On an electrodynamic origin of quantum fluctuations

Abstract

In the present work we use the Li\'enard-Wiechert potential to show that very violent fluctuations are experienced by an electromagnetic charged extended particle when it is perturbed from its rest state. The feedback interaction of Coulombian and radiative fields among the different charged parts of the particle makes uniform motion unstable. As a consequence, we show that radiative fields and radiation reaction produce both dissipative and antidamping effects, leading to self-oscillations. Finally, we derive a series expansion of the self-potential, which in addition to rest and kinetic energy, gives rise to a new contribution that shares features with the quantum potential. The novelty of this potential is that it produces a symmetry breaking of the Lorentz group, triggering the oscillatory motion of the electrodynamic body. We propose that this contribution to self-energy might serve as a bridge between classical electromagnetism and quantum mechanics.