‘Quantum physics, however, revealed that an electron in an atom can be in one place, and then, as if by magic, reappear in another without ever being anywhere in between, by emitting or absorbing a quantum of energy. This was a phenomenon beyond the ken of classical, non-quantum physics.’
QUANTUM - Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6448772-quantum.
The following video provides a 21st century physicists ‘explanation’ for this phenomenon:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A8TXBfZ6H/
In the Ignis hypothetical model, the electron ‘surrounding’ the nucleus of a hydrogen atom [for example] exists as a cloud of equal period photons cycling individually between their energy and matter forms at a radius determined by their period of oscillation between states.
[Note that the photons comprising an electron do not meld into a single energy packet that ' orbits' the nucleus in the form of many cycles of the ‘electron’ frequency but continue to ‘circulate’ as photons at the absorbed ‘resonant frequency’.].
The cloud of photons remains captivated by the atom owing to the photons cyclic materialisation period and the negative charge exhibited by them when in the particulate mode being attracted to the positive charge of the nucleus. This concept will be explained below.
Photons cycle through the electromagnetic and particulate states as described elsewhere in this hypothesis and at a rate determined by their energy content.
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Consider the interaction of the positively charged nucleus of an atom with photons as described in the Ignis hypothesis.
A photon approaching an atomic nucleus cycles through the energetic and material states previously described at a rate determined by its energy level.
A high energy photon materializes more frequently than a low energy photon, thus its material states occur more closely spaced together.
If a negatively charged [materialized] photon appears within acquisition range of the positive charge of an atomic nucleus it is drawn toward that nucleus.
Several possibilities now exist as the photon dematerializes and continues in its previous direction toward the nucleus as a packet of essentially uncharged energy.
As the energy packet continues through the nucleus without interaction, it progressively acquires mass and charge as it travels.
What occurs next is determined by the repetition period [spatial distance between material occurrences] of the photon and by the strength of the charge of the nucleus [number of protons].
Having passed through the nucleus, if a photon has gained sufficient negative charge while still within acquisition range of the charge of the nucleus and if its momentum is sufficiently low, the photon will be pulled back toward the nucleus.
For a limited range of photon energies and nucleus charges, a photon that passes through a nucleus as described, will become trapped within a continuous cycle of sequential passes through the nucleus under the influence of charge attraction.
Such a photon will then repeatedly present its most highly materialized and charged state at a distance from the nucleus determined by its energy and the nucleus charge of the atom [number of protons].
This is the ‘orbital’ distance of what is conventionally referred to as an electron.
Photons materializing less frequently than those described above, having passed through the nucleus without interaction, only acquire significant negative charge beyond re-acquisition range of the nucleus charge and will thus avoid capture.
While circumstances for higher energy photons are less clear to this author, it is speculated that they may have sufficient momentum to avoid capture.
It can be seen that the acquisition of many equal energy photons by an atomic nucleus will produce a 'cloud' of such photons materializing at a distance from the nucleus determined by their energy level.
Mutual repulsion between the negative charges of these photons will lead to their balanced distribution around the nucleus in the form of an 'electron cloud’ as previously described.
No 'orbital' energy losses are involved as the 'electron' is not orbiting the nucleus as historically imagined.
It may now be seen that the 'orbital distance' relationship to the energy of the 'electron' [photon cloud] arises from the repetition period of the photons involved rather than the 'wavelength' of a perceived electromagnetic wave.
What has previously been referred to as a virtual wave-guide can now be seen to behave as what may be termed an infinite Q [lossless], virtual resonant cavity.
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An electron virtual tuned cavity is able to absorb photons at its resonant frequency up to the point of saturation. Electrons of most atoms with which we are familiar will rarely be in this condition owing to the ongoing absorption and emission of photons as they exist in an environment rich with photon [energy] sources.
When an electron is saturated, it is suggested that absorption of an additional incident photon corresponding to the 'wavelength' of the wave-guide formed at its resonant frequency causes the electron to enter an over-energized condition in which the mutual repulsion of the photons overcomes their attraction to the nucleus, a condition that requires a re-balancing of the forces distributed within the photonic cloud.
This redistribution of energies results in the 'electron' transiting to the next energy band [for example from n1 to n2], an unstable condition generally leading to the subsequent emission of a photon and a return to the lower energy band.
Note that this transition occurs during an energy phase of the photons, thus the 'electron' 'physically disappears' at one orbital, [n1 for instance] and 'reappears' at a higher orbital, [n2 for example], giving rise to the common belief that the electron enters 'the quantum field' and is replaced by one that emerges from 'the quantum field' at the higher orbital.
Prior to the point of saturation the photons within an electron exist in a state of dynamic tension between each other caused by the mutual repulsion of their negative charges when in their material phases. In the absence of other influences this repulsion will maintain an even distribution of materialized photons around the nucleus of the atom.
This even distribution is seen as occurring through the particulate forms moving equidistantly from each other under mutual repulsion before reverting to their next energetic state as they once again transition through the nucleus without affective mass or charge.
The degree of tension between photons increases with the addition of each additional photon and causes a redistribution of all of the photons comprising the electron in such a manner as to maintain a balance between the forces involved.
This process continues with the absorption of additional photons until the repulsive forces among the photons overcome the attractive force of the nucleus, at which point the energies within the electron are redistributed into photons of a ' wavelength' [repetition distance] that causes their orbital radius to increase to a point where the balance between attractive and repulsive forces is restored. This occurs with a greater spatial separation between the photons’ material phases due to their lower 'frequency' [longer wavelength] and the resultant increased diameter of their 'orbit'.
The 'electron' in question is at this point unable to absorb further photons of n1 energy but may absorb photons of a wavelength equal to its new, lower 'frequency', resonant energy.
Energy levels above n1 are unstable as, with photon material states more widely distributed, the repulsive force between them is only marginally able to overwhelm the attraction of the nucleus and a tendency exists for the electron to return to the n1 orbital.
If there is no incident energy [no absorbed photons] at the wavelength of the virtual wave-guide at the new orbital radius the electron will emit a packet of energy at the n1 energy level and return to the stable saturated state at n1 with the energy redistributed once again into n1 'frequency' [energy] packets..
During the period in which the electron existed at the higher energy level, n2 for example, [before emission of a photon] it may absorb photons resonant with its new, lower 'frequency' [resonant period] and may continue to do so until the saturation level of that shell is exceeded by the addition of a photon causing that shell to overcome nucleus attraction and transition once again to a higher energy orbit such as n3..
Note that even though the photons ‘circulating’ within the electron in the n3 orbit are, at this stage, individually of a lower energy [lower 'frequency', longer 'wavelength'] than those at either n1 or n2 their combined energy is greater than the combined energy in the lower orbits by the sum of the energies added by all the photons incorporated above the saturation levels of n1 and n2..
Note also that when the electron transited to the n2 orbit from the n1 orbit, it did so in an unsaturated state for that orbit owing to the degree of separation of the photons within it and the same unsaturated condition exists for all 'electrons' transiting to higher energy levels. A number of, probably very many, additional photons will need to be absorbed by the electron at each level before this level becomes saturated and able to transit to a yet higher energy level [n4 for example] with the addition of one more photon..
When initially within the n3 orbit, the electron is in an unstable condition owing to the wide spatial distribution of charge carriers within it [as in the n2 level] and is prone to collapse back to a lower level, perhaps as far as the n1 level but this will not occur if the electron is subjected to sufficient incident radiation at a ‘frequency’ resonant with the n3 orbit. Such additions of energy will drive the electron toward saturation at that level, with the potential to elevate it to a higher energy orbit once again..
If no, or insufficient energy is added to the electron while at the n3 level, the wide distribution of photons within it will result in a collapse of the electron back to a lower level, and if this is the n1 level, in the process it will emit a single photon with an energy equal to that of the sum of the photon energies that had promoted the electron from the n1 energy level to the n3 energy level..
The process described above is identical for all energy levels of an 'electron', with the exception that at some radial distance from the nucleus the addition of a photon to a final saturated n-level will drive the electron to a radial distance at which the attraction holding the photons captive to the nucleus will be insufficient to retain them and the electron [an actual electron] will be released as a negative ion comprising the mass and charge of all of the photons that contributed to its energy.
This explains how a single photon with tiny momentum compared with that of an electron causes the release of an ‘electron’ in the photoelectric effect. This ‘free electron’ is a photon with the sum of the energies of n1 and all additional incident photons that promoted the ‘electron’ to the release level. Such an entity possesses far greater energy than other photons within the molecular structure of the material involved. It therefore also presents a relatively greater mass in its particulate form and if not ‘directed’ by an applied emf will add significantly to ‘thermal’ effects.
Please note that at any time during which any electron energy level [eg, n1] of an atom is in an unsaturated condition the atom will possess some residual degree of positive charge as the charge of its protons is not fully offset. This could be seen as the normal condition for most atoms present in an energy rich environment, or perhaps in any environment. This is a critically important characteristic of matter, as will be seen elsewhere.
It should now be seen that when a photon approaches an atom it may only be reflected if it is presenting as a negative field at the time it encounters a negative presenting 'electron' [or photon cloud] in an 'electron' of an atom either at or beneath the material’s ‘surface’. The angle of reflection will result from the instantaneous arrangement of negative state photons ['electron 'surface' curve] in the 'electron' when encountered by the approaching photon.
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‘Orbital’ electron mass results from the sum of the masses of its constituent particulate photons.
‘Orbital electron' charge arises from the sum of charges presented by the material occurrences of the photons of which it is comprised.
In an energy rich environment, the sum of orbital electron negative charges for all orbital shells will be less than the positive charge of the atomic nucleus with which they are associated.
