William D. Walker

EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE OF NEAR-FIELD SUPERLUMINALLY PROPAGATING ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

A simple experiment is presented which indicates that electromagnetic fields propagate superluminally in the near-field next to an oscillating electric dipole source. A high frequency 437MHz, 2 watt sinusoidal electrical signal is transmitted from a dipole antenna to a parallel near-field dipole detecting antenna. The phase difference between the two antenna signals is monitored with an oscilloscope as the distance between the antennas is increased. Analysis of the phase vs distance curve indicates that superluminal transverse electric field waves (phase and group) are generated approximately one-quarter wavelength outside the source and propagate toward and away from the source. Upon creation, the transverse waves travel with infinite speed. The outgoing transverse waves reduce to the speed of light after they propagate about one wavelength away from the source. The inward propagating transverse fields rapidly reduce to the speed of light and then rapidly increase to infinite speed as they travel into the source. The results are shown to be consistent with standard electrodynamic theory.

Superluminal Propagation Speed of Longitudinally Oscillating Electrical Fields

The propagation speed of the electrical field has never been clearly understood and has always been a controversial question. Many physicists believe that the phase speed of a longitudinally oscillating electrical field is infinite (instantaneous), others are convinced that it is the speed of light, and others believe that it is finite but faster than the speed of light. The purpose of this paper is to show that all of these answers are correct, depending on the frequency of vibration and the distance from the source charge. To show this, a Maxwell analysis of the electrical field produced along the axis of vibration of an oscillating charge will be presented. The solution will reveal that both the phase speed and the group speed of the longitudinal electrical field generated by the source charge are infinite next to the source, and decay rapidly to the speed of light in one wavelength from the source. In addition, at a fixed distance from the source charge, both the phase speed and the group speed of the propagating electrical field are almost infinite for nearly static frequencies, and decrease rapidly to the speed of light as the vibration frequency is increased, such that the distance from the source approaches one wavelength. Although both the phase speed and the group speed of the longitudinal electrical field are faster than the speed of light within one wavelength from the source, a preliminary qualitative analysis will show that if the electrical field were to be amplitude modulated, the information would travel at about the speed of light.