RANDOM ELECTRODYNAMICS

Journal Article · Tue Dec 17 04:00:00 EST 1963 · Proc. Roy. Soc. (London), Ser. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1963.0220· OSTI ID:4116185

Marshall, T W

A study of a statistical ensemble of classical harmonic oscillators that is stationary in time, and whose position and momentum distribution functions are those of the corresponding quantum-mechanical oscillator in its ground state is presented. If the oscillating particle is charged, then in order to maintain the distribution stationary a certain random electromagnetic field must be present. The intensity distribution of the radiation field is calculated, and it is found to be identical with the photom vacuum of quantum electrodynamics. It is suggested, therefore, that this radiation field, which im quantum field theory is treated entirely formally, might exist in the classical sense. The method is extended to the excited states. It is found that the classical emsembles correspondimg to these have probability distributions that may be negative. However, when attention is shifted to the quantum-mechanical mixture, this is no longer the case. Furthermore, the intensity distribution of the radiation field at temperature T is shown to be simply the sum of the Planck distribution and the previously obtained zero-temperature field. The application of these results to statistical mechanics is discussed. The treatment is nom-relativistic throughout, but radiative corrections of the type that give rise to the Lamb shift are an integral part of the theory. (auth)

• Research Organization: Univ. of the West Indies, Jamica
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-18-007588
• OSTI ID: 4116185
• Journal Information: Proc. Roy. Soc. (London), Ser. A, Journal Name: Proc. Roy. Soc. (London), Ser. A Vol. Vol: 276
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHARGED PARTICLES
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRODYNAMICS
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
ENERGY LEVELS
ERRORS
EXCITATION
FIELD THEORY
HYDROGEN
LAMB SHIFT
LOW TEMPERATURE
MATHEMATICS
MIXING
MOMENTUM
NUMERICALS
OSCILLATIONS
PHOTONS
PHYSICS
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
RADIATIONS
SPECTRAL SHIFT
STABILITY
STATISTICS
TEMPERATURE
VACUUM