The de Broglie Relations: Lorentz Invariance and Photons.
Abstract
A simple covariant derivation of the de Broglie relations breaks down when one considers propagation of light in an anisotropic medium. This breakdown results in two distasteful conclusions. The first is that the de Broglie relations are not completely universal and their covariance is restricted. The second is that wave-particle duality is not universal. In this paper a resolution of these problems is suggested, a resolution which is an extrapolation of ideas of de Broglie and Andrade e Silva. The relations are generalized for propagation in anisotropic media by defining a new phase wave with wave vector l in the direction of energy transport and distinct from the conventional electromagnetic wave. The introduction of l follows the method by which de Broglie associated a wave with an electron. The magnitude of l is omega u/c-squared where omega is the angular frequency and u the velocity of energy transport. The physical meaning of l and the covariance of physical laws in the presence of matter are discussed. An experiment is described which would test the existence of the phase wave associated with the new wave vector l. This experiment is essentially a Young two-slit experiment carried out within an anisotropic crystal. Keywords: Scattering; Anisotropic materials.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA165234
Entities
People
- Ronald G. Newburgh
Organizations
- Rome Laboratory