corner
corner

Phys. Rev. D 29, 1096–1098 (1984)

Derivation of the blackbody radiation spectrum from the equivalence principle in classical physics with classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation

Download: PDF (96 kB) Buy this article Export: BibTeX or EndNote (RIS)

Timothy H. Boyer
Department of Physics, City College of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10031

Received 8 August 1983; published in the issue dated 15 March 1984

A derivation of Planck's spectrum including zero-point radiation is given within classical physics from recent results involving the thermal effects of acceleration through classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation. A harmonic electric-dipole oscillator undergoing a uniform acceleration a⃗ through classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation responds as would the same oscillator in an inertial frame when not in zero-point radiation but in a different spectrum of random classical radiation. Since the equivalence principle tells us that the oscillator supported in a gravitational field g⃗=-a⃗ will respond in the same way, we see that in a gravitational field we can construct a perpetual-motion machine based on this different spectrum unless the different spectrum corresponds to that of thermal equilibrium at a finite temperature. Therefore, assuming the absence of perpetual-motion machines of the first kind in a gravitational field, we conclude that the response of an oscillator accelerating through classical zero-point radiation must be that of a thermal system. This then determines the blackbody radiation spectrum in an inertial frame which turns out to be exactly Planck's spectrum including zero-point radiation.

© 1984 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevD.29.1096
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevD.29.1096
PACS: