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Charles T. Ridgely
local time: 2024-03-28 19:27 (-07:00 DST)
Charles T. Ridgely (Abstracts)
Titles Abstracts Details
  • Gravitation and Forces Induced by Zero-Point Phenomena (2008) [Updated 7 years ago]

    A recent proposal asserts that gravitational forces arise due to an interaction between matter and vacuum electromagnetic zero-point radiation. The present analysis demonstrates that forces induced on matter by zero-point radiation arise in addition to gravitational forces. It is argued that zero-point radiation should be red-shifted near large gravitational sources while remaining essentially undetectable within freely falling reference frames. On this basis, an effective weight of an observer stationed near the surface of the Earth is derived for the case when zero-point radiation is present.


  • On the Gravitation of Exotic Matter (2008) [Updated 7 years ago]

    Exotic matter is widely believed to produce repelling gravitational fields simply because the gravitational mass carries a minus sign. In a previous paper, however, it was demonstrated that although exotic matter has negative mass it resists acceleration, just like ordinary matter does when acted upon by external forces. This result calls into question whether or not the gravitational properties of exotic matter are any different from the properties of ordinary matter. Herein, Newtonian gravitation is used to determine whether or not exotic matter exhibits repelling gravitational phenomena. It is found that the gravitational mass of exotic matter differs from ordinary gravitational mass only by a minus sign.


  • A Macroscopic Approach to Creating Exotic Matter (2004) [Updated 1 decade ago]

    Herein the Casimir effect is used to present a simple macroscopic view on creating exotic matter. The energy arising between two nearly perfectly conducting parallel plates is shown to become increasingly negative as the plate separation is reduced. It is proposed that the Casimir energy appears increasingly negative simply because the vacuum electromagnetic zero-point field performs positive work in pushing the plates together, transforming field energy into kinetic energy of the plates. Next, the inertial properties of exotic matter are considered. The parallel plates of the Casimir system are replaced with an enclosed cavity of identical dimensions that is subjected to an external force. It is found that zero-point radiation exerts an inertial force on the cavity in opposition to the external force. This ultimately leads to the conclusion that the inertial properties of exotic matter are identical to the inertial properties of ordinary matter.


  • Can Zero-Point Phenomena Truly be the Origin of Inertia? (2004) [Updated 1 decade ago]

    A current approach to the problem of inertia suggests that the origin of the inertial properties of matter is the interaction between matter and vacuum electromagnetic zero-point radiation. Herein, it is shown that zero-point phenomena can be treated as the origin of inertia only when one chooses to ignore the mass-energy content of matter. In the absence of any physical basis for such a choice, it is concluded that zero-point-induced forces must arise in addition to the intrinsic inertial properties of ordinary matter.


  • Inertia: A Purely Relativistic Phenomenon (2002) [Updated 7 years ago]

    The inertial properties of ordinary matter cannot be ascribed solely to the inertial mass appearing in Newton's second law of motion; the contribution made by space-time must also be considered. Herein special relativity is used to show that inertia is ultimately relativistic in origin. Two observers moving relatively in Minkowski space-time are considered. The moving observer accelerates tangentially along a circular path of constant radius, passing by a stationary observer with greater velocity upon each revolution. The stationary observer uses the dilation of time arising between the two observers to derive an expression for the inertial resistance of the moving observer. The form of the resulting expression implies that inertia is chiefly a local relativistic phenomenon. The case in which an arbitrary force acts on an observer undergoing uniform, relativistic translation in Minkowski space-time is then considered. The time dilation approach leads directly to the well-known relativistic form of Newton's second law of motion, derived on the basis of special relativity.


  • On the Origin of Inertia (2001) [Updated 7 years ago]

    In a previous analysis, it was argued that greater insight into the origin of inertia cannot be obtained solely on the basis of inertial mass; the participation of space-time must also be taken into account. Special and general relativity were used to show that the origin of inertia is the distortion of time in accelerating systems of reference. Herein, the behavior of light in accelerating coordinates is used to provide further evidence that time distortion is the source of inertia. We consider a sealed vessel that contains a photon gas and resides in a uniform acceleration field. It is shown that radiation pressure exerts a net force on the vessel whenever space-time structure gives rise to a relativistic Doppler-shift that is observable in the co-moving reference frame of the vessel. Then the force is expressed in terms of space-time distortion in the reference frame of an infinitesimal small vessel residing in a Newtonian acceleration field. Carrying this out leads to an expression in agreement with the previous analysis, in which the force of inertia is derived on the basis of special and general relativity. The resulting expression implies that any entity possessing energy, regardless of embodiment, exhibits inertial properties; and more particularly, that the origin of inertia is the relativistic nature of time.


  • On the Nature of Inertia (2000) [Updated 7 years ago]

    We show that special and general relativity provide a clear statement regarding the origin of inertia. We begin by pointing out that according to general relativity, inertial and gravitational forces arise directly out of the structure of space-time. This implies that an adequate description of inertia cannot be obtained solely on the basis of inertial mass; the role played by space-time must also be considered. General relativity is then used to derive the proper force experienced by a uniformly accelerating observer. Next, we use special relativity to derive the inertial resistance of an observer accelerating under the influence of a constant external force in flat, Minkowski space-time. Both analyses imply that the origin of inertia resides in a relationship between the energy content of matter and the local structure of time. We ultimately conclude that the origin of inertia is the relativistic nature of time.