Genesis of quantization of matter and radiation field

Luis de la Peña; Ana María Cetto

doi:10.1117/12.2187554

10 September 2015 Genesis of quantization of matter and radiation field

Luis de la Peña, Ana María Cetto

Proceedings Volume 9570, The Nature of Light: What are Photons? VI; 957006 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2187554
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2015, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Are we to accept quantization as a fundamental property of nature, the origin of which does not require or admit further investigation? To get an insight into this question we consider atomic systems as open systems, since they are by necessity in contact with the electromagnetic radiation field. This includes not only photonic radiation, but, more importantly for our purposes, the random zero-point or nonthermal radiation that pervades the Universe. The Heisenberg inequalities, atomic stability and the existence of discrete solutions are explained as a result of the permanent action of this field upon matter and the balance between mean absorbed and emitted powers in the equilibrium regime. A detailed study carried out along the years has led to the usual quantum-mechanical formalism as a powerful and revealing statistical description of the behavior of matter in the radiationless approximation, as well as to the radiative corrections of nonrelativistic QED. The theory presented gives thus a response to the question posed above, within a local, realist and objective framework: quantization appears as an emergent phenomenon due to the matter-field interaction.

Citation Download Citation

Luis de la Peña and Ana María Cetto "Genesis of quantization of matter and radiation field", Proc. SPIE 9570, The Nature of Light: What are Photons? VI, 957006 (10 September 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2187554

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available