Vinaire's Blog

As shown in the chapter on The Logic of Substance, both matter and light are substance, which means they have mass. The range of mass density of matter is from 1.93 x 10⁴ kg/m³ for Gold to 9.0 x 10^-2 kg/m³ for Hydrogen (at Standard Temperature and Pressure). Compared to this range, the mass density of light is so small that it is replaced by an equivalent “energy” value. The unfortunate result of this has been that light is no longer looked upon as a substance, but as energy.

When it comes to light and other non-atomic particles, mass density may be referred to as mass concentration.

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Mass Concentration

Much of the differences in mass concentration, in the case of matter, come from differences in the concentration of atoms. Atoms are highly concentrated in solids and liquids, but not so concentrated in gases. Atoms themselves seem to have a much narrower range of mass concentrations.

When we look at the mass concentration within atoms, it is an average of the mass concentrations of the nucleus and surrounding electrons. The nucleus is made up of a discrete number of protons and neutrons, that have about the same mass concentration. We may say that that the mass concentration of all nuclei is just about constant. The nucleus occupies about 0.01% of the atomic volume. Electrons fill rest of the space of the atom around the nucleus. The masses of electron and proton are in the ratio 1:1840. So the mass concentration of the nucleus is very high—much higher than the mass concentration of matter.

The mass concentration of an atom is practically constant. The mass concentration of matter reduces as space between the atoms increases.

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The Atom

The atom divides sharply into nuclear and electronic regions. The mass concentration declines suddenly from the nuclear to electronic region in the ratio 1840 to 1. The sharp gradient at the interface of the two regions is seen as CHARGE. More on this later.

The nuclear region is populated by “material particles” that have center of mass. The property of center of mass makes one particle distinct from another. This property underlies the discreteness of material particles.

When the center of mass is not there as in the fast moving electronic region, the “particles” cannot be perceived as discrete. The electrons, therefore, appear to form a fluid ring around the nucleus, much like the ring of the Saturn. The old “solar system” model of the atom has long been discarded.

The atom is like a point nucleus encircled by a large Saturnian ring made of rapidly moving electronic fluid.

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The Field Concept

The large Saturnian ring of electronic fluid around the nucleus gives us the first realistic concept of the field. This field is not abstract. It is substantial with appreciable mass concentration. There are no centers of mass in field particles. So the field is a continuum of substance in motion, much like a flowing fluid.

The electronic field has substance of very low mass concentration compared to the nucleus. The substance of the nucleus is considered as matter, but the substance of electronic field is not. The electronic field is very thin, almost ephemeral, flowing around the nucleus.

The fundamental property of a field is that it is a fast moving fluid substance with no center of mass type particles.

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Electron and Photon Fields

Electrons and photons are not excitations jumping out of their respective fields. They are rapidly moving fields of substance. There is no stationary field just like there is no stationary aether. The motion of field arises from its low mass concentration as explained later.

Light is the “photon field”. Its mass concentration is still less than that of electron field. Therefore, its velocity is much greater. Light is classified as an electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Its spread in space is much wider than that of electronic field.

The wavelengths of light are much larger than that of electron field. The impact of light is much lesser than that of electron field.

The rapid flow of field gives it wave-like properties. The mass concentration of field gives it quantum (particle-like) properties.

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The Gravitational Field

As the field spreads wider its becomes thinner and it substance is recognized only because of its impact or force. The gravitational field is spread out over the whole universe. Its substance is so thinned out that we may conceive it simply as force. Thus, gravity may be thought of as a very rapidly flowing force.

The speed and wavelengths of the gravitational field are yet to be determined, but they are expected to be much greater than those of light. This logical view is very different from what is generally believed in quantum physics.

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As shown in Chapter 3: Matter and Substantiality, both matter and light are substantial. Matter, however, is considered to have mass, but light is not. Matter has solidity and density, but light does not.

The fundamental difference between matter and light is that matter consists of atoms, and light does not. Atoms were at first depicted as solid globules, but now they are determined to be 99.99% space, with a speck of a solid nucleus at the center. The atomic space, however, is filled with electrons whose mass density is 1/1840^th of the mass density of the nucleus.

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The Nucleus

The nucleus is like a material particle that is solid and rigid, and has a center of mass. It is surrounded by electrons that do not have a center of mass. Electrons are depicted as having a probabilistic distribution in a very large volume compared to the volume of the nucleus.

This is mathematical, of course, but it tells us that electrons are thin in terms of mass, and are spread out in a large volume. They lack a rigid structure like the nucleus. We may conclude:

The substance (mass) is not rigid, solid, and concentrated except in the nucleus. It is ephemeral, flexible and sparse in electrons and elsewhere.

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The Electron

A proton or a neutron is like a mass contained in an point-like volume. If that volume is blown up 1840 times, the mass density in that volume shall also thin out 1840 times. This shall roughly be the volume and mass density of an electron.

Electrons have neither solidity nor structure, and they move rapidly making its thin mass slosh like a fluid. That is why they do not have a center of mass. This gives electron a wave-like characteristic. The electrons are discrete in terms of energy interactions because they have mass density, but in space, they seem to form a fluid-like continuum. This explains the results from the double-slit phenomenon.

Electrons are not particles that behave as waves in some medium. They are a dense fluid-like substance with a wave-like sloshing motion.

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Light

Light is an electromagnetic (EM) radiation. It has much larger spread in space compared even to the electrons. Therefore, it has much smaller mass density. The sloshing speed of photons of light is much greater. Without mass there shall neither be wave-like motion, nor discrete energy interactions. This logical view is different from what is generally assumed in science.

This is the real explanation of why the quantum of electron (and, more so, the quantum of light) cannot be pin pointed in space. Only particles with center of mass may be pinpointed. This explains the reality underlying Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.

Light is very low density and extremely fast moving fluid-like sloshing substance.  Its momentum and energy comes from its mass density and velocity.

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Summary

Matter is an atomic substance. The density of matter depends on how densely the atoms are packed. But even then, this density is averaged over the atom in which the heavy nucleus exists only as a tiny speck. The highest density of substance exists in the nucleus of an atom. The rigid structure of matter gives it a center of mass

Electrons and the electromagnetic radiation (light) are non-atomic substances. There is a very sharply declining density gradient from nucleus to the surrounding electrons. The density decreases farther away from the nucleus in the electronic region. Photons surrounding the electronic region of atoms have still lesser mass density and greater volume. One may say that mass is becoming increasingly thinner from neutron/proton to electron to photon. The mass density of photon may be estimated from its wavelength.

The mass becomes more fluid-like as it thins and spreads out in greater volume. At the same time, it increases in its dynamic characteristic and gains wave-like properties.

Matter and light are substances with mass density. The mass density gives them particle-like properties.

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We find the concept of VOID flanked by the concepts of EMPTINESS and SPACE.

Generally, we look at SPACE as “absence of matter”. For example, we look around the room and see space among material objects.

We look at VOID as “absence of physical phenomena”. For example, when we look at the heaven we think of void among the earth, sun, moon and stars.

We look at EMPTINESS as “absence of all phenomena, whether physical, spiritual or mental”. In emptiness, even the void and space are absent. This occurs in deep sleep when we are aware of closing and opening our eyes, but of nothing in between.

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Emptiness

EMPTINESS is a philosophical concept rather than a scientific one. Eastern philosophy looks upon it as absence of birth, death, being, non-being, increasing, decreasing, purity and defilement.

From a scientific viewpoint, emptiness is like the zero on a scale of phenomena. Itself, it is not a phenomenon, just like zero is not a value. Thus, emptiness is the ultimate reference point from which all physical and metaphysical phenomena is perceived objectively.

The concept of emptiness is just that. It is totally fresh. It is completely clean. There are no preconceived notions, no fixed ideas, and no bias. It is simply what it is. It has the property of being inherently understood because it denotes the absence of all phenomena.

Emptiness is the ultimate reference point from which it is possible to give an objective meaning to any phenomena without preconceived notions.

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Void

When astronomers look up at the heavens, they are basically concerned with physical phenomenon. Such phenomena extend to all physical aspects of the universe, such as, matter, energy, space and time. Astronomers regard those regions of heaven as void where they cannot detect any physical phenomenon.

Void is a concept used in physics as a background from which to contrast the physical phenomenon. Void is similar to emptiness, except it is narrower in scope.

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Space

Space is conceived as absence of matter, where matter is thought of as made of solid atoms. Space, as vacuum, may be free of matter, but it is not free of light and other radiation,

The atom is said to have over 99.99% space with a speck of solid nucleus in the center. Therefore, space is not differentiated from the  electronic, electromagnetic and force fields that surround the nucleus.

Space is generally thought of as absence of atomic matter. It, however, does not exclude the physical phenomena of light and other radiation.

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Classical and Quantum Physics

These concepts of Emptiness, Void and Space exist in classical physics only, They do not exist in quantum physics.

In Quantum physics, space becomes a complex mathematical object and void and emptiness lose their meanings.

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