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A Brief Survey of Stochastic Electrodynamics

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Foundations of Radiation Theory and Quantum Electrodynamics

Abstract

Stochastic electrodynamics and random electrodynamics are the names given to a particular version of classical electrodynamics. This purely classical theory is Lorentz’s classical electron theory(1) into which one introduces random electromagnetic radiation (classical zero-point radiation) as the boundary condition giving the homogeneous solution of Maxwell’s equations. The theory contains one adjustable parameter setting the scale of the random radiation, and this parameter is chosen in terms of Planck’s constant,h = 2πℏ. Many of the researchers(2–70) working on stochastic electrodynamics hope that it will provide an accurate description of atomic physics and replace or explain quantum theory. At the very least the theory makes available new tools for calculating van der Waals forces, and it deepens our understanding of the connections between classical and quantum theories.(71)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, City College of the City University of New York, New York, New York, 10031, USA

    Timothy H. Boyer

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  1. Timothy H. Boyer
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA

    A. O. Barut

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© 1980 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Boyer, T.H. (1980). A Brief Survey of Stochastic Electrodynamics. In: Barut, A.O. (eds) Foundations of Radiation Theory and Quantum Electrodynamics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0671-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0671-0_5

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