Zeropoint Waves and Quantum Particles

Abstract

It is proposed that the particles acquire their undulatory properties as a result of their interaction with the random zeropoint radiation field. The modes of very high frequency, up to a cutoff ω _c , fixed by the particle’s effective structure, induce a fine vibration which can be considered as the nonrelativistic version of zitterbewegung; internal consistency demands that ω _c = mc ²/ħ. The zeropoint field waves of this frequency that interact strongly with the moving particle form a modulated wave with de Broglie’s wavelength; this wave is described by the stationary Schrödinger equation. Another effect of the assumed upper limit for the particle’s response frequency is the appearance of an attractive Casimir force, which may counterbalance the Coulomb force of the charged particle and thus explain its stability. A simple hypothesis may therefore help to explain two entirely different phenomena.