dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaOn the Relationship of Quantum Mechanics to Classical Electromagnetism and Classical Relativistic Mechanics
| Authors | J. H. Field |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0403076 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0403076 |
| DOI | 10.1088/0143-0807/25/3/006 |
| Journal | Eur. J. Phys. 25 (2004) 385-397 |
Abstract
Some connections between quantum mechanics and classical physics are explored. The Planck-Einstein and De Broglie relations, the wavefunction and its probabilistic interpretation, the Canonical Commutation Relations and the Maxwell--Lorentz Equation may be understood in a simple way by comparing classical electromagnetism and the photonic description of light provided by classical relativistic kinematics. The method used may be described as `inverse correspondence' since quantum phenomena become apparent on considering the low photon number density limit of classical electromagnetism. Generalisation to massive particles leads to the Klein--Gordon and Schr\"{o}dinger Equations. The difference between the quantum wavefunction of the photon and a classical electromagnetic wave is discussed in some detail.
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"abstract": "Some connections between quantum mechanics and classical physics are\nexplored. The Planck-Einstein and De Broglie relations, the wavefunction and\nits probabilistic interpretation, the Canonical Commutation Relations and the\nMaxwell--Lorentz Equation may be understood in a simple way by comparing\nclassical electromagnetism and the photonic description of light provided by\nclassical relativistic kinematics. The method used may be described as `inverse\ncorrespondence\u0027 since quantum phenomena become apparent on considering the low\nphoton number density limit of classical electromagnetism. Generalisation to\nmassive particles leads to the Klein--Gordon and Schr\\\"{o}dinger Equations. The\ndifference between the quantum wavefunction of the photon and a classical\nelectromagnetic wave is discussed in some detail.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0403076",
"authors": [
"J. H. Field"
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"physics.class-ph",
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],
"doi": "10.1088/0143-0807/25/3/006",
"journal_ref": "Eur. J. Phys. 25 (2004) 385-397",
"title": "On the Relationship of Quantum Mechanics to Classical Electromagnetism and Classical Relativistic Mechanics",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0403076"
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