Is the Photon a Self-Energy Flow or a Mutual-Energy Flow?

Abstract

Shuang-Ren Zhao*

In classical electromagnetic theory, energy flow density is described by the Poynting vector, while in quantum mechanics, the concept of probability current exists. These flows are all generated by the source and are referred to here as self-energy flows. Traditional theories assume that sinks (e.g., receiving antennas) do not generate electromagnetic fields or that their fields are negligible. However, alternative views exist, including the Wheeler-Feynman absorber theory and Cramer’s transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, which assert that sinks emit advanced waves. The author supports this viewpoint and finds that the mutual energy flow formed by retarded and advanced waves can describe photons. This article does not derive mutual energy flow from electromagnetic theory but rather compares the possible forms of self- and mutual-energy flows to illustrate that photons should be mutual-energy flows, not self-energy flows. Furthermore, it is shown that Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory has a flaw that necessitates a correction to the phase of the far-field magnetic field. After the correction, the electromagnetic wave represents reactive power and thus does not transfer energy. Instead, the mutual-energy flow carries energy and can be regarded as the photon. The mutual-energy flow is generated at the source and annihilated at the sink, unlike the self-energy flow, which is only generated and not annihilated. Moreover, the generation and annihilation mentioned here refer to spatial generation at the source and spatial annihilation at the sink, which is different from the creation and annihilation operators in quantum field theory, where entire plane waves are created or annihilated. This paper presents six possible forms of self- and mutual-energy flows and concludes that the sixth is the most reasonable. This state requires the electric and magnetic fields of electromagnetic waves to maintain a 90-degree phase difference, making the wave purely reactive with no energy transport. All energy is instead carried by the mutual-energy flow, which is the photon. The idea is also applicable to quantum mechanics.

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