Light propagation and observed light propagation

TL;DR

This paper challenges conventional electromagnetic wave solutions by proposing a new approach that considers the mutual creation of electric and magnetic fields, revealing that emitted fields contain both advanced and retarded components, but observed light fields are retarded.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for solving wave equations that accounts for both advanced and retarded components, differing from traditional retarded-only solutions.

Findings

Emitted fields have equal advanced and retarded components.

Observed light fields are retarded, despite the emitted fields' dual components.

The new approach clarifies the physical origins of field components.

Abstract

Light propagation is viewed as a process involving mutual creation of electric and magnetic fields. This viewpoint is used to argue that the conventional retarded solutions to electromagnetic wave equations (whose source is a current density in this work) are wrong, and to solve the wave equations in a different way by tracking every step in the said process. It turns out that the solutions to the wave equations, or the emitted fields from the current density, have equally weighted advanced and retarded components. After these components are explained for their mathematical and physical origins, it is then pointed out that the emitted fields are related but not identical to those fields observed in light observation. The latter fields are calculated and found, as expected, to be retarded.