Blackbody Radiation in Classical Physics: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

We point out that current textbooks of modern physics are a century out-of-date in their treatment of blackbody radiation within classical physics. Relativistic classical electrodynamics including classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation gives the Planck spectrum with zero-point radiation as the blackbody radiation spectrum. In contrast, nonrelativistic mechanics cannot support the idea of zero-point energy; therefore if nonrelativistic classical statistical mechanics or nonrelativistic mechanical scatterers are invoked for radiation equilibrium, one arrives at only the low-frequency Rayleigh-Jeans part of the spectrum which involves no zero-point energy, and does not include the high-frequency part of the spectrum involving relativistically-invariant classical zero-point radiation. Here we first discuss the correct understanding of blackbody radiation within relativistic classical physics, and then we review the historical treatment. Finally, we point out how the presence of Lorentz-invariant classical zero-point radiation and the use of relativistic particle interactions transform the previous historical arguments so as now to give the Planck spectrum including classical zero-point radiation. Within relativistic classical electromagnetic theory, Planck's constant h appears as the scale of source-free zero-point radiation.

40 pages

References in corpus (3)

• The Contrasting Roles of Planck's Constant in Classical and Quantum Theories
• Understanding the Planck Blackbody Spectrum and Landau Diamagnetism within Classical Electromagnetism
• Understanding Zero-Point Energy in the Context of Classical Electromagnetism

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Stochastic Electrodynamics: The Closest Classical Approximation to Quantum Theory
• Thermodynamics of the Harmonic Oscillator: Derivation of the Planck Blackbody Spectrum from Pure Thermodynamics
• Relativity and Radiation Balance for the Classical Hydrogen Atom in Classical Electromagnetic Zero-Point Radiation
• Dirac's Classical-Quantum Analogy for the Harmonic Oscillator: Classical Aspects in Thermal Radiation Including Zero-Point Radiation
• Thermal Radiation Equilibrium: (Nonrelativistic) Classical Mechanics versus (Relativistic) Classical Electrodynamics
• A Charged Particle Must Be Treated Relativistically in Classical Theory
• Quantum field theory in the Weyl-Wigner representation