The Ultimate Speed of an accelerated Electron without Infinite Mass

Abstract

Failure to accelerate electrons beyond the speed of light, led to special relativity, where mass increases with speed, becoming infinitely large at the speed of light. Invoking aberration of electric field, this paper introduces radiative electrodynamics where an electron is accelerated to the speed of light at constant mass and with emission of radiation. The accelerating force on an electron moving in an electric field, is less than the force on a stationary one, relative to an observer. This difference is radiation reaction force, something akin to frictional force, against which work done appears as radiation. An accelerated electron moves in an electric field, with constant mass as the rest mass, emitting radiation equal to the difference between change in potential energy and change in kinetic energy. Circular revolution of an electron, in an atom, round the central force of attraction of a nucleus, as in the Rutherford’s nuclear model of the hydrogen atom, is shown to be without radiation and inherently stable. Emission of radiation takes place if the electron in an atom is dislodged from a circular orbit. It then moves in an elliptic path, emitting radiation, at the frequency of revolution, with fine structure, before reverting to a circular orbit. Describing aberration of electric field, introducing radiative electrodynamics, obtaining the ultimate of speed of light outside special relativity, and getting radiation from accelerated electrons outside quantum mechanics, are notable results of this paper.