WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY

Marius Borneas

Department of Physics Technical University Timisoara, Romania

In this paper we advance a "lax" interpretation scheme (LIS) of quantum theory, based on a realistic point of view. One can admit the statement that observation represents the chief knowledge, yet description of something happening between the observations, which does not contradict them, also has meaning.

In order to develop our LIS let us begin from direct experimental data. Consider an actual example: place a sensible screen in front of a ~-active source. One can observe spots on the screen. The source can be constructed in such a manner that in the detector, on the screen, the spots appear successively. Thus we can say that a microsystem (MS) appears as particle in some cases, namely when it interacts with some detecting device, where it ends its course. On the other hand, if between the source and the detector there is a proper device (e.g. a thin metallic sheet), the spots on the screen concentrate on some regions, forming diffraction patterns. The fact that the diffraction patterns appear even when the MS-s fall on the screen one by one, allows the conclusion that the individual MS presents in some circumstances a wave character. Thus MS has a dual character, being in general wave and/or particle. However, in the view of LIS, that-what-comes toward the detector, the free MS is only a wave, being subdued to specific wave phenomena; but in the detector there are particles. Moreover the free MS is not a probability wave. We state that the MS is an objective complicated wave of associated fields - a combined fields wave (CFW). MS formed by more waves has been advocated by several authors (e.g. refs. 1-5).

One can obtain more associated fields in a natural way if one considers a basic field, say W, which behaves according to equations with higher derivatives. By decomposition (methods of decomposition e.g. in refs. 6-8) one can write usual wave equations, of first and second order, for fields formed by self­interaction of the field W. The field W is not an ordinary field directly observable; it is a universal nonlocal field, generating the observable fields, the constituents of CFW, as well as other fields interacting with the given MS. We

Frontiers of Fundamental Physics, Edited by M. Barone and F. Selleri, Plenwn Press, New York, 1994

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strongly emphasize the nonclassical statement that MS is a part of a universal system, a correlation existing, as shown, between MS and the field W.

Let us watch MS in its course. It propagates in space as a wave. Reaching the detector it interacts with an external field linked to the detector; the interaction is governed by the universal field W through a field in the MS sector, generated by it, say F, with singularities, in the sense of de Broglie. These singularities result from the nonlinear interactions. The combination of the CFW, the field of the detector, and the field F, leads to the building up of the particles.

As the field W is universal, the F singularities, i.e. the places where the particles occur, their state, depend on the state of the whole universe. One can say that nature is nonseparable, in the sense that one event may be influenced by another event from which is separated by spacelike interval. Locally the apparition of particles is random. But a basic difference vis-a-vis the

conventional quantum theory is that instead of the probability wave 'V there is the real CFW, one of the components being proportional to 'V (just as in de Broglie's views), and the act of observation is more complex.

The particle can be conceived as a region of very high intensity of the field, as de Broglie states, following a kind of reduction of the CFW by the interaction, during a time short but different from zero. Of course the observations show only the final result (see also refs. 9-11). Thus our knowledge of the position of the particle is really a collapse.

In order to explain why the reduction of the CFW takes place in discrete quantities, one can imagine the phenomenon of particle generation as follows. As soon as CFW enters in interaction with the field of the detector, a system of stationary waves is formed from one of the CFW waves and the field of the detector, i.e. a kind of system with discrete levels. Particles occur as another component of CFW accumulates sufficient energy to surpass these levels. For a small energy only one level is surpassed, only one particle appears. It is meaningless to speak of the order in time of the formation of the wave-detector system and the building up of particles, because, as Mugur-Schachter12 says, "there is a reflexive, double-way causality, carrying influences with any velocity, superluminal or infraluminal, both from the object-state to the measuring devices, and from measuring devices to the object-state". Clearly nonclassic view.

Concerning the energy, the conservation holds because the measuring of the energy is only possible at the source and at the detector, where it is the same. One must not forget that MS is a part of a larger system comprising the field W.

The established fact that in interaction with an external field CFW generates particles, suggests to admit that the emission of MS-s from the source is also an emission of particles. However, the free MS being only wave, it results that immediately after the emission, departing from their source, the particles disintegrate. The fact that the particles are the result of combinations of several fields makes understandable the existence of the process of desintegration. The idea of appearance and disappearance of particles has been already advanced in some works (e.g. refs. 13-15).

The detailed explanation, by the LIS scheme, of some actual experiments is presented elsewhere.

It must be underlined that the results within the frame of LIS are possible only because the universal field W obeys an equation with higher derivatives, allowing the decomposition in two, or three, or more usual wave equations.

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One can speculate that if the field W behaves in some conditions as obeying equations with derivatives of order tending towards infinity, it could produce phenomena beyond the usual ones - (paraphenomena?).

As a general observation remember that de Broglie16 said that the establishment of an orthodoxy was always fatal for the progress of science.

Bearing in mind de Broglie's ideas, we venture to the following continuation of LIS. Admit that usually the field W is weak enough and slowly variable. Then the fields composing the free CFW are linear and the phenomena occur as presented so far. Nevertheless in some conditions the field W can be very strong and rapidly variable, such that nonlinear terms appear in the equations of the free CFW. This nonlinearity creates a self-interaction field of the MS, say S. It is stated by several authors (e.g. refs. 17, 18) that nonlinearities can produce self-fields. The field S produces some changes in the behaviour of MS. It does not affect the wave character of CFW, yet it does affect the building up of particles at the detector. Remember that the formation of the particles with a weak and slowly variable W field was governed by the field F emerging from the nonlocal W. Now, with a strong and rapidly variable W, the field S born in these conditions "swallows" the field F in a local field, applied to the sector of the given MS, determining the state of the MS, for example its position at the detector. One can no more speak of a natural probability. The MS in these cases has a determined state; we call it saphion. The saphions could be detected in the future in some experiments.

The proposed LIS is trying to advance a new philosophico-physical sight on the microsystems, enveloping the conventional results and the non conventional views.. The attempt is in agreement with the experimental data known up to day, but opens also the possibility for new discoveries.

I express my gratitude to Professor Franco Selleri who offered me the opportunity to present this communication.

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