Gravity and Maxwell's Equations

Previous blog posts have looked at gravity as a combination of electromagnetism and geometry. Maxwell's equations are the vector calculus description of electromagnetism so it might occur to a physicist that Maxwell's equations can explain gravity. This is only partly true.

The two Maxwell-Gauss equations explain static fields and can get us part of the way towards explaining gravity. Maxwell's equations don't explain the fast moving root mean square speeds observed in electrons and nuclei.

Maxwell-Gauss' electricity equation explains how the fictional electric field works. The field lines in an exaggerated sphere will tend to diverge as the observer moves from the center of mass.

Maxwell-Gauss' magnetism equation explains how the fictional magnetic field works. In reality the magnetic field simply represents the spinning of electrons as they travel through space. The field lines in an exaggerated sphere will tend to have a density that is lower as the observer moves from the center of mass.

Where electric fields converge we find a complicated mix of alternating positive and negative fields. Electrons in close proximity will tend to flee the relative convergence of a dense portion of matter near the center of a mass. Towards the periphery of a mass the opposite is true. Mass tends to seek charge balance and gravity takes the form of particles spinning back towards the center of mass. It is highly likely that the return to the center of mass happens more slowly and with more bumps than the ejection of particles; most notably beta particles.

Magnetic fields are orthogonal to electric fields. Where the magnetic field lines are found to be more dense we find an environment that is ready to impart potential energy to particles. This will happen, most readily, to the small and fast electrons rather than the ions in the nucleus. The ejected beta particles will eventually collide with other electrons or, less likely, with the nucleus of a particle.

The electrons will travel away from the center of mass. The resultant pull due to the charge balance of the mass will yank particles of both 'charges' back towards the center of mass. It is this constant pull that constitutes the gravitational pull that we experience every day on Earth.

Depletion Layer and an Air Gap

It is interesting to consider the differences and similarities between the depletion layer or transition layer in a semiconductor and an air gap. This is important because for decades the mechanical relay used an air gap to produce an 'open circuit' output that would break the circuit and inhibit current flow. Now semiconductors can do the same thing using the depletion layer but exploring this part of a semiconductor takes a bit more imagination.

Imagination is needed because there aren't great descriptions of how the depletion layer works beyond a smoothing of the charge balances between 'positive' and 'negative' doped semiconductor regions. How do those charges jump around? Like the charge discussed in my posts on gravity, the depletion layer may see spark-like charge jumps and fuzzy-Gaussian charge movement akin to the boil seen in a kettle.

The spark-like carriers I write about are often termed hot carriers and although the Poisson - Gaussian statistical movements are not termed cool carriers, The term shot is often used in noise theory and has also been related to the Poisson arrivals in mathematics. Thinking hard about what electrons are doing statistically leads quickly to words like fuzzy vs. spiky.

Let us consider, more closely, the depletion layer of a standard Si diode that does not have Schottkey properties. The standard theory states that there is charge smoothing through the depletion layer. Doped Si on either side of of the p-n junction swaps sides causing the depletion layer to exhibit a neutral or opposing charge.

I'd like to see more research in this area of Poisson vs. Gauss statistics in the p-n junction. How does 1/f noise factor into the analysis? The p-n junction may have a kettle boil of charge that traverses the junction with a statistical equilibrium that causes the diode action. The incoming charge comes in hot and crosses the diode to the junction where it either piles on to the depletion layer or in fires right through relatively hot (though nothing like the Schottkey diode). Diodes behave differently depending on whether or not they are forward or reverse biased.

A full comparison to the air gap in a relay will have to wait for a future blog post. It is enough to say, right now, that when the incoming carriers pile into the diode they are under what people our size might term - incredible pressure. At the electron feature size particles behave differently. The growth of the depletion layer due to incoming carriers leads to what I would estimate is a Gaussian or fuzzy electron distribution. This kettle boil keeps the reversed biased diode 'gaped from conduction'. The depletion layer is not an air gap where arcs are prevented. The depletion layer provides a push back that mimics the air gap of an electro-mechanical relay.

Turbulence and Electron Flow

As stated on a previous post, turbulence and laminar flow are terms usually reserved for aerodynamics. Electrons flowing through a circuit might be said to exhibit turbulent or more graceful flow. During the graceful flow of molecules or electrons density can go up as the electrons are very well ordered. A turbulent flow of electrons consumes more space and draws in positive ions. This is the magnetic push observed between like poles of a magnet.

Question of the day: Can a proper Poisson related (shot pattern of multiple Poisson arrivals) cause light gravity to shift if the right number of electrons are moving with respect the the mass ratio of the electron to nucleus ratio? Light gravity could move shift and swirl without affecting heavy gravity. This would result in two different gravity constants for the same point of space close to a large mass such as a planet. Gravity could then not be said to be simply 9.8 m/s^2.