On the stability of uniform motion

TL;DR

This paper explores how the stability of uniform motion in charged bodies depends on geometry, revealing that perturbations induce nonlinear oscillations that may underpin wave-particle duality and quantum phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a geometric criterion for stability of uniform charge motion and links nonlinear electrodynamic oscillations to fundamental quantum behaviors.

Findings

Perturbations cause fast oscillations regardless of frequency.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking suggests non-uniform default states.

Oscillability may explain wave-particle duality.

Abstract

We show that the uniform motion of a homogeneous distribution of electric charge can be stable or unstable depending on its geometry. When the electrodynamic body is perturbed from a state of rest, it starts to perform fast oscillations, irrespective of the frequency of the perturbation. This nonlinear oscillation is the result of the feedback interaction between Coulombian and radiative fields. The resulting spontaneous symmetry breaking of the Lorentz group implies that the principle of inertia only holds on average and suggests that the default state of matter is not necessarily uniform motion, but self-oscillation as well. We propose that the excitability of electrodynamic bodies under external perturbations, which leads to limit cycle oscillations, is at the basis of the wave particle duality and its related quantum effects.