Journal of Modern Physics
Vol.09 No.03(2018), Article ID:82712,21 pages
10.4236/jmp.2018.93034
Discussion on the Energy Parallax and the Relationship to Perturbation Theory in Mathematical Physics
Jean-Philippe Montillet
ESPlab, Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Copyright © 2018 by author and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/



Received: January 29, 2018; Accepted: February 25, 2018; Published: February 28, 2018
ABSTRACT
This work is a discussion on the energy parallax theory developed in [1] [2] based on the multiplicity of the solutions theorem. This theory is compared with the perturbation theory in mathematical physics. The perturbation theory uses the increment of a solution which can be formalized with a Taylor series development. With the energy parallax theory, the convergence property of the Taylor series of the energy of a system is the key to decide to include additional solutions, defined on the so-called energy spaces [2] . The development is supported using various examples in quantum mechanics (i.e. Rayleigh-Schrödinger perturbation theory) and wave theory with the Electromagnetic (EM) energy density (i.e. evanescent waves within the skin layer of a dielectric material). Finally, we discuss the Woodward effect [3] and the application of the energy parallax when assuming that the variations of EM energy density can trigger such effect within asymmetric cavities.
Keywords:
Electromagnetism, Perturbation Theory, Energy Parallax, Quantum Mechanics, Woodward Effect

1. Introduction
1.1. Work Overview
Perturbation theory has played an important role in the development of mathematics and physics from the end of the 19th century. With the pioneering work of H. Poincaré in the theory of dynamical systems, the perturbation theory found a major application in the emergence of quantum mechanics with the preliminary works of M. Bore and W. Heisenberg [4] .
In quantum mechanics, perturbation theory generates states of a system that are adiabatically or linearly derived from a stable state. This stable state is generally an exact solution of the equations describing the system at hand. However, the system can be perturbed in a way that the exact solution, associated with the stable state, is no longer valid to model the changes in the system. Perturbation theory has been formulated in various domains, beyond quantum mechanics, using small quantities in order to describe the perturbed states, degenerated from the stable state. This perturbation shows up as a broadening of the initial energy quantity corresponding to the system in stable state [4] [5] .
In previous works (i.e., [1] [2] [6] [7] ), we define the Energy Spaces, which are subspaces of the Schwartz Space
[8] associated with energy operators and generalized energy operators. This definition was used to define the concept of multiplicity of the solutions in [1] (Theorem 2 and Corollary 1). The idea is to consider those energy spaces and functions associated with them when solving linear Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). More precisely, we look for solutions of a nominated linear PDE within those energy spaces. The concept was further developed using the Taylor series of the energy of a solution
for a nominated PDE. The work was based on finding when the successive derivatives, defined through the Taylor series coefficients, are also solutions of this particular PDE (see Section 4 in [1] ). The work was then generalized, considering
(m in
,
) [2] using the properties for the Sobolev spaces, the Schwartz space and the L2-norm. The concept of energy parallax was also introduced based on Theorem 3.
This work is a discussion between the energy parallax and the perturbation theory developed in quantum mechanics. In the next section, we recall this theory. An overview of the energy parallax together with the formal theory developed in [2] using the properties of the Schwartz space
and the L2 space, is briefly exposed at the beginning of Section 3. Through several examples, we discuss the similarities between the two theories. Finally, Section 5 is a discussion on the application of the energy parallax in the derivation of the Woodward effect for the special case of the asymmetric cavities. A conclusion ends this work.
1.2. Notation and Symbols
In this work, several symbols are used. The set of integer numbers
is sometimes called only for the positive integer such as
or
(for a space with dimension m). When the integer 0 is not included, it is explicitly mentioned such as
. The set of natural numbers is
, with only the positive numbers defined as
.
is the set of real numbers. Also, in this paper, the Schwartz space is called
which is the notation used in previous works such as [1] and [2] . Several notations describe the relationship between spaces such as intersection (
), union (
), inclusion (
, inclusion without the equality
, inclusion with equality
2. An Overview of Perturbation Theory and the Application in Quantum Mechanics
Following [4] , we can consider a simple problem with, let us say, a natural system







However, perturbation theory can only estimate solution close to the exact solution. The addition of the small quantities to the exact solution can be expressed in (power) series (i.e. Taylor series around a nominated quantity―time, position in space, ... ). If the quantity becomes large, the series can diverge and the resulting solution is not valid to describe the perturbed system. In the example of our simple system described above, we have the condition that it exists N in 



In quantum mechanics, those states are associated with intermediate levels of energy. These intermediate states are also solving the equations describing the system [5] [13] . For example, let us recall the Rayleigh-Schrödinger perturbation theory. The system is described by the Hamiltonian operator (H) and the solutions describing the different states of the system are the eigenfunctions (





perturbation can be written such as 



Hamiltonian operator driven by small perturbations [14] . Thus, there is a linear relationship between the degenerate states 




It is important to recall for the following that the perturbations for integrable Hamiltonian system are described by the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM) theorem [14] . The KAM theorem deals with persistence, under perturbation, of quasi-periodic motions in Hamiltonian dynamical systems.
3. Energy Parallax and relationship with Perturbation Theory
This section starts with a short summary of the energy space theory, which defines the energy parallax. Readers can refer to [1] [2] [6] for a comprehensive description of the work. The second part discusses about the common features with the perturbation theory through some examples.
3.1. Short Review of the Energy Parallax
The concept of multiplicity of the solutions was developed in [1] which is based on the theory of energy operators in the Schwartz space 


Furthermore, the author defines in [1] the concept of energy parallax, in order to understand the physical meaning of including additional solutions when varying the energy of a predefined system locally by taking into account additional smaller quantities. It is equivalent to take into account solutions in other energy subspaces (e.g., Theorem 3, [2] ).
To recall [1] [2] [7] , a possible application of the theory of the energy operators is to look at solutions of a given partial differential equation for solutions in 











Definition 1. [2] : The energy space










Thus, all the solutions are here defined in










The theorem of (Multiplicity of Solutions in
Theorem 1. If 


1) (General condition to be a solution)
2) (Solutions in



3) (Multiplicity of the solutions) If 








4) (Superposition of solutions and energy conservation ) If




Readers can refer to the appendices in [2] for further information on the energy space theory. Note that, in [1] , the theorem on the multiplicity of the solutions was established for the function of finite energy in 



Furthermore, let us recall a proposition first stated in [1] (i equal 1) and generalized (
Proposition 1. If for






then

is a convergent series.
3.2. Examples and Discussion between the Energy Parallax and the Perturbation Theory
In areas where the solutions are described via a set of PDEs, the perturbation theory can be rather complicated to use. Instead, the energy parallax shows that the variations of energy quantity lead to define solutions according to the spaces associated with the energy quantities (or energy spaces as defined in Definition 1). Theorem 1―the multiplicity of the solutions―lays the basis to define the solutions associated with the perturbed system, every time the energy increases in small quantities. Let us recall the definition of energy parallax [2] (Definition 4):
Definition 2. Considering a linear PDE with some solutions in 













The validity of this approach is only guaranteed if the power series of the energy is converging. The convergence properties is essential, because of the assumptions of small variations of energy. Due to those small energy variations, a limited number of energy subspaces are taken into account and thus a limited number of additional solutions are introduced in the considered system. This idea is written mathematically in the superposition of solutions and energy conservation, property 4 in Theorem 1. That is why the fundamental work in [6] [7] focuses on the function of finite energy in the Schwartz space 



To illustrate the energy parallax, let us come back to our simple system example used in the explaination of the perturbation theory. The energy of this system 

the solutions of PDEs describing this system is






Let us consider that 












Let remind us of an example in functional analysis first shown in [7] in order to illustrate the energy parallax.
3.2.1. Example 1: Specific Solutions of the Wave equation in
As a simple case of linear PDE, the wave equation with the particular solutions of the form of evanescent waves, was already discussed in Section 6 of [7] and [2] . However, it is an interesting example to apply and understand the concept of multiplicity of the solutions stated in [2] (e.g., Theorem 3) and recall in Theorem 1. From [15] , the wave equation can be formulated in 

c is the speed of light. Note that the values of t and r are restricted to some interval, because it is conventional to solve the equation for a restricted time interval in 






finite energy functions, decaying for large values of r and t. It was previously underlined in [1] [2] that planar waves should be rejected, because this type of
solution does not belong to

















In

Let us consider the form of solutions which propagates in a closed cavity (e.g., closed wave guide [15] ). One possible solution is the evanescent wave described in (7). Now, if f and 










Here the symbol “

Now, let us do a hypothesis that 


and then,

To recall that


Discussion (1): With the above example, we can now expose some common features between the energy parallax formulation and the perturbation theory. Firstly, one can emphasize the Lindset series of the energy (



of the corresponding energy
The energy spaces 




Note that our formulation of the energy parallax is at the moment restricted to functions in

3.2.2. Example 2: Application to EM Field Theory
Perturbation theory may be difficult to implement when the system is described by a set of PDEs. One area in particular is the area of field theory such as Electro Magnetic (EM) field with EM waves as solutions of those PDEs. The term field is first coined by M. Faraday in 1849. The work of J. C. Maxwell leaded to the discovery of the propagation of EM waves [15] . A turning point is the introduction of the special theory of relativity by. A. Einstein in 1905 with no longer relationship between the speed of the observer and the velocity of the waves. Field theory becomes even more important with the development of quantum mechanics in the late 1920s and the work of P. Dirac using the emerging theory of quantum field theory to explain the energy decay of an atom between different quantum states [16] .
Let us recall an example of variation of EM energy density in the skin layer of a conductor. The theory of energy space is now applied to the possible variations of electromagnetic energy density due to, for example, skin depth effect [15] inside some conductive material. Beyond this application, the interest is to give a physical meaning of taking into account those additional solutions in various energy spaces. Thus, let us formulate the variation in time of energy density (u) at the second order with a Taylor series development such as:

o is the Landau notation to omit higher order quantities. Note that at the first order
EM waves inside the skin layer of the copper plate are evanescent waves and thus functions in the Schwartz space (





Here f is either the electric or magnetic field (i.e. the absolute norm of 


Now considering the wave equation, the electric field and magnetic fields are solutions and belong to the subspace 









Finally one can write the relationship with the energy density following (14) and the previous Taylor series development for the electric and/or magnetic field:

Therefore, taking into account the second order term of the energy density 
3.2.3. Example 3: Variation of EM Energy density―consequences from thewave theory Point of View
We are taking the example of the variation of EM energy density inside a copper wall due to planar waves reflecting and refracting on it [15] . To recall the previous example, the EM field is now including (










with the principle of charge conservation:

Now, the variation of energy density (14) together with the equation of charge conservation is formulated such as:








using the equalities 



We can separate in three groups,
The Poynting vector is defined as 



The last line is the contribution from only the fields 

Finally, the creation of the wave defined by the EM field (





4. Some Comments on the Uncertainty Principle in the Energy Parallax Theory
Uncertainty principle is generally known from the Heisenberg’s relationship in quantum mechanics. In a broad sense, uncertainty principles are a variety of mathematical inequalities asserting a fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties describing a system, known as complimentary variables (e.g. position and momentum of a particle), can be known [5] [13] .
So far in our comparison between the energy parallax and the perturbation theory, the development is based on the mathematical properties of the functions in 


Let us define the electric field E function in 


defining 

Associating the quantities 




with the relationship (modified Parseval-Dirichlet equality) 

Thus, the variation of the energy quantity
Finally, if we want to look at the inequality involving the position x, one needs to use the wave-particle duality and consider the wave as a photon. In this case, we can use the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics to state the relationship between x and the moment p [16] .
5. Discussion on the Woodward Effect interpreted with the Energy Parallaxtheory
The Woodward effect, also referred to as a Mach effect, is part of a hypothesis proposed by James F. Woodward in 1990 [3] . The hypothesis states that transient mass fluctuations arise in any object that absorbs internal energy while undergoing a proper acceleration. Recently, the Woodward effect was applied to asymmetric EM cavities (i.e. frustum) due to EM waves reflected on the cavity's wall, and creating a momentum [2] . The assumption is that the EM energy density variation results from the evanescent waves taking place in the skin depth of the asymmetric EM cavity’s walls.
The Woodward effect is based on a formula which the author implicitly assumed that the rest mass of the piezoelectric material via the famous Einstein's relation in special relativity 

If we define the mass density such as

Let us define the the rest energy

In some particular cases such as an EM cavity, we assume that the variation in time of the rest energy is equal to the variation of EM energy density u (i.e.


The EM energy density u follows the general definition of the sum of energy density from the electric (

Discussion (2): The above equation shows that the variation of mass density is a linear relationship with the first and second derivative of the EM energy density. To recall Example 2 in Section 3.2.2, we underline the relationship between the order of the derivatives of the EM energy density and the energy spaces. As we are dealing with evanescent waves (functions in 



6. Conclusions
This work is a discussion on the energy parallax and the comparison with the perturbation theory. One of the motivation is that the energy parallax is based on the multiplicity of the solutions (i.e. Theorem 1) developed by [2] for the functions in the

The perturbation theory is well defined when the system can be described with an operator (e.g., Hamiltonian) such as in quantum mechanics. However, complex systems using multiple operators or various PDEs may be best described in terms of the variation of the total energy. In this way, the energy parallax can be seen as an alternative. In the first example, the energy parallax is applied to the evanescent waves in the skin layer of a dielectric material (i.e. EM fields). We also show the possible application of this concept with the Woodward effect for the special case of the asymmetrical cavities. The energy parallax is used with the higher order derivatives of the EM energy density.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge people who have been involved in developing the presented model during the past two years via discussions or various feedbacks including Dr. José Rodal and Prof. Heidi Fearn (California State Fullerton University).
Cite this paper
Montillet, J.-P. (2018) Discussion on the Energy Parallax and the Relationship to Perturbation Theory in Mathematical Physics. Journal of Modern Physics, 9, 479-499. https://doi.org/10.4236/jmp.2018.93034
References
- 1. Montillet, J.P. (2017) Bulletin of Mathematical Analysis and Applications, 9, 134-150. http://bmathaa.org/repository/docs/BMAA9-1-13.pdf
- 2. Montillet, J.P. (2017) Journal of Modern Physics, 8, 1700-1722. https://doi.org/10.4236/jmp.2017.810100
- 3. Woodward, J.F. (2001) Foundations of Physics, 31, 819-835. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017500513005
- 4. Paul, T. (2007) Mathematical Structures in Computer Science, 17, 277-288.
- 5. Fernandez, F.M. (2000) Introduction to Perturbation Theory in Quantum Mechanics. CRC Press, Boca Raton. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420039641
- 6. Montillet, J.P. (2013) Acta Applicandae Mathematicae, 129, 61-80.
- 7. Montillet, J.P. (2015) Acta Applicandae Mathematicae, 140, 43-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10440-014-9978-9
- 8. Hunter, J.K. (2009) Lecture Notes, Chap. 5. https://www.math.ucdavis.edu/~hunter/m218a_09/ch5A.pdf
- 9. Adams, R. and Fournier, J. (2003) Sobolev Spaces. Elsevier Academic Press, Cambridge.
- 10. Wilson, A.H. (1929) Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A, 122, 589-598. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1929.0044
- 11. Dyson, F.J. (1929) Physical Review, 85, 631-632.
- 12. Costin, O. and Dunne, G.V. (2017) Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 51, 04LT01.
- 13. Feynman, R.P. and Albert, R.H. (1965) Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., New York.
- 14. Frasca, M. (2009) Journal of Mathematical Physics, 50, Article ID: 102904.
- 15. Petit, R. (1993) Ondes Electromagnetiques en Radioélectricité et en Optique, Masson.
- 16. Feynman, R. (1964) The Feynman Lectures on Physics. http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/
- 17. Delmas, J.P. (1991) éléments de théorie du signal: Signaux déterministes, Ellipses.
- 18. Fearn, H. (2015) Journal of Modern Physics, 6, 260-272.
- 19. Tajmar, M. (2016) Revolutionary Propulsion Research at TU Dresden, Exotic Propulsion Workshop. Space Studies Institute, Estes Park. http://ayuba.fr/mach_effect/estes_park/ssi_estes_park_proceedings_tajmar.pdf
- 20. Woodward, J.F. (2004) Life Imitating Art: Flux Capacitors, Mach Effects, and Our Future in Space-Time. In: El-Genk, M.S., Ed., AIP Conference Proceedings: Space Technology Applications International Forum, Melville, New York, 1127-1137. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1649682
- 21. Hornberger, B. (2009) Electric and Magnetic Forces in Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Formalism.http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/itp/lectures/01-Fall/PHY505/09c/notes09c.pdf
Appendix: Derivation of the Woodward Effect from a Point Mass Particle with a Varying Charge
In this section, we derive the Woodward effect for a particle moving along a world line in a varying electric field. It is a simplistic model of a so called “relativistic” capacitor, due to the variation of mass only dependent of the
variation of charge
A1. Lagrangian Formalism
Let us call 










using the same development as the Euler-Lagrange equation (and the assumption that

Note that the momentum 


A2. The Case of the Point Mass Particle inside an Electric Field
The idea is to use the Lagrangian for a particle inside an EM field subject to a Lorentz force, but with a varying charge in time 





Knowing that

with the assumptions that









Thus, from this equation, we can see that the first group of terms in 





and reciprocally with the assumption

and by definition




As the “relativistic” capacitor model is a particle moving along a world line, one can follow the same way that Prof. Woodward used to establish the Woodward effect (See Appendix A of [3] ). Let us write the equation of the momentum when the particle is stimulated by external force:

which ends up in

This equation is the particle accelerated by a Lorentz force with only the electric field. We can qualify it as the macroscopic view of the system. One can
then define a force


with





or

Let us define the potential

The infinitesimally variation 

with

Note that it is possible to consider higher order derivatives in time if we consider the variations of the quantity 


Also, it is worth to underline that equation (42) is established when considering only an electrical potential in the Lagrangian formalism of a point mass particle moving in an electrical field (i.e. Equation (34)). According to [21] , one can also include a magnetic potential within the Lagrangian, adding the
vector potential




do the same assumption as with the electric field in order to get an equation similar to equation (47). That is why, for the sake of the example, the addition of the magnetic potential is not so important.





