Wave Theory Of Light Research Articles

The epistemological impact of Augustin-Jean Fresnel and his wave theory of light in the 19th century

The epistemological impact of Augustin-Jean Fresnel and his wave theory of light in the 19th century

The wave theory of light gives better explanations for key phenomena in physics

The well-known wave property of destructive superposition can be used to explain continuous radiation from bound electrons in hydrogen, without quantized energy and quantum jumping. The wave model can be used to explain the most important phenomena in light, without quantization of light. The ether concept can be used to explain the cosmological red shift, without any need for using the Big Bang model.

Engineering of inorganic nanostructures with hierarchy of chiral geometries at multiple scales

Engineering of inorganic nanostructures with hierarchy of chiral geometries at multiple scales

Charles Galton Darwin\u2019s 1922 quantum theory of optical dispersion

The quantum theory of dispersion was an important conceptual advancement which led out of the crisis of the old quantum theory in the early 1920s and aided in the formulation of matrix mechanics in 1925. The theory of Charles Galton Darwin, often cited only for its reliance on the statistical conservation of energy, was a wave-based attempt to explain dispersion phenomena at a time between the theories of Ladenburg and Kramers. It contributed to future successes in quantum theory, such as the virtual oscillator, while revealing through its own shortcomings the limitations of the wave theory of light in the interaction of light and matter. After its publication, Darwin’s theory was widely discussed amongst his colleagues as the competing interpretation to Compton’s in X-ray scattering experiments. It also had a pronounced influence on John C. Slater, whose ideas formed the basis of the BKS theory.

Computer-Aided Laser-Fiber Output Beam 3D Spatial and Angular Design

Multiple laser beams and single-mode optical fibers output can be approximated by assuming that the emitted light has a symmetrical Gaussian intensity profile, which corresponds to the transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM00), which is designated as a Gaussian beam. Current free-accessible design tools are limited to the spatial analysis of the beams, in general, and to the intensity, in particular, and to the graphical visualization in 2D with very limited options. In this work, a novel a computer-aided laser-fiber output beam TEM00 designer, CATEM00, is presented based on the 3D representations typically provided by camera beam profilers, and on the fundamentals of the wave theory of light, including diverse flexibility capabilities for graphical manipulation and parameter comprehension both in terms of spatial behavior and in angular confinement. It must be highlighted that not only is the spatial limitation design of light impact relevant in TEM00 applications but, also, the angle with which the light reaches the target. Hence, the availability of capabilities of phase design in TEM00 following the paraxial limitations is highly convenient. Results and discussion in terms of intensity, power, divergence and wave fronts are presented considering a set of study cases, showing its coherence with Gaussian beam theory.

Photoelectron ejection by electromagnetic wave

Albert Einstein has explained photoelectric effect by corpuscle concept of light. Few phenomena are ambiguous in the explanation. The authors have explained photoelectric effect based on recent reported electromagnetic wave theory. The theoretical explanations of this works are covered all phenomena of the photoelectric effect such as the cause of electron ejection, kinetic energy of the photoelectron, the value of number of the photoelectron in the photocurrent, clear concept of ejection direction, initial ejection time, ejection as flog, frequency and intensity dependence, cutoff frequency and work function. The frequency and intensity dependence have been observed experimentally. The experimental observations show similar results of the theoretical explanation i.e. the kinetic energy of the photoelectron is proportional to both the intensity and frequency of light. The works may help to explain other photonic natures by wave theory of light.

Study on mathematical essence of Huygens’ principle

Huygens put forward his wave theory of light in as early as the 17th century, and he explained the process of light propagation with wavelet envelopes. So far, Huygens’ principle has served as an explanation of the light propagation process and is mainly applied in the research of light diffraction. From the point of physics process, Huygens’ principle transforms the process of light propagation into that of light radiation. We analyze the Huygens’ principle from the wave equation. We find that its mathematical essence is the transformation among the different solutions of the wave equation. Built on the mathematical nature of the Huygens’ principle, the direction, amplitude and phase of the Huygens wavelet were studied. Referring to the Poynting vector of electromagnetic waves, the tilt factor of the Huygens wavelet was obtained by vector analysis. Then according to the properties of plane waves and the Fresnel zone method and using the self-consistent principle, we lead to the conclusions that the phase of the Huygens wavelet is π/2 advanced of the incident light, and the wavelet amplitude is inversely proportional to the wavelength of the light. Finally, the relationship between wave optics and the primitive function is discussed.

Newton's theory of the atmospheric refraction of light

Newton's unpublished theory for the trajectory of a light beam in a medium with varying index of refraction and spherical symmetry is reconstructed. He assumed that light consisted of particles (corpuscles), and derived Snell's refraction law from the assumption that the velocity of these corpuscles is proportional to the index of refraction of the medium, and the acceleration is proportional to its gradient. Surprisingly, Newton's theory leads to a relation for the refraction of light in such a medium that is identically the same as the modern theory based on the wave theory of light.

光の粒子説と波動説(連載 科学誌)

光の粒子説と波動説(連載 科学誌)

Predictive success, partial truth and Duhemian realism

According to a defense of scientific realism known as the “divide et impera move”, mature scientific theories enjoying predictive success are partially true. This paper investigates a paradigmatic historical case: the prediction, based on Fresnel’s wave theory of light, that a bright spot should figure in the shadow of a disc. Two different derivations of this prediction have been given by both Poisson and Fresnel. I argue that the details of these derivations highlight two problems of indispensability arguments, which state that only the indispensable constituents of this success are worthy of belief and retained through theory-change. The first problem is that, contrary to a common claim, Fresnel’s integrals are not needed to predict the bright spot phenomenon. The second problem is that the hypotheses shared by to these two derivations include problematic idealizations. I claim that this example leads us to be skeptical about which aspects of our current theories are worthy of belief.

On the Doppler effect for photons in rotating systems

The analysis of the Doppler effect for photons in rotating systems, studied using the Mössbauer effect, confirms the general conclusions of a previous paper dedicated to experiments with photons emitted/absorbed by atoms/nuclei in inertial flight. The wave theory of light is so deeply rooted that it continues to be applied to describe phenomena in which the fundamental entities at work are discrete (photons). The fact that the wave theory of light can describe one aspect of these phenomena should not overshadow two issues: the corpuscular theory of light, first applied to the Doppler effect for photons by Schrödinger in 1922, is by far more complete since it describes all of the features of the studied phenomena; the wave theory can only be used when the number of photons at work is statistically significant. This disregarding of basic methodological criteria may appear to be a minor fault. However, the historical development of quantum physics shows that the predominance of the wave theory of radiation, beyond its natural application domain, has hampered the reorientation toward the photon description of the underlying phenomena.

Ruling Engines, Diffraction Gratings and Wavelength Measurements before the Rowland Era

SummaryDiffraction gratings have contributed enormously to modern science. Although some historians have written about them, there is much more to be brought to light. This paper discusses their development and use in the period up to about 1880 before Rowland began to produce them. Rittenhouse described the action of a diffraction grating in 1786, but no explanation was possible until the wave theory of light was developed. Fraunhofer discovered the dark lines in the solar spectrum in 1814, and then investigated diffraction, producing the first ruled gratings, making detailed measurements and calculating the wavelengths of prominent spectral lines. After Bunsen and Kirchhoff showed the association between spectral lines and chemical elements there was an upsurge of interest in measuring wavelengths. The gratings used in this work almost all came from one source, a relatively unknown instrument maker called Nobert, who made them by an extremely laborious process using a machine he had built himself. The most significant wavelength measurements were made by Ångström, but Mascart, Van der Willigen, Stefan, Ditscheiner and Cornu also did important work. Nobert gratings were investigated by Quincke, copied photographically by Rayleigh, and were known and discussed in the USA. Nobert's work helped to advance spectroscopy much more than has been acknowledged.

Novel Predictions: From Empiricism to Unificationism

From Fresnel’s wave theory of light to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, the use of novel predictions has a long history in the method of science. Since predictions concern empirical matters, associated models of the method are usually empiricist ones. However, much of the recent philosophy of science shows a lack of emphasis on novel predictions. The central reasons include the general thesis of underdetermination of theory by evidence and the marginalization of novelty to a narrower issue in theory assessment, the prediction-accommodation distinction. In particular, novelty has become nothing more than code for methods classified as unificationist criteria of theory assessment. In this paper, I will extend Harker’s criticisms to a broader history of novel predictions in philosophy of science. I will then suggest a philosophy of science rooted in empiricist ideas, new experimentalism, to recontextualize novel predictions and their epistemological role. I do so in hopes rehabilitating novel predictions as the core of empirical methods. The literature known as new experimentalism offers a particularly promising context for attempting this because it concerns itself with empirical progress as analyzed through the many epistemic values of experiments. The guiding theme of new experimentalism is the theory-independence of experimental phenomena. Thus, it bypasses all unificatory methods and extra-empirical tools of theoretical science. Through this, I aim to provide a basic characterization of novel prediction as experimental interventions, contrary to its current unificationist formulations.

Thomas Young (1773–1829) and the first description of the volume-rate regulation of cardiac output

Thomas Young (1773–1829) is considered one of the greatest minds and polymaths of all time. His colossal academic impact led to major contributions in the fields of medicine (ophthalmology), physics (wave theory of light), anthropology (coining the term “Indo-European”) and ancient history (contribution to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs) [1]. As a trained physician, Young's work in the field of medicine is considered to encompass his seminal work on vision and optical accommodation with some work on the understanding of infectious diseases and the introduction of a simple rule to calculate child medication doses. Posthumously, his work on fluid statistics and hydraulics led to the application of the Young–Laplace equations in the understanding of cardiovascular hemodynamics and pulmonary airway physiology [2]. His work on Young's modulus and elasticity led to the description of the water hammer pulse pressure rise and the prediction of the relationship between arterial stiffness and pulse wave velocity [3–5]. He also recognized cardiac output as the predominant driver of the systemic circulation (as opposed to the older contradicting theory of arterial wall musculature in generating blood flow) [3,6]. Young however also developed fundamental concepts in cardiac output regulation that have not been acknowledged in the international literature for over 200 years. Our modern appreciation of cardiac output (Fig. 1) is derived fromWilliamHarvey's initial description of the cardiac circulation, and the studies of Reverend StephenHales (identifying blood pressure), Albrecht von Haller (describing vascular resistance), Daniel Bernoulli (calculating the work of the heart) and subsequently Ernst Starling's identification of the myocardial contractile apparatus for cardiac output regulation. The eventual calculation of cardiac output came via the Fick principle (Adolf Eugen Fick in 1870) and through dilution methods applying the Stewart (1897) and Hamilton (1932) equations [7,8]. In his 1808 Croonian lecture delivered to the Royal Society entitled “On the Functions of the Heart and Arteries” [3], Young identified “the quantity of blood transmitted [by the heart]... remain[s] the same as in perfect health ... the pulse, if more frequent, must be weaker, and if slower, it must be stronger”. From this statement there is evidence that Young had an appreciation for stroke volume [SV] (“quantity of blood transmitted” by the heart). He then recognized that in health, changes in the pulse [heart rate—HR] result in reciprocal changes in SV (“if more frequent, must be weaker, and if slower, it must be stronger”). From this we can identify that Young was developing the earliest concepts of the regulation of cardiac output whichwere the product of heart rate and stroke volume; a concept readily understood today as CO=HR×SV. In summary, I describe Thomas Young's first description of cardiac output regulation. To the best of my knowledge this has not been formally identified in the international literature since his 1808 original Crooninan lecture. It reveals Thomas Young's detailed appreciation of cardiovascular regulation that likely benefited from his authoritative background in physics (natural philosophy) and the general study of biological systems. His concepts pre-dated the Frank–Starling law by over a century and represent the broad genius of this polymath that contributed to our understanding of modern cardiac physiology.

Robert Hooke, 1635-1703.

Robert Hooke was a polymath whose expertise during the 17th century spanned many different scientific areas. As a schoolboy on the Isle of Wight he was obsessed with the possibility of human flight and later became equally absorbed in cosmology and planetary motion. His skills as an artist were put to good use both as an architect following the Great Fire of London and before that in Micrographia. Although that book is best known for demonstrating the power of Hooke's microscope, Micrographia describes distant planetary bodies, the wave theory of light, the organic origin of fossils, and various other philosophical and scientific interests of its author The following thumbnail sketches of Hooke reveal him to be a man of enormous energy and imagination whose ideas were often pirated or under-rated.

Light, sight, and quanta

Ever since the rival corpuscular and wave theories of light, developed by Newton and Huygens in the 17th century, light has always been maddeningly difficult stuff to understand, and since the advent of quantum theory during the 20th century, the problems of conceptualising it have, if anything, worsened. Richard Feynman, in QED [1], is quite blunt about this: “The theory of quantum electrodynamics describes Nature as absurd from the point of view of common sense”. But he adds, “And it agrees fully with experiment”.

Conjunctions in Paris: Interactions between Rømer and Huygens

Christiaan Huygens (1692–1695) and Ole Romer (1644–1710) closely interacted during the 1670s, when they were both in and around the Academie Royale des Sciences in Paris. They were part of a small group with a shared interest in precision instruments. In the course of their interactions Romer played a decisive role in two of Huygens renowned achievements: the wave theory of light and the design of a planetarium. Romer's discovery of the finite speed of light, confirmed Huygens main supposition that light propagates at finite speed. The news of the discovery renewed his interest in the nature of light, resulting in 1677 in the formulation of the principle of wave propagation. Romer's subsequent criticism of Huygens' theory induced him to seek experimental verification of his claims which he successfully did in 1679. Huygens' planetarium of 1682, in the meantime, was a direct response to the instrument Romer presented at the Academie in 1680. According to Huygens, his instrument provided a more economic and more truthful mechanical representation of celestial motions. Despite their affinity in matters of ingenuity, Huygens and Romer never became really close. After their departure from Paris, contact between them virtually ceased. This may be explained by the socio-cultural differences between both savants.

MICROWAVE NOISE FIELD BEHAVES LIKE WHITE LIGHT

This paper presents various applications where wide-band signals are the dominant factor. The approaches applied here are based on the present knowledge in the fleld of white light theory (the THz band), the particle theory of light, and the wave theory of light. White light theory is used to investigate wide-band applications of non-coherent electromagnetic waves in the GHz range represented by noise. In addition, the theoretical approaches to the fleld of white light are conflrmed by various experiments with noise flelds applied in the GHz range. These experiments show clear advantages of measurements performed by means of noise flelds. The most important feature of these flelds is the absence of interference efiects.

Energy flow lines and the spot of Poisson–Arago

We show how energy flow lines answer the question about diffraction phenomena posed in 1818 by the French Academy: “Deduce by mathematical induction the movements of the rays during their crossing near the bodies.” The use of energy flow lines provides a complementary answer to Fresnel’s wave theory of light. A numerical simulation of the energy flow lines shows that they can reach the bright spot of Poisson–Arago in the shadow center of a circular opaque disk. For a monochromatic wave in vacuum, these energy flow lines correspond to the diffracted rays of Newton’s Opticks.

Isaac Newton and the mystery of the major sixth: a transcription of his manuscript 'Of Musick' with commentary

Isaac Newton's only extended manuscript 'Of Musick' is here transcribed with commentary, especially concerning his analogy between music and colour. This manuscript shows that Newton's musical judgements relied more on experiential qualities, on 'sweetness' or 'gratefulness', than on purely theoretical preconceptions. The manuscript also shows that he formulated the music/colour analogy years before he could have read suggestions of it in Robert Hooke's 1672 letters, leaving open the possibility of alternative classical or alchemical sources. Newton later used this analogy in his optical writings to define seven spectral colours analogous to the seven tones of the diatonic scale, implicitly presuming that the spectrum, like the scale, spans an octave. His experiments with 'Newton's rings' in thin transparent bodies, however, led him to note that a major sixth, rather than an octave, describes the recurrent air thickness leading to the same colour. In his Opticks, Newton argued that this major sixth could be reinterpreted as giving an octave ratio by taking the cube roots of the squares of the air thickness. By finding an optical analogue to Kepler's Third Law of planetary motion, Newton also restored the primacy of the octave in his analogy by arguing away the major sixth. Though he did not recognise it as such, this major sixth can be interpreted in terms of the wave theory of light as the ratio of the extreme wavelengths of visible light. Newton's musical analogy, followed more strictly, could have revealed a hallmark of the wave nature of light.