How Photons Move Through Space: A Nested Field Theory Perspective
By Jim Redgewell
Author's Note:
This paper presents a refined field-based understanding of how photons move through space. It builds upon the foundational insights of James Clerk Maxwell and extends them through the lens of Nested Field Theory. We propose that a photon is not a material particle, but a quantum of energy that interacts with its own electromagnetic (EM) field through boson exchange. This model also clarifies the nature of radio waves and explains why photons must be exchanged in whole quanta.
1. Introduction
Since the 19th century, James Clerk Maxwell's equations have formed the foundation of our understanding of light. He showed that a changing electric field induces a magnetic field and vice versa, creating self-sustaining electromagnetic waves. This insight led directly to the prediction of light as a wave moving through space at a fixed speed, .
In the 20th century, the advent of quantum mechanics revealed that light also behaves as a quantum of energy, or photon. Yet how a photon actually moves through space remained somewhat mysterious. This paper proposes a unified model, grounded in Nested Field Theory, that explains photon motion as an internal bosonic interaction with the electromagnetic field itself.
2. The Photon as a Quantum of Energy
In our view, the photon is not a tiny billiard-ball particle, but a localized quantum of electromagnetic energy. It appears particle-like due to its quantized energy, given by Planck's relation: where: E = hf
E is the energy of the photon,
h is Planck's constant,
f is its frequency.
While photons display particle-like behavior in detectors, they are fundamentally field excitations. They do not require an underlying material medium, but they do require a field structure to propagate.
3. Building on Maxwell: Induction as Boson Exchange
Maxwell’s theory explains that electric and magnetic fields regenerate each other, leading to wave propagation. In our interpretation:
This regenerative behavior is best understood as internal boson exchange within the EM field.
A photon moves by exchanging virtual bosons with its own field, effectively “pulling” itself forward.
This is analogous to how particles like electrons move in Nested Field Theory:
Fermions move by exchanging bosons with other fields (e.g., EM field, Higgs field).
Photons move by exchanging bosons within their own parent field (the EM field).
✅ This maintains consistency within the Nested Field Theory: all motion results from boson-mediated field interaction.
4. The Photon as a Self-Driving Induction Engine
We can use a helpful analogy: a high-speed linear induction train.
The train contains magnets that interact with an aluminum track to propel itself.
Similarly, a photon is a quantum induction engine that interacts with the EM field as its “track.”
But unlike the train:
The photon is the motor and the pulse of energy.
The EM field is not passive metal — it’s the active structure that mediates the bosonic push-pull.
This leads to a coherent picture:
A photon is a quantum of energy that rides along its own field by dynamically exchanging bosons with it.
5. What About Radio Waves?
Radio waves are simply electromagnetic waves of much lower frequency and energy:
A single radio-wave photon has very low energy.
In practice, radio waves consist of huge numbers of these low-energy photons oscillating in phase.
While visible light is often observed one photon at a time, radio waves behave more like classical fields:
They propagate via the same bosonic self-exchange mechanism.
The difference is only in scale and coherence, not in fundamental physics.
✅ This model unifies all forms of EM radiation: from radio to gamma rays, all are field-based energy packets using the same propagation mechanics.
6. Frequencies and Energy Quantization
A key principle of quantum mechanics is that energy is quantized, but frequency is continuous:
You cannot absorb or emit half a photon.
You can only exchange whole quanta of energy, each of size .
However:
The EM field can support waves of any frequency.
Thus, frequencies are not limited to integer values.
✅ In our theory, photons can have any real-valued frequency, but they must be emitted or absorbed in integer units of energy.
7. Conclusion: A Complete Picture of Photon Motion
In this field-based model:
Photons are not objects flying through space.
They are quanta of energy, dynamically coupled to their own EM field.
They move via self-sustaining boson exchange, similar to how other particles move through external field interactions.
Their frequency determines their energy, and their wavelength emerges from the structure of this interaction.
Radio waves, visible light, and gamma rays all propagate by the same mechanism.
This model respects and extends Maxwell’s vision:
He gave us the field structure; Nested Field Theory gives us the quantum mechanism.
Together, they reveal the photon not as a mystery, but as a field-born traveler,
riding the rhythm of its own electromagnetic wave.
End of Paper
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