Platform: What physical attributes separate EM waves, of the enormous band of radio to visible to x-ray, from the high energy narrow band of gamma-ray? From radio to visible to x-ray, telescopes are designed based upon the optical imaging theory; which is an extension of the Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral. Do we understand the physical properties of gamma rays that defy us to manipulate them similarly? One demonstrated unique property of gamma rays is that they can be converted to elementary particles (electron and positron pair); or a particle-antiparticle pair can be converted into gamma rays. Thus, EM waves and elementary particles, being inter-convertible; we cannot expect to understand the deeper nature of light without succeeding to find structural inter-relationship between photons and particles. This topic is directly relevant to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of light; which will, in turn, help our engineers to invent better optical instruments.
The Dirac equation electron is modeled as a helically circulating charged photon, with the longitudinal component of the charged photon's velocity equal to the velocity of the electron. The electron's relativistic energy-momentum equation is satisfied by the circulating charged photon. The relativistic momentum of the electron equals the longitudinal component of the momentum of the helically-circulating charged photon, while the relativistic energy of the electron equals the energy of the circulating charged photon. The circulating charged photon has a relativistically invariant transverse momentum that generates the z-component of the spin ħ / 2 of a slowly-moving electron. The charged photon model of the electron is found to generate the relativistic de Broglie wavelength of the electron. This result strongly reinforces the hypothesis that the electron is a circulating charged photon. Wave-particle duality may be better understood due to the charged photon model—electrons have wavelike properties because they are charged photons. New applications in photonics and electronics may evolve from this new hypothesis about the electron.
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