Difference between revisions of "TFNR - Waves"

Revision as of 18:48, 15 October 2026

Waves are Structures of Information, belonging to the class of the Structures of Propagation, dynamical structures, where:

• at the level of the Source: the Action of the Operator Propagation prevails,
• at the level of the Elementary Action: the Mode / Component in which Elementary Action mainly manifests is Translation (the Component / Mode Perturbation is null; Rotation:Chirality and Rotation:AxisOrientation are indirectly involved). This means that the propagation of Waves transfers Action in the form of Translation (producing a variation in the speed of propagation in the Field, therefore producing an acceleration in the Field or in the Structure that absorbs the Wave). Furthermore, the Wave‑like Structure shows the "imprint" of the Vortex‑like Structure that produced it and of the phenomenon that generated its emission. For example, for the photon / electromagnetic wave of visible light, the polarization parameter is determined by the dynamics of the Rotation:AxisOrientation Component — in other words, the Spin of the Particle that emitted it — during the emission event,
• at the level of Information / Energy: Motion is their main feature (no Mass since no Perturbation) (no Electric Charge, no Spin as in Vortex‑type Structures, but the Components Rotation:Chirality and Rotation:AxisOrientation are indirectly involved in determining the parameter we call "polarization": the orientation, direction, sense, and temporal evolution of the intrinsic angular momentum of the Wave — the so‑called "spin angular momentum of light").

These characteristics determine one of the most relevant Properties of this type of Structures: their incessant propagation at the maximum speed allowed (what in conventional physics is considered the natural constant "speed of light in the vacuum", quantity that in Evolutionary Physics is considered variable in Space and Time depending on the precise value of the Perturbation Component and its local dynamics linked to the distribution of Matter Structures) in a straight line (in the sense of General Relativity, following geodesics — trajectories of least Action that follow the so‑called curvature of Space‑time).

Here we are only talking about Waves in the Elementary Field, not about waves in a material medium (e.g., waves in water, air, etc.).

Physical quantities associated with Waves

Waves‑type Structures can be completely characterized by four fundamental parameters:

• wavelength (longitudinal dimension, spatial length of one cycle), or frequency (number of cycles per unit of Time)
• phase (an angular quantity representing the fraction of the cycle completed up to a given point in Time)
• transverse extension (transverse dimension): the characteristic size of the Wave in the directions perpendicular to its propagation. As a first approximation, it reflects the spatial size of the Structure that generated the emission and defines the spatial region within which the Wave can exert its Action.
• polarization (the property of transverse Waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations / variations of the Field)

Regarding the wavelength / frequency parameter, in general we can say that, within a model that assumes:

• flat Space at the dimensional scales characteristic of the Structures under consideration, both for electromagnetic Waves (ordinary/visible radiation, with wavelengths extending approximately from 10^-16 to 10^8 m) and for gravitational Waves (dark/invisible radiation, with wavelengths extending approximately from 10^2 to 10^26 m),
• curvable / curved Time,
• a locally variable limiting speed of propagation of Causality / Action / Information,

it does not make much sense to speak in terms of frequency.

It makes much more sense to speak in terms of wavelength (flat, non-deformable, absolute Space, even though, due to the absence of absolute reference points, it will always be observed from a relative perspective, and deformable Time).

With this clarification, we may still use the physical quantity frequency, fully aware that it is subject to local variations with respect to a constant wavelength. The relationship between wavelength and frequency is determined by the limiting speed of light and is therefore not fixed, depending on the local value of that limiting speed, which in turn depends on the local rate of flow of Time.

The quantity "frequency" is particularly useful in the description of periodic phenomena and therefore, in particular, of radio waves, which are emitted by phenomena that manifest a continuous succession of Wave variations (oscillations of the electric current in a conductor → antenna).

In this regard, to clarify the difference between Wave-type Structures produced by aperiodic phenomena and those produced by periodic or quasi-periodic phenomena, we can distinguish:

• single‑cycle Waves → Waves that constitute light, emitted by a single electron in the post‑emission deceleration phase (see the dynamics of light emission / absorption by electrons in the atomic orbitals of Ordinary Matter) or during oscillatory motion in a magnetic field (e.g. synchrotron radiation),
• multi‑cycle Waves (Wave trains) → emission of radio waves generated by alternating electric currents, electron flows in oscillatory propagation through electrical conductors (antennas); or, in the dark sector, continuous trains of gravitational waves emitted, for example, by a pair of massive objects stably orbiting one another.

Multi‑cycle Waves may exhibit either periodic evolution (e.g. radio waves at a fixed frequency) or quasi‑periodic evolution (e.g. gravitational Waves evolving during the inspiral and merger of two black holes or neutron stars).

At the risk of repeating concepts already expressed many times, I would nevertheless like to emphasize this point, which may appear trivial or marginal but which, in my opinion, is of great importance. I often read about the “frequency of light”. Within this model of Reality, the concepts of wavelength and frequency cannot be used interchangeably, because the relationship between these two quantities is governed by a physical quantity that, in this model, is not considered constant but locally variable.

It is precisely this variability — arising from the local variability of the rate of flow of Time — that constitutes the foundation of a large part of the functioning of Physical Reality.

So, the use of the physical quantity "frequency" to characterize electromagnetic phenomena — whether described as electromagnetic waves or as photons — is misleading. Many e.m. wave / photon emission phenomena are not periodic (e.g., emission of light due to the "quantum leap" of an electron). We imagine them as periodic because we are still tied to the classical concept of wave. As briefly mentioned above, only radio‑wave emissions produced by alternating electron currents in a conductor (antenna) are truly periodic phenomena. There are “quasi‑periodic” wave‑emission phenomena, such as gravitational‑wave emission during mergers of massive cosmic objects (neutron stars / black holes). But the majority of Wave emission must be described as non‑periodic phenomena — emission of single waves / photons (in the case of electromagnetic phenomena). Large quantities of single‑cycle Waves / photons are emitted. Therefore, to characterize Waves, it is much more correct to use the term "wavelength" rather than "frequency" (which makes sense only in the narrow phenomenological context of radio‑wave emission, propagation, and absorption).

It could be said that there is a consolidated equivalence between wavelength and frequency, and therefore the use of one or the other would be indifferent. This is not the case, according to the fundamental hypotheses formulated in this work regarding the speed of propagation of Causality, Action, and Information in the Elementary Field — a speed assumed to vary locally around an average value of the portion of Space considered, or of the entire spatially infinite Universe. It is precisely the local variability of this speed (for the Principle of General Equivalence, one of the representations of the Mode / Component of Elementary Action called Perturbation — the others being the density of Elementary Events, the temperature of the Field, the density of Mass, the curvature of Space‑Time, or rather the curvature of Time) that represents a fundamental aspect of the "raw material" of which everything is made. The universal average speed is also variable over Time, due to the increase in the complexity of the organization of inhomogeneities, of the deformations of the Elementary Field, and of the structuring level of the Field itself (quantity and quality of Information / Energy existing at a given moment in the history of the Universe).

All this implies that we cannot normally define a Wave as a periodic oscillation and we cannot say that wavelength represents the distance traveled by the Wave in a period of Time. We must say that a Wave is an oscillation — a deformation of a Field — which propagates in the Field itself. We cannot refer to "periodicity". Regarding the physical quantity "wavelength", we can imagine a definition of absolute wavelength (not dependent on Time, and consequently not dependent on the speed of light, both locally variable in Space and Time) and a definition of relative wavelength (dependent on Time, and consequently on the speed of light) — the ordinary definition used in conventional physics. For the definition of absolute wavelength we must not refer to a time interval (as said, the rhythm of Time is locally variable and varies at different instants). The quantity "wavelength" must be defined in purely spatial terms as the distance between one extreme of the deformation of the Field in which the Wave expresses itself and the opposite extreme. Unfortunately, given the absence of reference points to conduct such an absolute measurement of length — the distance between two points — in the Field we will never be able to characterize a Wave by its absolute wavelength. The definition of relative wavelength essentially coincides with the ordinary definition: the distance traveled by the Wave in a period of Time. These clarifications, even if they do not change the way we characterize Waves (in terms of wavelength / frequency), are fundamental to avoid the incorrect representation of Waves as periodic phenomena when they are not, and more generally to avoid the incorrect representation of Waves as trains of oscillations — an image that makes it impossible to overcome the Wave / Particle dichotomy, at least for electromagnetic radiation.

As mentioned above, Waves are structures that propagate Action in the Translation Component. With reference to conventional physics, they can be described as vectors / carriers of Information and Energy, vectors of (derivative) forces. They mediate exchanges of Information in its elementary form we call Energy between Vortex‑like Structures and Mixed Structures — Complex vortices / particles and interactions, relations / interactions between Vortex‑type Structures. In particular, they transfer Energy in the form of linear momentum (deriving from the Translation Component, which determines propagation of the Wave in the Field) and intrinsic angular momentum (deriving from the Component Rotation:AxisOrientation, which determines the polarization of the Wave).

The transverse extension (determined primarily by the nature and characteristics of the object that emitted the Wave, as well as by the characteristics of the emission process itself) also represents a fundamental dimensional aspect. It determines not only the spatial form of the Wave, but, above all, the manner in which the Wave can be absorbed.

The phase of the Wave and the shape of the Wave are two additional important aspects that allow us to understand how the Energy of the Wave is distributed and where it is most concentrated in time.

The polarization parameter completes the set of dimensional characteristics. This parameter, too, is strongly influenced by the emission process and can be modified by interactions occurring after emission (for example, the passage through a substance capable of rotating the polarization angle of light, or the interaction with a magnetic field, both in the case of light and radio waves).

Types of Waves / Radiation

In this type of Structures, we find:

• gravitational waves (invisible / dark sector),
• electromagnetic waves (visible / ordinary sector).

They are the essence of Radiation, the radiative aspect of Physical Reality.

Radiation includes two types of phenomena:

• gravitational waves (dark radiation): produced by phenomena involving strong positive or negative accelerations of immense, extremely dense massive objects (e.g., black holes, neutron stars, supernova explosions, etc.), they carry linear momentum (Translation) → impulse, and intrinsic angular momentum (Rotation:AxisOrientation) → polarization.

• electromagnetic radiation (visible radiation): produced by phenomena involving rapid positive or negative accelerations of small objects such as Ordinary‑Matter Particles (e.g., electrons, nucleons, etc.), they too carry linear momentum (Translation) → impulse, and intrinsic angular momentum (Rotation:AxisOrientation) → polarization.

For electromagnetic radiation, the distinction between single‑cycle Waves and multi‑cycle Waves becomes more evident. The former can essentially be traced back to emission phenomena involving the deceleration of Matter Particles, such as electrons within an atom when they move between different energy levels (orbitals). A typical example of the latter, multi‑cycle Waves, is the emission produced by the oscillation of electric fields in a conductor/antenna, which can be viewed as the motion of electric charges (electrons or holes) within a metal. In this case, the application of an alternating current generated by an oscillator produces a train, a periodic succession of single‑cycle Waves, which we observe as an electromagnetic Wave.

A single‑cycle Wave, precisely because of its localization within a small volume of Space, its shape (a single oscillation cycle resulting from the motion of a vortex structure in the Field, with an initial acceleration and a final deceleration), and its quantized amount of Energy (related to the quantity of Action, Translation, and Rotation:AxisOrientation that give rise to and shape the Wave Structure), can be viewed as a Particle (though obviously not as a Vortex‑type Particle).

Precisely to avoid confusion between these two different classes of InfoStructures (Waves and Vortices/Particles), I would avoid classifying a photon as a Particle. A better term would be Single‑Cycle Wave (SCW).

Furthermore, again to avoid confusion, I would reserve the term “radiation” exclusively for phenomena involving Waves. I would therefore exclude phenomena of emission / propagation / absorption involving massive Particles — commonly, and in my opinion improperly, referred to as radiation — which instead represent a different phenomenon connected to the dynamics and motion of Ordinary‑Matter Particles (simple and composite Vortices resulting from Interactions).

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The shapes of Waves (one-cycle and multiple-cycles Waves)

In the field of Electromagnetic Phenomena, it is of utmost importance a correct distinction between structures formed by a single cycle, manifestations of a single phenomenon, from those formed by several cycles, wave trains, manifestations of a periodic phenomenon. This distinction helps to clarify the quantum weirdness of wave-particle duality, so well represented by the double-slit experiment and many other puzzling physical phenomena.

In Electromagnetic Phenomena, it is of utmost importance to distinguish correctly between structures formed by a single cycle — manifestations of a single phenomenon — and those formed by multiple cycles — wave trains, manifestations of a periodic phenomenon. This distinction helps clarify the quantum “weirdness” of wave‑particle duality, well represented by the double‑slit experiment and many other puzzling physical phenomena.

In the common scientific view of light quanta and electromagnetic radiation there is an important misunderstanding that takes us away from the correct understanding and description of shape of waves, and leads to the problem of wave-particle dualism. For a correct representation in spatio-temporal terms (geometric) of electromagnetic radiation (electromagnetic wave / photon) is fundamental the difference between:

• single-cycle waves (what is commonly called photon), a structure of information that can be located in space and time, obviously within the limits provided by the Uncertainty Principle, thus having a characteristic appearance of particles and not of waves, as commonly conceived,
• multi-cycle waves (wave train, what is commonly called electromagnetic wave, eg coherent photons emitted by a laser, radio electromagnetic emission, continuous oscillation).

In the common scientific view of light quanta and electromagnetic radiation, there is an important misunderstanding that leads away from a correct understanding of the shape of waves and contributes to the problem of wave‑particle dualism. For a correct spatio‑temporal (geometric) representation of electromagnetic radiation (electromagnetic wave / photon), it is fundamental to distinguish between:

• single‑cycle waves (what is commonly called a photon): a Structure of Information that can be located in Space and Time — within the limits of the Uncertainty Principle — thus having a characteristic appearance of particles rather than waves, as commonly conceived,
• multi‑cycle waves (wave train, what is commonly called electromagnetic wave — e.g., coherent photons emitted by a laser, radio electromagnetic emission, continuous oscillation).

Even if classical concepts such as particle or wave prove unsuitable to fully describe the behavior of quantum objects, the problem of finding a plausible representation breaks into what is called wave-particle duality. If we imagine a quantum of light as a single-cycle wave, it simultaneously acquires the shape and properties of a wave (diffraction and wave interference) as well as of a particle (localization, position and speed, in Space and Time, no interference). Having said this, later we will see how the phenomena of diffraction and interference are not so much determined by the wave nature of photons and elementary particles such as the electron, but by the phenomena produced by matter in particular circumstances, in the sense of a particular structuring of the Elementary Field, of the Elementary Action and of the Information / Energy (observing and representing the phenomenon at the various levels of Reality, Source, Action, Information), for example between the two slits of the experiment of the same name, or in the crystal lattice, both peculiar structurings of the Field that produce the characteristic effects (diffraction or interference figures), mimicking interference phenomena of wave entities.

Even if classical concepts such as particle or wave prove unsuitable to fully describe the behavior of quantum objects, the problem of finding a plausible representation breaks into what is called wave‑particle duality. If we imagine a quantum of light as a single‑cycle wave, it simultaneously acquires the shape and properties of a wave (diffraction and wave interference) and of a particle (localization, position and speed in Space and Time, no interference). Having said this, we will later see how phenomena of diffraction and interference are not determined primarily by the wave nature of photons and elementary particles such as the electron, but by phenomena produced by Matter in particular circumstances — that is, by particular structurings of the Elementary Field, of the Elementary Action, and of the Information / Energy (observing and representing the phenomenon at the various levels of Reality: Source, Action, Information). For example, between the two slits of the double‑slit experiment, or in the crystal lattice — both peculiar structurings of the Field that produce characteristic effects (diffraction or interference patterns), mimicking interference phenomena of wave entities.

Links to the tables of contents of TFNR Paper

• Go to the contents list of the paper "The Fundamental Nature of Reality"

• Go to Chapter 2 "A first look"