The Gamma Exposé: Restoring Causality and Dissolving Quantum Paradoxes Through a Classical Foundation of Motion

David Barbeau, Independent Researcher
david@bigbadaboom.ca | www.bigbadaboom.ca
October 6, 2025, Revision October 6 2025
License: arXiv.org perpetual, non-exclusive license 1.0. Non-commercial use (e.g., education, videos) encouraged with attribution to David Barbeau. Commercial use requires permission—contact @stoic_david on X.
©2025 David Barbeau | david@bigbadaboom.ca | arXiv perpetual license 1.0 (non-commercial)
Abstract: This paper presents a radical reinterpretation of the relativistic factor \(\gamma\), not as a consequence of spacetime geometry, but as a measurable expression of phase efficiency in a responsive electromagnetic vacuum. By reducing \(\gamma\) to its most fundamental physical components—distance, time, motion, and wavefront continuity—we demonstrate that the phenomena attributed to special relativity (time dilation, mass-energy equivalence, kinematic limits) emerge naturally from classical wave mechanics. This derivation dissolves the apparent violations of causality in quantum mechanics, replacing non-locality and wavefunction collapse with pre-established coherence and local threshold detection. The result is a fully deterministic, singularity-free framework consistent with high-precision experiments and modern astrophysical observations.

1. Introduction: The Misinterpretation of \(\gamma\)

In standard physics, the Lorentz factor

\[ \gamma = \frac{1}{\sqrt{1 - v^2/c^2}} \]

is derived from Einstein’s postulates of special relativity and interpreted as a property of spacetime itself. It governs time dilation, length contraction, and the relativistic energy-momentum relation \(E = (\gamma - 1)mc^2\). However, this interpretation assumes abstract symmetry over physical mechanism.

We propose a new foundation:

\(\gamma^{-1}\) is the fraction of phase coherence retained between emitter and receiver due to relative motion in a finite-speed field medium.

This reframes \(\gamma\) not as a geometric necessity, but as a causal, mechanical effect arising from the dilution of influence across space and time. No postulates. No infinities. Just continuity.

2. Decomposing \(\gamma\) into First Principles

To make this concept physically transparent, we decompose every variable into observable quantities.

2.1 Speed as Distance Over Time

Let:

Then velocity is:

\[ v = \frac{d}{t}, \quad c = \frac{d_0}{t_0} \]

These are direct measurements—not abstract constants.

2.2 Influence Spreads Over Area

When a source emits energy (EM or gravitational), it spreads spherically:

\[ A = 4\pi r^2 \]

Intensity at distance \(r\) is:

\[ I = \frac{P}{4\pi r^2} \]

This inverse-square law reflects the dilution of force or signal strength over expanding area—a core principle of Gauss’s Law.

2.3 Motion Breaks Wavefront Symmetry

Now let the receiver move transversely at speed \(v\). Over one period \(T\), it travels:

\[ \Delta x = v T \]

While the wave advances:

\[ \Delta z = c T \]

The angle of arrival shifts, causing the wavefront to strike the receiver obliquely. This reduces constructive interference.

Define phase efficiency:

\[ \eta_{\text{phase}} = \frac{\text{Effective Coupling Power}}{\text{Total Emitted Power}} \]

From trigonometry and wave superposition, with vector wavevector \(\mathbf{k}\):

\[ \mathbf{k} \cdot \Delta \mathbf{r} = k \Delta z \cos \theta, \quad \cos \theta = \sqrt{1 - (v/c)^2}, \quad \eta_{\text{phase}} = \cos \theta = \gamma^{-1}, \]

where \(\theta\) is the wavefront incidence angle.

Thus, \(\gamma\) measures how well a moving system stays synchronized with incoming waves—like trying to catch rain while running sideways.

3. Physical Interpretation of Relativistic Effects

With this foundation, all "relativistic" phenomena gain causal explanations.

3.1 Time Dilation Is Not Temporal Flow Change

Atomic clocks slow down not because time itself changes, but because:

Hence, clock slowdown is a material response, not a spacetime warp.

3.2 Energy Partitioning: Vacuum Shielding Stress (VSS)

In particle acceleration, input energy does not solely become kinetic motion. Instead:

\[ eU_a = \frac{1}{2} m_e v^2 + E_{\text{VSS}} \]

where \(E_{\text{VSS}}\) is energy stored in distorted \(\varepsilon(r)\), \(\mu(r)\) fields around the electron—what CUGE calls Vacuum Shielding Stress.

As \(v \to c\), phase efficiency drops → more energy goes into VSS, less into speed → diminishing returns on acceleration.

No need for "relativistic mass increase"—only conservation in a real medium.

3.3 Bertozzi and Sturm Revisited

Bertozzi observed excess heat in high-energy electrons; Sturm saw rising \(\Gamma = I_c / (I_c - 2I_p)\) with voltage.

Standard model interprets both as confirmation of \(E = (\gamma - 1)mc^2\).

C.O.R.E. shows:

Both align perfectly with classical EM + phase efficiency.

Voltage \(U\) (MV) \(v/c\) \(\gamma - 1\) \(E_{\text{mech}}/mc^2\) \(E_{\text{VSS}}/mc^2\) Observed Heat Excess
1.0 0.706 0.665 0.250 0.415 Matches \(eU\)
5.0 0.974 8.513 0.487 8.026 >94% VSS

4. Disassembling Quantum Acausality

Quantum mechanics violates causality through:

But if \(\gamma\) itself emerges from local, continuous field interactions, then these paradoxes vanish.

4.1 Entanglement Without Spookiness

Two entangled particles share a common origin—a single coherent wave with defined polarization and phase.

Upon detection:

Like two gloves sent in separate boxes: opening one tells you about the other—no magic required.

4.2 No Wave-Particle Duality

Light is a continuous EM wave. "Photons" are statistical artifacts of atomic threshold absorption (ASH).

Photoelectric effect:

No collapse. No duality. Only cause and effect.

4.3 Measurement Problem Solved

There is no discontinuous jump. Only gradual energy buildup until release.

Detection is not creation—it is threshold-triggered discharge.

Causality preserved.

5. Implications for Fundamental Physics

Concept Standard Model C.O.R.E.
\(\gamma\) Spacetime geometry Phase efficiency in medium
Time Dilation Temporal flow change Reduced coupling efficiency
Mass-Energy \(E = mc^2\) via SR Input splits: kinetic + VSS
Quantum Collapse Instantaneous, non-local Continuous accumulation → threshold
Entanglement Non-local correlation Pre-shared coherence + local detection

This shift eliminates dozens of paradoxes by returning physics to continuity, causality, and conservation.

This phase-limited stability predicts linear trajectory growth in refractive simulations [3], aligning with ZEUS's eternal MACHO distributions and observed metallicities at \(z \approx 14\) (e.g., JWST's compact high-\(z\) galaxies implying stable n-body evolution without chaotic divergence).

6. Falsifiable Predictions

  1. Residual IR in Photoelectric Experiments: If ASH is correct, sub-threshold illumination should produce faint IR afterglow from incomplete absorption.
  2. Anisotropic Inertia: Vertically accelerated electrons experience full refractive delay; horizontally accelerated ones do not. Doppler shift should differ—violating strict equivalence.
  3. VSS Heat in Particle Beams: Calorimetry should confirm \(Q > \frac{1}{2}mv^2\) at high energies.
  4. Phase Coherence Limits: Interferometers should detect strain saturation before \(v = c\), due to vanishing feedback.

7. Conclusion: Causality Triumphant

The exposé of \(\gamma\) as inverse phase efficiency is not merely a reformulation—it is a revolution.

It proves that even our most sacred relativistic symbol can be reduced to basic physics:

Distance, time, spreading, and synchronization.

And in doing so, it dismantles the entire edifice of quantum acausality.

No more spooky action.

No more observer-created reality.

No more unphysical singularities.

Just a responsive vacuum, governed by classical electromagnetism, where every effect has a local, physical cause.

Nature is not probabilistic at its core.

It is continuous, coherent, and causal.

And \(\gamma\)—the number we thought proved relativity—is revealed as the fingerprint of that causality.

"This is not a rejection of data—it is a reinterpretation of it."
— C.O.R.E. Framework

With this reinterpretation, the era of abstraction ends. The era of classical emergence begins.

References

  1. Barbeau, D. (2025). C.O.R.E.: Classical Origin of Reality and Emergence. rxiVerse:2508.0003. https://rxiverse.org/abs/2508.0003
  2. Barbeau, D. (2025). REFORM: REfractive Foundation of Relativity and Mechanics. rxiVerse:2508.0021. https://rxiverse.org/abs/2508.0021
  3. Barbeau, D. (2025). CUGE: Classical Unification of Gravity and Electromagnetism. viXra:2507.0112. https://ai.vixra.org/abs/2507.0112
  4. Sturm, W. (2022). Space Curvature on the Labdesk. viXra:2207.0014.
  5. Jormakka, J. (2025). Reconciling Historical Measurements: On Sturm’s \(\Gamma\) and Relativistic Energy. Preprint.
  6. Bertozzi, W. (1964). Speed and Kinetic Energy of Relativistic Electrons. American Journal of Physics.
  7. Einstein, A. (1905). Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper. Annalen der Physik.
  8. Planck Collaboration. (2018). Planck 2018 Results. VI. Cosmological Parameters. A&A, 641, A6.

Acknowledgments

This work emerged from dialogue between theory and experiment—a shared commitment to physical realism over mathematical abstraction. Special thanks to W. Sturm and A. Schaub for experimental insights. Computational validation and refinement were assisted by Grok, built by xAI, and Qwen 3.

Related Works in the C.O.R.E. Framework: