Deriving an Electric Wave Equation from Weber’s Electrodynamics

Deriving an Electric Wave Equation from Weber's Electrodynamics

Qingsong Li (Independent Researcher, Sugar Land, Texas) and Simon Maher (Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool).

Foundations 2023, 3, 323-334. Brief Report, published 7 June 2023.

Abstract

Weber's electrodynamics presents an alternative theory to the widely accepted Maxwell-Lorentz electromagnetism. It is founded on the concept of direct action between particles, and has recently gained some momentum through theoretical and experimental advancements. However, a major criticism remains: the lack of a comprehensive electromagnetic wave equation for free space. Our motivation in this research article is to address this criticism, in some measure, by deriving an electric wave equation from Weber's electrodynamics based on the axiom of vacuum polarization. Although this assumption has limited experimental evidence and its validity remains a topic of debate among researchers, it has been shown to be useful in the calculation of various quantum mechanical phenomena. Based on this concept, and beginning with Weber's force, we derive an expression which resembles the familiar electric field wave equation derived from Maxwell's equations.

Keywords: electric wave equation; vacuum polarization; Weber's electrodynamics.

1. Introduction

Classic electromagnetism is based on Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force. As an alternative to Maxwell-Lorentz electromagnetism, Weber's electrodynamics can also explain a range of electromagnetic phenomena, but it has received significantly less attention. In recent years, progress has been made in both experimental and theoretical research on Weber electrodynamics. A series of new experiments, including electron beam deflections, electron beam induction, the prediction of magnetic force direction within a capacitor, and wave-particle duality investigations utilizing a Hertzian dipole acting as a single quantum object, have provided evidence supporting the validity of Weber's electrodynamics. In addition, a six-component force representing Weber's electrodynamics has been introduced, making calculations simpler for cases involving large numbers of particles. Weber's electrodynamics has also been extended for the regime of high-velocity particles, and proposed as a more physically intuitive explanation of Faraday's paradox.

The success of Maxwell's equations in deriving the electromagnetic wave equation and explaining a range of electromagnetic phenomena is profound and has been well documented. Whilst Maxwell's equations have been influential in our understanding of electromagnetic waves, it was Weber's electrodynamics that first established the relationship between the speed of light and electromagnetic waves. Nevertheless, Weber's electrodynamics has faced criticism for its inability to predict electromagnetic waves in free space, including its failure to explain electromagnetic wave phenomena, such as radar and cold plasma oscillations. However, in the past few decades, researchers have challenged this view and made progress in using Weber's electrodynamics to explain electromagnetic waves. In particular, Assis employed Weber's electrodynamics to derive a wave equation for signal propagation in conductors, while Wesley derived a wave equation by introducing time retardation into Weber's electrodynamics. Kühn developed an inhomogeneous wave equation from Maxwell's equations to be compatible with Weber's electrodynamics under certain conditions (observer rest frame, charge as a function of velocity, and uniform charge velocity).

Interestingly, there is another approach in which the vacuum is not regarded as empty. It is based on the quantum mechanical idea that, under the influence of an external electric field, the vacuum is polarized through the creation of so-called virtual-particle/anti-particle pairs. In 2003, Fukai put forward comparable ideas in which electrical signals propagating through a vacuum were hypothesized to have an equivalent circuit consisting of a series of inductors and capacitors.

Building on these ideas, herein we assume a polarized vacuum consisting of positive and negative charges and, for the first time, successfully derive an electric wave equation for free space based on the telegraphy ideas of Weber, Kirchoff, and Assis. While Maxwell's equations have undoubtedly been successful in explaining electromagnetic phenomena, recent advancements in Weber's electrodynamics can potentially offer an intriguing and complementary insight regarding the behavior of electromagnetic waves.

2. Weber's Electrodynamics

Compared to Maxwell-Lorentz electromagnetism, Weber's electrodynamics gives a much simpler form for particle-particle interaction forces. For two particles interacting with each other, the force exerted by one particle on the other is given by equation (1): the Coulomb expression — the product of the two charges times the unit vector from one to the other, divided by four pi times the dielectric constant times the squared distance — multiplied by a bracket consisting of one, plus one over the squared speed of light times the combination of the relative velocity dotted with itself, minus three halves of the squared radial component of the relative velocity, plus the distance times the radial component of the relative acceleration. Here the relative velocity and relative acceleration are those of the second charge with respect to the first. This force has been used in numerous studies of Weber's electrodynamics before.

Table 1 in the source lists the symbols used throughout the paper: the total force and its integrated static (Coulomb), velocity-related and acceleration-related parts; the corresponding forces between two small parcels of charge; the displacement, velocity, acceleration and density of the positive and negative charges; the external electric field and the function relating it to the displacement field; the average charge density; the volume elements at the origin and on the shell; the shell area and thickness; the Eulerian and Lagrangian derivatives; the divergence, gradient, curl and Laplacian operators; a constant scalar; and the scalar potential.

The type of force described in Weber's electrodynamics is often classified as action at a distance (or direct action). The force is exerted instantaneously, regardless of the distance between the interacting particles. Moreover, the force expression, as given in equation (1), is relational and can be used to describe the interaction between particles within any reference system.

3. Vacuum Polarization

In this article, in order to derive an electric wave equation from Weber's force, we postulate that the vacuum behaves similar to a polarizable material. With this assumption, one can then speculate that the vacuum consists of positive and negative charges overlapping each other (figure 1). These charges can oscillate relative to each other, resulting in a displacement represented by one vector for the positive charges and its negative for the negative charges, as set out in equation (2). When there is no external electric field, the displacement of both positive and negative charges is zero, and the vacuum remains electrically neutral (non-polarized). However, when an external electric field is present, the displacement field becomes non-zero. As a result, the vacuum may become polarized due to the continuous variation in charge density, which is related to the divergence of the displacement field.

Equation (2) collects the relations: the positive displacement is minus the negative displacement, and likewise for the velocities and accelerations of the two species; each density is the average density times one minus the divergence of the corresponding displacement, so the two densities sum to twice the average; and the displacement is a function of the external electric field.

When the density change is small, the density relation is approximated by the average density minus that density times the divergence of the displacement, which is equivalent to the volumetric strain formula in continuum mechanics. Here, the rest frame of the media — positive-negative charge pairs in the vacuum — is used.

Figure 1. Sketch of vacuum postulated as a polarizable material. The positive-negative charge pairs are not dipoles since the charges can fully overlap each other when the displacement is zero.

4. Derivation of Electric Wave Equation

Consider a homogeneous vacuum with positive and negative charges. The negative charge density, and the velocity and acceleration of the negative charge, are functions of position (figure 2). The density, velocity and acceleration of the positive charge are simply related with those of the negative charge through equation (2). Now, apply a Taylor expansion to the quantities of negative and positive charges around the origin, equation (3): each quantity at a nearby point equals its value at the origin plus the position vector dotted with its gradient at the origin, plus higher-order terms. Note that the same expansion applies to positive charge too. The higher-order terms will be dropped in the subsequent equation derivations.

Figure 2. Sketch of physical quantities at the origin and at a nearby point.

Both the positive charge and the negative charge in a volume element on a spherical shell exert force on the negative charge in the volume element at the origin (figure 3). Using Weber's electrodynamics, equation (1), and the Taylor expansion of charge quantities, equation (3), the combined force between the two parcels can be written as equation (4) — two terms of the same shape, one for the negative charge on the shell and one for the positive charge, each carrying the Weber bracket with the relative velocities and accelerations written out through first order in the separation.

Figure 3. Sketch of charges in the volume element on the spherical shell, and charges in the volume element at the origin; the shell has a small area element and a thickness.

Equation (4) can be broadly separated into two parts, the first item of the above equation being the force exerted by the negative charge on the shell. The second item is the force exerted by the positive charge on the shell. Overall, the force consists of a static term (Coulomb force), a velocity-related term, and an acceleration-related term.

First, consider the static term (Coulomb force) and use equations (2) and (3). Combining the two contributions gives equation (5), in which the density factor reduces to twice the negative density at the origin, plus twice the position vector dotted with its gradient, minus twice the average density. Now, integrate around the shell: equation (6) gives the integrated static force as minus two thirds of the shell radius divided by the dielectric constant, times the negative charge in the central volume element, times the gradient of the negative density at the origin, times the shell thickness. Further details supporting the integrations carried out in this derivation are included in the Supplementary Information.

Second, consider the velocity-related term, equation (7), again as the sum of the negative and positive contributions with the Weber velocity bracket written out. From equations (2) and (3), we can have equation (8): the negative density near the origin is approximately its central value plus the position vector dotted with its gradient, and the positive density is twice the average density minus that. Inserting equation (8) into equation (7), with some simplification we obtain equation (9). We can then integrate around the shell and drop those higher-order terms which consist of a product of the density gradient and the velocity gradient. Thus, we can obtain equation (10), the integrated velocity-related force.

Third, consider the acceleration-related term, equation (11). From equations (2) and (3), we obtain equation (12), and inserting equation (12) into equation (11) we obtain equation (13). Again, we can integrate around the shell and drop the higher-order terms which have a product of the positive density gradient and the acceleration at the origin. We can also use the approximation that the positive density at the origin is close to the average density. This gives equation (14), the integrated acceleration-related force.

The total force on the negative charge in the central volume element exerted by the shell is the sum of the three, equation (15). Inserting equations (6), (10) and (14) into equation (15), we obtain equation (16).

Since the mass of positive-negative charges in vacuum is likely much smaller compared to that of physical particles, we may choose to ignore their mass and acceleration force in the volume element at the origin. Additionally, the polarization force within a positive-negative charge pair may also be neglected since it is likely small compared to the force exerted by the nearby volume of charges. Equation (16) is valid for a small shell radius, as we used a Taylor expansion, equation (3). Without integrating along the radius, we can set the total force in equation (16) equal to zero due to force balance. With some simplification, we obtain equation (17).

When the velocity of the negative charge at the origin is much less than the speed of light, we can neglect the velocity-related term. Thus we obtain equation (18), which can also be written as equation (19) in terms of the Lagrangian derivative. This expression holds for points other than the origin. Additionally, since the velocity at the origin is small, the Lagrangian derivative can be approximated as a Eulerian derivative. Thus, we can write equation (20).

By applying divergence to the above equation we obtain equation (21). From equation (2), we have the density expressed through the divergence of the displacement; applying a time derivative to it, we obtain equation (22). By inserting equation (22) into equation (21), we obtain equation (23), which represents the wave propagation equation for negative charge density.

Next, we can insert the density relation into equation (20), assuming a homogeneous vacuum and constant charge density. This gives us equation (24), which can be simplified to equation (25). Using the vector formula that the gradient of the divergence of a field equals the curl of its curl plus its Laplacian, we can simplify equation (25) further to obtain equation (26).

At first glance, this equation appears a little complex. Therefore, considering a simple scenario of an irrotational displacement field — one whose curl of curl vanishes — we obtain equation (27). Further, we can assume the vacuum is a homogeneous, linear, non-dispersive, and isotropic dielectric medium. We may use a simple expression of vacuum polarization in which the positive displacement, equal to minus the negative displacement, is a constant scalar times the dielectric constant times the electric field; this expression is similar to that of a typical isotropic dielectric medium. Finally, we obtain equation (28): the Laplacian of the electric field equals the second time derivative of the electric field divided by the squared speed of light.

The equation presented above bears remarkable resemblance to the widely recognized electric field wave equation derived from Maxwell's equations. For the derivation herein, we start with the balance of Weber's force, which leads us to the wave equation of the charge displacement field, and, subsequently, we arrive at the wave equation of the electric field. It is important to note that Weber's force, which arises from the interactions among charges, determines the displacement field. Furthermore, this force can generally be represented by an electric field. In this context, it is worth highlighting that the displacement field is merely a manifestation or an indicator of the electric field.

5. Longitudinal Electric Wave

Longitudinal electric waves travel in the same direction as the electric field. While they have been observed in plasmas and focused beams, their existence in free space has been a topic of debate. According to Gauss's law, the divergence of the electric field in free space must be zero, which implies that the plane or spherical longitudinal waves cannot exist in free space. However, there have been reports of longitudinal electric waves in free space, such as during the eclipse of the sun by the moon and in experiments with spherical antennas. To explain these observations, Monstein and Wesley proposed an inhomogeneous wave equation for the scalar potential using Coulomb's law and time retardation. For clarity, that wave equation is transcribed in the paper as equation (29): the Laplacian of the scalar potential minus its second time derivative equals minus four pi times the source charge density. Since it introduces the time retardation term, the above equation does not obey Gauss's law in free space. A similar theory was used to explain longitudinal electric waves in vacuum radiated by an electric dipole.

The wave equation derived in this paper does not rely on Gauss's law. Instead, it is based on the non-zero divergence of electric displacement (and/or electric field). If the divergence is zero, the field will be static and there will be no wave propagation, as equation (25) shows. Therefore, the theory developed in this paper is compatible with the phenomenon of longitudinal waves and with the theory proposed by Monstein and Wesley.

6. Discussion

This paper posits that the vacuum is not empty, but rather filled with positive-negative charge pairs. This postulation is not without precedent, as it is somewhat in line with the concept of vacuum polarization in quantum mechanics, and the Casimir effect of the void. However, it is important to note that there is a fundamental difference between the vacuum postulate in this paper, which has speculated regarding the existence of physical charges in the vacuum, and the quantum mechanical assumption that virtual particle-anti-particle pairs are created in the vacuum.

The Michelson-Morley experiment has long been cited as evidence against the existence of aether or any other free-space medium. However, in this paper, a hypothetical situation is described whereby the vacuum serves as a medium, consisting of positive-negative charge pairs. By considering the rest frame of this medium and assuming small charge velocity, the Lagrangian derivative is approximated as a Eulerian derivative, as shown in equations (19) and (20). Notably, the wave equation derived herein does not include any sources. Further research should investigate how to incorporate sources and consider cases with varying source and medium velocities. It is also possible that the wave equation derived here may only be valid for stationary media, and further work is needed to explore its limitations and applicability in more general cases.

A criticism that has long been levelled at Weber's electrodynamics is its supposed incompatibility with fields and electromagnetic waves, since Weber's force is based on direct action and thus is not conceptually dependent upon fields. Some, such as O'Rahilly, consider that the field is merely a metaphor and that force formulae are the ultimate element of scientific description. Nevertheless, even though the literature is heavily weighted towards the idea of fields (electric and magnetic fields), with little consideration for the more fundamental entity of force, Weber's electrodynamics is remarkably compatible with field theory. It has been shown that the force law of Weber is consistent with Maxwell's equations, and it can be generalized in such a way that its interpretation is based on the concept of fields.

It can be said that Maxwell's equations possess a form of beauty, and the manifestation of the speed of light from the electric and magnetic wave equations, in relation to permittivity and permeability, is masterful. Yet, Maxwell introduced this concept with regard to his displacement current, based on the electrodynamics of Weber. This quantity was first hypothesized by Weber in his force law, which he was also the first to measure, in collaboration with Kohlrausch, and, furthermore, along with Kirchoff — independently and at approximately the same time — he was the first to deduce that signals within an electrical circuit would propagate at light velocity based on his force law. Whilst Weber's electrodynamics has received comparably little attention, the derivation herein shows that with certain assumptions, it is possible to obtain an expression that resembles the wave equation for the electric field in free space associated with Maxwell's equations from Weber's force.

It is noteworthy that the wave equation for an electric field derived herein, equation (28), employs a simple polarization expression. However, Weber's electrodynamics has been shown to consist of six components. Deriving the wave equation for all six components would require further research and a more sophisticated polarization expression that takes into account the relative displacement, velocity, and acceleration of positive-negative charge pairs.

It should also be noted that the wave equation derived in this paper is based on further assumptions and approximations additional to those already discussed. For instance, we neglected higher-order terms, acceleration force, polarization force, and velocity terms, among others. These assumptions and approximations determine the range of applicability of our derivation. Our approach specifically applies to homogeneous vacuum and is most suitable for scenarios involving low relative speeds of charge pairs. Future research is needed to extend to cases when charged particles, such as electrons, exist in the vacuum, and to cases when charge pairs have high relative speeds. Such investigations may require more sophisticated theoretical and mathematical tools.

While the wave equation derived under the assumption of a zero curl, equation (26), shares similarities with the widely recognized electric wave equation from Maxwell's equations, it remains uncertain whether the curl term is always zero. Most likely, it is not, leading to differences with the electromagnetic wave equation associated with Maxwell's equations. Future research is needed to explore how this equation can be solved to explain electric wave phenomena. Interestingly though, this equation has some similarity to fluid dynamics equations. The curl term may indicate vortex structures in the electric field, akin to those seen in fluids. For instance, ball lightning, a rare and unexplained luminescent spherical object phenomenon, may be a potential candidate to study vortex structures in electric fields.

7. Conclusions

A wave equation for the electric field has been successfully derived from Weber's force, which is also compatible with longitudinal waves. This demonstrates that Weber's electrodynamics can yield an electric field wave equation for free space, similar to that derived from Maxwell's equations. However, we speculate that the vacuum is not empty, but rather it is filled with positive-negative charge pairs, providing the medium for wave propagation. It is important to note that this derivation is based on certain assumptions and approximations which determine its validity and range of applicability, in particular, the hypothetical assumption of charged particle pairs in the vacuum. This idea has some semblance to the concept of vacuum polarization, but the postulation in this paper is somewhat different from the quantum mechanical assumption that virtual particle-anti-particle pairs are created in the vacuum. The electric wave equation derived from Weber's electrodynamics demonstrates the potential of a Weber-type theory in predicting electromagnetic waves for free space and offers the advantage of dealing only with electrical forces between charges, avoiding magnetic fields, displacement currents, and the like.