Quantum Mechanics Interpreted Through Quantum Electrodynamics

TL;DR

This paper explains how virtual particles in quantum electrodynamics influence photon behavior in interference experiments, suggesting a new interpretation of quantum mechanics where the wavefunction guides virtual particles affecting real particle trajectories.

Contribution

It introduces a virtual particle-mediated mechanism within quantum electrodynamics to interpret quantum phenomena and proposes a test for gravity's quantum nature.

Findings

Virtual particles mediate photon deflections in interference experiments.

The complementarity inequality can be violated without interference pattern formation.

A new interpretation of quantum mechanics based on virtual particles guiding real particles.

Abstract

We analyze an experiment in which a thin wire is scanned across the overlap of two in phase photon beams. We find that unless the wire induces the formation of an interference pattern, the complementarity inequality is violated. Quantum electrodynamics accounts for this effect through photon deflections mediated by energy momentum exchange with the wire via virtual particles. This mechanism underscores the essential role of virtual particles in producing field effects and motivates an interpretation of quantum mechanics in which the wavefunction or field serves as information, a blueprint guiding virtual particles, whose exchanges with external sources shape the trajectories of real particles in accordance with field predictions. As an application, we propose a test of gravity quantum nature.