 

                                                                                                                  by   Dilip D James

 

             

 

               No other sub-atomic particle holds such fascination for the physicist as the photon. More is probably known about the photon than about any other sub-atomic particle . Yet in spite of this the photon remains as shrouded in mystery  as on the day its existence was first suspected by  Einstein , almost 100 years ago.

              The properties of the photon have been  observed extensively over many years , yet  no explanations have been  offered for any of these properties , it remains as elusive as ever. This is not surprising when one examines in detail what exactly these properties are :-

  1. The photon has the amazing ability to retain it’s energy or identity intact over amazing distances. To understand what this means it must be understood that scientists are able to view objects that are billions of light years away , note that the operative word here is ‘light years ‘ and not kilometers or miles. Yet over these almost unimaginable distances the photon retains its identity , red light is still red , blue light is still blue etc., Ordinary waves such as sound waves or waves in water , tend to dissipate their energy with distance. If this had happened to the photon we would not be able to know anything of the Universe. It is this distinctive feature of the photon which enables us to gain so much information about the Universe we inhabit. A photon is either absorbed or retains its energy.

 

  1. The energy of the photon varies inversely according to wave  length and frequency. This means that photons with longer wave lengths will have lower frequencies and less energy than photons with shorter wave lengths and higher frequencies.

 

 

  1. Photons travel in straight lines , which is peculiar because the photon also has the properties of a wave and waves tend to curve around objects. We know that photons travel in straight lines because of the sharp shadows thrown by the sun.

 

  1. A photon is the ultimate manifestation of the property known as wave-particle duality , that is the photon exhibits the properties of both a wave and a particle depending upon how it is viewed. It possesses all the properties of a wave such as diffraction , interference , reflection and refraction and all the properties of a particle as for instance having a definite energy , possessing momentum ,traveling in straight lines and the property of  being indivisible , it is not possible to have half a photon.

 

 

  1. A photon has no mass . In spite of being categorized as a particle a photon possesses no rest mass.

 

  1. A photon always travels with the speed of light (in a vacuum ) or 300,000 Km/sec. Nothing in the Universe can travel faster.

 

 

  1. All electromagnetic radiation from radio waves to gamma waves are formed of photons . It is a mistake to think that only visible light is made up of photons.

 

           With so many properties of the photon available for study , one would have thought that it should have been possible for some kind of a model to be built of the photon which would incorporate all these properties. This has never been done . While the mass and relative sizes of even pions and muons , which are secondary sub-atomic  particles in the atomic nucleus , have been determined , no such attempts  have been made with regard to the photon. The question has to be asked , is this a deliberate strategy ? The answer is yes. It turns out that the concept of wave particle duality is central to the very existence of atoms , without the concept of wave-particle duality we would have had  no explanation as to how or why atoms can exist , according to classical physics atoms cannot or should not exist.  The importance of wave particle duality was paramount for the first forty years , yet when in 1955 Lamb and Retherford discovered  physical evidence for the emission and absorption of “virtual” photons   by the electrons of the atom thereby offering a more viable and solid alternative ,  the concept of  wave particle duality  should have been phased out. Unfortunately it was so deeply entrenched in the physics of the time that it had taken on the status of a sacred principle. Hence the reticence on the part of physicists to try to evolve a structure for the photon.

           I decided to attempt to formulate a model which would fit all the known properties of the photon and met with remarkable success . Pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place one after the other . The first piece to fall into place was the phenomenon of electrical conduction. Although   electricity is one of the oldest phenomenon known to physics , adequate explanations have still not been found. Most physicists still think that electrical energy is conveyed by electrons , like pushing in ping pong balls into a tube already filled with ping pong balls ,this is a false notion , since the drift velocity of  electrons under a potential difference is a fraction of a millimeter a second while energy is established in the conductor at the speed of light.  The next bit of the puzzle to fall into place was the phenomenon of magnetism this was followed by an explanation for electromagnetic radiation and the nature of  inductive and radiative fields a natural corollary to this was the nature of light and its propagation , an explanation for superconductivity followed and  substantiated  the theory ending with the  momentous discovery of the nature of Gravity.

                The wonderful thing about this is that The New Grand Unified Theory unites all the  phenomenon related above and were the result of a single discovery , namely the structure of the photon.

 

                                                                  

Dilip D James

“Arden Villa “ ,

St. Ann’s Rd

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Nilgiris : S. India