Research Discussion Page

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0. Issues on the foundations and predictions

• How do the papers of Louis Crane relate to these ideas? (CS: Crane's analysis of the shortcomings of present unification approaches is beautifully clear. He does not go as far as to reject the set concept, though. As a solution, Crane proposes using categories for unification, which in the present approach are put aside as well, as they are based on sets. The present approach uses ideas more similar to those of Kauffman's "Knot Logic", where knot theory and generalized sets are explored.)

• The predictions are few. (CS: yes, the model turns out to be extremely conservative, and predicts much fewer particles, groups and phenomena than most theories that were popular in the last 35 years. A few predictions are there, however, and a few are contrary to what is generally suggested, so that experimental tests are possible.)

1. Issues on the derivation of electrodynamics

• There are no derivations of the deviations from Maxwell's equations. (CS: correct; there do not seem to be any deviations.)

• In regard to the maintenance of photon shape after propagation: http://www.physorg.com/news88439430.html (CS: indeed, experimentally the light pulse shape is conserved; the issue in the preprint is to check that this is also the case in the model.)

• The derivation of Coulomb's law is done in words only. (CS: yes; the electric field is an effect that results from averaging, analogous to pressure. Any source that emits randomly in all directions leads to a 1/r^2 dependence. No calculations are needed for this result.)

• The derivations of Maxwell's equations are done with words only. (CS: yes; but the derivations are correct nevertheless. They follow in the usual way from the 1/r^2 result for static sources when boosts are applied.)

• Do photons that "split" while passing double slits give the wrong behaviour when detected? (CS: No, a detector will still detect only whole photons, and the detection behaviour that comes up is the measured one.)

2. Issues on the derivation of special and general relativity

• If the hypothesis that the graviton is a pair of photons is true, would the graviton exhibit the same self-scattering properties as the single photon? (CS: well, first, I would say that the graviton is *not* a pair of photons; it only looks somewhat like such a pair. Related to this is the second point: the scattering behaviour is very different, as gravitons get scattered in the vacuum all the time, whereas photons don't.)

3. Issues on the derivation of quantum theory and QED

• The addition of states should be explained in more detail. (CS: true, but time is short...; there is a bit more in "Talk C" on the research page, where addition is defined with help of a process that is marked with green regions in the illustrations.)

• The given estimation of the fine structure constant is based on the assumption that only part of the virtual photons emitted by a charge reach a second charge. This is wrong: in quantum electrodynamics, as in the extended entity model, all virtual photons reach the other charge. (CS: manuscript 4 corrects and avoids this issue.)

4. Issues on the derivation of nuclear physics

• Is the fourth paper being released soon? (Asked June 4 2008) (CS: it is released. The three gauge interactions are related to the three Reidemeister moves.)