Zitterbewegung in stochastic electrodynamics and implications on a zero-point field acceleration mechanism

Abstract

According to the current general ideas on the zitterbewegung and if we assume the existence of a universal classical electromagnetic zeropoint field (CEMZPF) in the manner of stochastic electrodynamics (SED), it can be shown that the recently predicted growing trend of the translational kinetic energy for monopolar classical particles immersed in the CEMZPF should be quenched, when ZPF-induced relativistic oscillations of the centre of charge with respect to the centre of mass of classical monopolar particles are considered. This should occur in such a way that, if proper values of the parameters are assumed, absolutely no translational kineticenergy growth occurs. This is consistent with the fact that protons and other composite particles (nuclei) are found at very high energies (up to 1021 eV and beyond), while primary cosmic-ray electrons do not show up beyond (1012÷1013) eV and only in a e/p=1/100 ratio. That no total quenching occurs for polarizable particles,e.g. protons, is consistent with expectations in astrophysics for a highly excited X-ray-emitting and very rarefied intergalactic neutral plasma. Previous astrophysical speculations on a CR ZPF acceleration mechanism and on the associated very hot intergalactic gas are briefly looked at from this perspective. It is finally conjectured that this concept of a CEMZPF-induced zitterbewegung may be relevant for making further progress in well-known unsolved problems in SED (hydrogen atom, anharmonic oscillator, etc.).