The Radiation Continuum Model of Light and the Galilean Invariance of Maxwell's Equations
Year: 1996
Keywords: radiation, continuum, invariance
Maxwell's equations do not in themselves predict a specific value for the constant (or variable) c which appears in them. This value is determined experimentally as the relative velocity at which a photon must strike an observer in order to be absorbed. By modifying the second postulate to state: "The observed velocity of light is c from all frames of reference," the radiation continuum model (RCM) of electromagnetic radiation is developed. On the basis of this model, a Galilean invariant form of Maxwell's equation if obtained. Equations for transverse and radial Doppler shift are derived. An analysis of the force on a moving charge above a neutral current carrying wire is provided from varying reference frames without reporting to SRT or Lorentz transformations. An application to particle accelerators explains the apparent mass increase with velocity.