Time-Delayed Causality as a Classical Alternative to Quantum Mechanics: Hydrogen in Neutral Newtonian Mechanics

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Abstract This study develops a strictly classical time-delayed model of the hydrogen atom, with retarded Coulomb forces and finite-difference inertia over a state-dependent delay, to reproduce key quantum features without quantum postulates. The delay law is anchored in the Abraham, Lorentz and Dirac self-time and fixed by matching the Rydberg constant, thereby determining a neutral delay scale and an effective energy frequency proportionality without inserting Planck’s constant into the equations of motion. With this single calibration, a neutral mean-power condition and a phase-locking rule between orbital motion and delay generate a discrete ladder of radii and energies reproducing the Rydberg spectrum without imposing angular-momentum quantisation. Neutral radial and azimuthal phases, constructed from the retarded trajectory, define two indices that act as classical analogues of principal and orbital quantum numbers and satisfy simple sum rules for elliptic orbits, mirroring Sommerfeld’s extension of the Bohr model. Interpreting the neutral delay as a minimal time window for inferring position and velocity yields a classical position–momentum error product of order Planck’s constant. In weakly driven settings, non-zero mean neutral power turns the delayed inertial channel into an energy reservoir, allowing deterministic level-to-level transitions between long-lived neutral orbits and preventing the catastrophic radiative collapse of the Rutherford atom.
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Time-Delayed Causality as a Classical Alternative to Quantum Mechanics: Hydrogen in Neutral Newtonian Mechanics | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Time-Delayed Causality as a Classical Alternative to Quantum Mechanics: Hydrogen in Neutral Newtonian Mechanics Mohamed Elfouly This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8267004/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study develops a strictly classical time-delayed model of the hydrogen atom, with retarded Coulomb forces and finite-difference inertia over a state-dependent delay, to reproduce key quantum features without quantum postulates. The delay law is anchored in the Abraham, Lorentz and Dirac self-time and fixed by matching the Rydberg constant, thereby determining a neutral delay scale and an effective energy frequency proportionality without inserting Planck’s constant into the equations of motion. With this single calibration, a neutral mean-power condition and a phase-locking rule between orbital motion and delay generate a discrete ladder of radii and energies reproducing the Rydberg spectrum without imposing angular-momentum quantisation. Neutral radial and azimuthal phases, constructed from the retarded trajectory, define two indices that act as classical analogues of principal and orbital quantum numbers and satisfy simple sum rules for elliptic orbits, mirroring Sommerfeld’s extension of the Bohr model. Interpreting the neutral delay as a minimal time window for inferring position and velocity yields a classical position–momentum error product of order Planck’s constant. In weakly driven settings, non-zero mean neutral power turns the delayed inertial channel into an energy reservoir, allowing deterministic level-to-level transitions between long-lived neutral orbits and preventing the catastrophic radiative collapse of the Rutherford atom. Applied Mathematics Theoretical Physics Atomic and Molecular Physics Neutral Newtonian Mechanics Neutral Delay Differential Equation Delay Differential Equation radiative diffusion time Hydrogen Atom Rydberg Spectrum Classical Quantum Correspondence Time-Delayed Causality. Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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