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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 9, No. 5
Publication Date: October 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/aivp.95.11003. Wang, J. (2021). The Etheric Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(5). 380-386.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
The Etheric Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
Jian’an Wang
Department of Physics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
ABSTRACT
In this paper, the physical explanation of all quantum phenomena such as wave
function, wave function collapse, wave-particle duality, single-electron double-slit
interference, uncertainty relation, tunneling effect and quantum entanglement is
given by using the new etheric theory, and a new uncertainty relation which is
consistent with the latest experimental results is given.
Key words: Wave function, wave function collapse, wave-particle duality, single-electron
double-slit interference, uncertainty relation, uncertainty principle, tunneling effect,
quantum entanglement, quantum mechanics, quantum mechanical interpretation
INTRODUCTION
Some phenomena in quantum mechanics seem "contrary to our common sense" and make no
sense at all. The interpretation of quantum mechanics is the physicists' attempt to make
quantum mechanics "make sense". In other words, it can be understood that physicists are
trying to find the deeper nature of physics that lies behind quantum mechanics. Although there
are many interpretations of quantum mechanics, the Copenhagen interpretation is recognized
as the dominant one. The Copenhagen interpretation contains the following important points:
1) The quantum state of a quantum system can be completely described in terms of wave
functions. The wave function represents all the information an observer knows about the
quantum system;
2) The probability of an event is the absolute value square of the wave function;
3) In a quantum system, the position and momentum of a particle cannot be determined
simultaneously;
4) Matter has wave-particle duality, according to complementary principle, an experiment can
show particle behavior or wave behavior, but not two behaviors;
5) Measuring instruments are classical instruments that can only measure classical properties,
such as position, momentum, etc.;
6) Correspondence Principle: Quantum physical behavior of large-scale macroscopic system
should be approximate to classical behavior.
THE ETHERIC INTERPRETATION OF QUANTUM MECHANICS
About the wave function
The Copenhagen interpretation does not argue that the wave function has any real existence
except the abstract concept.
According to this etheric theory, elementary particles are composed of fields and the ether
(energy) stored in the field. For example, electrons (positrons) are composed of electrostatic
fields and ether stored in the electrostatic field, and photons are composed of electromagnetic
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Wang, J. (2021). The Etheric Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(5). 380-386.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.95.11003
fields and ether stored in the electromagnetic field. Because the field can be distributed
throughout the cosmic space, it is known that the elementary particle s are as large in size as
the universe. Therefore, in principle, the existence of all elementary particles can be detected
at any space point in the universe. The probability wave described by the wave function Ψ(x, t)
is actually the ether wave. The probability density of the presence of a certain elementary
particle at a certain point in space given ∣Ψ∣2 is actually the normalized etheric density of
that particle at that point.
About the wave function collapse
According to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, quantum mechanics
describes the probability distribution of a microscopic particle (such as an electron) in space.
Before the measurement, the exact position of the particle in space is uncertain. We can only
know the probability of the occurrence of an electron at a certain point in space through the
wave function. But once you measure, let's say you measure the electron at (x, y, z), then you
have the exact position of the electron, and the probability that it's at that point is 1, and the
probability that it's at any other point is 0. In other words, the wave function of the electron
collapses to that point at the moment you measure it.
The following is the physical explanation of wave function collapse in this ether theory: Since
the electrostatic field of any one electron is distributed in the whole cosmic space, and the
electron is composed of the electronic electrostatic field and the ether (energy) stored in the
electronic electrostatic field, so the electron is as big as the universe, so we can detect the
existence of the electron at any point in space. Because the process of observing the electron is
actually the process of the emitted photon interacting with the observed electron. The
probability of photon - electron interaction at a point is proportional to the normalized ether
(energy) density ∣Ψ∣2 of the electron at that point. During the measurement, once the photon
and electron interact with each other at a certain point, the energy of the electron will be
concentrated to the small space centered on the point at the moment of measurement, and the
electron will fully take on the characteristics of its particle. The collapse of the electron wave
function also occurs during the annihilation of positive and negative electrons. At the moment
of annihilation, the energy (ether)of the positron and electron distributed throughout the
universe will gather towards the annihilation point (wave function collapse), disappear at the
annihilation point and release energy. It can be seen that the collapse of electron wave function
caused by observation is actually a physical phenomenon of the interaction between photon
and electron. Because micro particles show their particle characteristics in collision with other
particles or macroscopic objects, micro particles also produce wave function collapse during
collision. In conclusion, wavefunction collapse is a physical phenomenon where elementary
particles gather their energy from full cosmic space to a small volume centered on the point of
collision. Since macroscopic objects are composed of astronomical number of elementary
particles, and the quantum behavior of all elementary particles (such as collapse of wave
function) of a macroscopic object cannot be synchronized, or the probability of synchronization
is very small. Therefore, it is meaningless to describe macroscopic objects by wave function. So
it is theoretically possible that all the elementary particles that make up a macroscopic object,
such as a human body, could collapse at the same time in another place, but the probability is
close to zero. Therefore, it is impossible to use the principle of quantum mechanics to realize
the implicit transmission between two places of macroscopic objects. This phenomenon may
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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 9, Issue 5, October-2021
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
exist in nature, because the universe contains an astronomical number of macroscopic objects,
and extremely unlikely events may occur over a time span of several billion years.
About the wave - particle duality
According to this theory of ether, electrons are composed of electrostatic field and ether stored
in the electrostatic field, and the electrostatic field of electrons and ether stored in it are filled
with the whole universe. The ether of electrons that fills the universe is not stationary but
fluctuating, so electrons have wave properties. Electrons exist as waves throughout the
universe before the collapse of the wave function. When an electron collides with another
particle, such as another electron or photon, it collapses instantly into a particle. Therefore, any
elementary particle exists as wave filled with the entire cosmic space before the wave function
collapses. Once it collides with another particle, it collapses instantly into a particle. Since the
probability of a particle collapsing at a point in space is proportional to the square of the
amplitude of the wave function ∣Ψ∣2, a large number of particles collapse in wave behavior
(for example, a large number of particles passing through a single slit will collapse into a single
diffraction fringe on the screen behind the single slit, and a double slit will collapse into an
interference fringe on the screen behind the double slit). This is the physical mechanism of
wave-particle duality.
The interpretation of single electron double slit interference
According to this theory of ether, electrons are composed of electrostatic field and ether stored
in the electrostatic field, and the electrostatic field of electrons and ether stored in it are filled
with the whole universe. Since the ether that fills the universe is not stationary but fluctuating,
there is interference when the single-electron wave of ether passes through the double slits.
The Etheric density ∣Ψ∣2 after interference forms invisible interference stripes on the screen
behind the double slits. An electron will collapse into a particle on the screen after its etheric
wave has passed through the double slit because it interacts with the screen. Since the
probability of collapse into a particle at some point on the screen is ∣Ψ∣2, when a large
number of electrons pass through the double slit one at a time, the bright spots on the screen
behind the double slit form interference stripes.
About the uncertainty principle
The uncertainty relation (Uncertainty Principle) discussed here reflects the internality of the
microscopic particles, independent of measurements. According to this ether theory, the
Uncertainty Principle specifically reflects the behavior characteristics of ether of a particle
contracting from the whole universe to the point of collapse when the wave function collapses,
as shown in Figure 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 and Equations (2.1), (2.2)......(2.13). When the particle
wavefunction collapses, the ether (energy) constituting the particle shrinks from the whole
cosmic space to the collapse point. The distribution of particle energy (ether) at a time point in
the shrinkage process with the radius centered on the collapse point is shown in Fig. 2.2 and
Equation (2.5). The energy (ether) of a particle in a volume of a certain radius and the
contraction time satisfy the relationship expressed in Figure 2.1 and Equation (2.2):