It is pointed out that relativistic classical electron theory with classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation has a scaling symmetry which is suitable for understanding the equilibrium behavior of classical thermal radiation at a spectrum other than the Rayleigh-Jeans spectrum. In relativistic classical electron theory, the masses of the particles are the only scale-giving parameters associated with mechanics while the action-angle variables are scale invariant. The theory thus separates the interaction of the action variables of matter and radiation from the scale-giving parameters. Classical zero-point radiation is invariant under scattering by the charged particles of relativistic classical electron theory. The basic ideas of the matter -radiation interaction are illustrated in a simple relativistic classical electromagnetic example.
Here we show that within classical physics, the Planck blackbody spectrum can be derived directly from the structure of relativistic spacetime. In noninertial frames, thermal radiation at positive temperature is connected directly to zero-point radiation whose spectrum follows from the geodesic structure of the spacetime. The connection between zero-point radiation and thermal radiation at postive temperature is through a time-dilating conformal transformation in the noninertial frame. Transferring the spectrum back to Minskowski spacetime, the Planck spectrum is obtained.
Here we discuss blackbody radiation within the context of classical theory. We note that nonrelativistic classical mechanics and relativistic classical electrodynamics have contrasting scaling symmetries which influence the scattering of radiation. Also, nonrelativistic mechanical systems can be accurately combined with relativistic electromagnetic radiation only provided the nonrelativistic mechanical systems are the low-velocity limits of fully relativistic systems. Application of the no-interaction theorem for relativistic systems limits the scattering mechanical systems for thermal radiati…
Electromagnetism is a \textit{relativistic} theory and one must exercise care in coupling this theory with \textit{nonrelativistic} classical mechanics and with \textit{nonrelativistic} classical statistical mechanics. Indeed historically, both the blackbody radiation spectrum and diamagnetism within classical theory have been misunderstood because of two crucial failures: 1)the neglect of classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation, and 2) the use of erroneous combinations of nonrelativistic mechanics with relativistic electrodynamics. Here we review the treatment of classical blackbody ra…
We point out that current textbooks of modern physics are a century out-of-date in their treatment of blackbody radiation within classical physics. Relativistic classical electrodynamics including classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation gives the Planck spectrum with zero-point radiation as the blackbody radiation spectrum. In contrast, nonrelativistic mechanics cannot support the idea of zero-point energy; therefore if nonrelativistic classical statistical mechanics or nonrelativistic mechanical scatterers are invoked for radiation equilibrium, one arrives at only the low-frequency Ray…
The physicists of the early 20th century were unaware of two ideas which are vital to understanding some aspects of modern physics within classical theory. The two ideas are: 1) the presence of classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation, and 2) the importance of special relativity. In classes of modern physics today, the problem of blackbody radiation within classical physics is still described in the historical context of the early 20th century. However, the inclusion of classical zero-point radiation and of relativity now allows a completely satisfactory classical understanding of blackb…
In this work we obtain Planck's blackbody spectrum from the thermal scalar radiation contained in a resonant cavity of volume V in the context of classical mechanics, which provides the classical zero-point electromagnetic radiation in terms of a scale parameter that depends on geometric properties of the enclosure and electrical magnitudes. The scale parameter of the classical zero-point electromagnetic radiation is associated to experimental measurements of Casimir forces, but we show that theoretically its value for known radiant cavities that approach a blackbody has a numerical value of t…
