#6.1 Nonmatter reference frames traveling at speed c

#6.2 Photon kinematics

Since a body of matter cannot travel at speed c, a person cannot have a perspective from a reference frame traveling at speed c relative to any other body of matter. However, since light travels at speed c, there is no physical law prohibiting a person imagining a photon's reference frame.

One must first read the subsection 5.7 on different here-nows for different reference frames in order to understand a photon kinematics. I now turn to a definition of a photon's reference frame by analyzing the theoretical difference between the S and S' frames, when S' has a velocity c relative to S. Since the momentum-energy of matter reaches infinity as matter reaches speed c, according to Eqs. (48) through (50), any reference frame containing matter cannot travel at a speed c relative to another reference frame. However, for a reference frame void of matter, the only limitations for its velocity, relative to another reference frame, are imposed by eventon motion, which represents all motion. Since eventons possess speed c, relative to a reference frame, the maximum speed for another reference frame, void of matter, is speed c.

Equation (35) is derived from figure 4, which uses reference frames S and S’. These reference frames may be void of matter. I use this equation to analyze reference frame S’ traveling at speed c relative to the S frame. Rearranging Eq. (35) to

and equating v to c, I derive

This shows that relative to the S frame, the S' frame with speed c possesses zero clock speed; therefore, relative to the S frame, the S' frame experiences in the distance-time of its speed c a single set of events located here-now. Along the X axis the events in this single set of events are given by x/c in Eq. (62). All other events located in this single set are on all axes parallel to the X axes and are also given by x/c of Eq. (62). However, relative to the S’ frame, the ratio of distance to time is still D’=cT’. Therefore, theoretically S’ would still experience a clock motion, and eventons would still travel at speed c relative to S’. Consequently, relative to itself, S' would experience not one, but many sets of events here-now. However, this is not the case for the photonic reference frame.

I now define the physics for a photon's reference frame traveling at speed c within a distance-time manifold. Throughout section 6 the photon is assumed to be traveling in a vacuum. I define the reference frame for a photon so that it can be placed compatibly into a distance-time manifold. Therefore, I define this reference frame similar to, but not the same as, the S' reference frame with speed c relative to S. The photon's reference frame does not possess a rest speed. Instead, I define the photon to have only a velocity c relative to matter. This is different than the relationship between S and S' of figure 4. Because even when S' has a velocity c, relative to S, S' still has a rest speed c relative to itself. Here, however, I define the photon not to have a rest speed relative to itself or any reference frame. Therefore, the only distance-time a photon moves along is its event line relative to matter. Since the photon does not possess a rest speed, it experiences only one set of events here-now.

According to Eq. (62), the here-now of S' includes the distance-time line in S of x/c. Consequently, I define the past negative distance, -(D=cT), and the future positive distance, D=cT, of a photon's event line, relative to matter, to happen here-now relative to the photon. The photon should not be able to distinguish the difference between its past, present, or future. Therefore, relative to an observer, the principle of cause and effect ceases to be valid for the photon but not relative to the photon. I shall further delineate this with an example. Relative to an observer, a photon passes through an event A and later an event B. If the photon makes a decision, at event A that is dependent on its decision at event B, then it would break the law of causality relative to the observer. However, relative to the photon, events A and B occur here-now. Consequently, in this scenario, the law of causality would not be broken relative to the photon. Any phenomenon satisfying this scenario would be evidence for the photonic reference frame defined in this paper.

If a communication occurs between two photons strictly by means of their presence here-now relative to each other, then that communication occurs infinitely quickly. Only photons that occur here-now relative to each other can interact with each other. Also, photons moving in the same direction and path would not be aware of each other if one of these photons is behind or in front of the other one. In other words, two photons would not interact if one of the photons followed the other one along the same exact path. The following examples illustrate these principles.

In figure 8, photon O is located at the origin of a reference frame for matter. Photon O is moving in a straight line along the positive X axis direction. All events occurring D=cT away in the positive distance-time of photon O and -(D=cT) and in the negative distance-time of photon O, occur here-now relative to the photon O. Perpendicular to photon O's event line on the X axis are the Y and Z axes. The Z axis is perpendicular to the plane of the sheet of paper. In figure 8, event A, occurring at point (x, y, z,), happens here-now relative to photon O, if, at (x, 0 ,0), an event B occurs here-now relative to both photon O and event A. Events A and B occur here-now relative to photon O if at time t=x/c, events A and B occur, and at time t=0 photon O is at the origin. In figure 8, the time measurements are taken with a clock in the reference frame for a body of matter.

In figure 9, I describe the following four events happening at t=0 relative to a reference frame for matter: photon A occurring at point A; photon G occurring at point G; photon O occurring at the origin; and photon B occurring at point B. All four photons A, B, O, and G, are moving along event lines that are parallel to the X axis. Photons A, O, and G are moving in a positive x direction and photon B is moving in a negative x direction. Points A, O, and B are located at different locations on the Y axis. Points G and O are on different locations of the X axis. All events occurring here-now relative to photon A occur here-now relative to photon O. Consequently, A and O can interact with each other. The event of photon G at point G does not occur here-now relative to photon B, and vice versa. The here-now of photons A and O are separated from the here-now of photon G by the distance-time between point G and the origin. Therefore, photon G does not interact with photons A and O. Only the event of photon B occurring at point B is located here-now relative to photons A and O, and only the events of photons A and O occurring at points A and O are here-now relative to photon B. All other events within the here-now of photons A and O do not coincide within the here-now of photon B, and all other events within the here-now of photon B do not coincide within the here-now of photons A and O. Only when photon B is located here-now with photons A and O can photon B interact with photons A and O.

A photon’s reference frame is not predicted by classical and relativity theories, it is, instead, only predicted by distance-time theory. Consequently, all predictions of photon behavior, as laid out in my theory of a photon’s reference frame, are found exclusively in distance-time theory. This is an important difference between distance-time theory and special relativity theory. Any particle within a structure of time and space should posses a relationship to that time and space or else it cannot be within that structure of time and space, and a photon's reference frame defines a relationship between light, time and space. Furthermore, in nature, we have only actually observed three dimensions in which both light and matter particles reside. Since my space and time structure is only three dimensional and all particles of light and matter posses reference frames, I have defined a structure of time and space based more upon an observer's literal experiences than special relativity theory.