Induced ponderomotive fields: A classical approach to single-electron interference, the uncertainty principle, and the quantum measurement problem

This article investigates the consequences of assuming that elementary particles, such as electrons, are internally composed of two very large charge distributions that almost completely neutralize each other externally and can be displaced relative to one another over a distance on the order of the Planck length. Owing to this internal structure, elementary particles would be excited into oscillation during acceleration in a particle accelerator and would therefore emit very weak but extremely high-frequency, coherent, classical electromagnetic waves. In the immediate vicinity of atoms, these waves would be reflected and subsequently act back on the electron in the form of classical forces. This feedback is analyzed in detail. Starting from the electromagnetic field of a Hertzian dipole, a formalism is derived that enables the calculation of the ponderomotive field exerted on the electron by its environment. The physical implications of this mechanism are then studied using numerical simulations. The obtained results are consistent with those of real diffraction and interference experiments with electrons. These findings suggest that, contrary to the prevailing view, key aspects of quantum mechanics-such as wave-particle duality, the measurement problem, and the uncertainty principle-may be explicable within a classical framework.