Apparent Asymmetries in Electromagnetic Interaction: A “Virtual Wire” Model for Reactionless Propulsion and Preliminary Experimental Observations

Apparent Asymmetries in Electromagnetic Interaction: A “Virtual Wire” Model for Reactionless Propulsion and Preliminary Experimental Observations | 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 Apparent Asymmetries in Electromagnetic Interaction: A “Virtual Wire” Model for Reactionless Propulsion and Preliminary Experimental Observations Yong Li This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8617166/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract This paper explores the apparent asymmetries in electromagnetic forces that may arise within finite-sized, non-closed, or transient current-carrying systems under specific configurations, which appear counter-intuitive from a classical mechanics perspective. Based on a systematic analysis of these phenomena, particularly the third form of "carrier asymmetry," we propose an innovative reactionless propulsion concept utilizing open-circuit coils. To resolve the fundamental momentum conservation challenge of this concept self-consistently within classical electrodynamics, we construct an original theoretical model—the “Virtual Wire.” This model conceptually closes the physical open-circuit coil into a virtual loop by introducing an ideal massless wire segment. It thereby clearly links the apparent net thrust acquired by the device to the directed radiative momentum flux of the electromagnetic field resulting from the structural discontinuity. To investigate the physical implications of this theoretical model, we designed and implemented two experimental setups for preliminary observation. The second setup employs a center-fed, open-ended toroidal drive coil and a C-shaped working coil wound with 12,000 turns of fine wire, each turn having a 70° opening. Driven at a frequency of 100 MHz with an effective current of approximately 0.3 A, the experiment observed repeatable displacement indications consistent with the model's prediction, corresponding to an estimated net thrust on the order of \(\:{10}^{-4}\) N. Error analysis and statistical tests indicate that this observed effect is not purely random. From phenomenological analysis and model construction to preliminary experimental exploration, this work aims to provide a self-consistent theoretical perspective and motivating experimental reference for exploring novel propulsion mechanisms within the classical theoretical framework. Electrophysics Aeronautics and Astronautics Theoretical Physics Electromagnetic interaction Apparent asymmetry Reactionless propulsion Virtual Wire model Momentum conservation Open-circuit coil Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files FigureA.1.SchematicdiagramofthevirtualclosedsurfacemathbitSusedfortheforcefieldintegrationintheVirtualWiremodel.svg Figure A.1. Schematic diagram of the virtual closed surface\ \mathbit{S} used for the force-field integration in the "Virtual Wire" model. The surface\ S closely follows the surfaces of the physical U-shaped coil (solid black line) and the virtual wire (red dashed line) bridging the gap, and closes at a distance to enclose the entire system under analysis. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions 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. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8617166","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":577468070,"identity":"a3d4cb0d-22c9-459e-9d23-609ee5297286","order_by":0,"name":"Yong Li","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFAC5oYDQFKOjb35ALFaGMFajPl4jiUQrwVEJs6TyFEgToN8e2LjgY87atPbGHIYGH5UbCPCjp6HDQdnnjme28Zw9gBjz5nbhLUwSyQ2HOZtO5bbxtiXwMzYRoQWNqiWdDZmHgPitPBAtNQksLERq0WCB+SXtgOGbTxsCQeJ8ot8e/LhDx/b6uTl5z8++OBHBRFaGBgSQMRhMPMAMephWuqIVDwKRsEoGAUjEgAAOIo+1eJQIL8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1699-0769","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yong","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-16 10:59:53","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8617166/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8617166/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102295473,"identity":"5ccd7d03-d076-4e68-a611-ccc11d0b68f6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-10 10:11:30","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":15329,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSchematic illustrating the transient delay of electromagnetic forces between parallel straight wires. (a) Wire 2 is already within the magnetic field of wire 1, which carries a steady current. (b) At time t₀, wire 2 is energized and immediately experiences a force from wire 1's field. (c) During the interval Δt, the field generated by wire 2 has not yet propagated to wire 1, so wire 1 experiences no force. (d) After Δt, forces between the two wires reach equilibrium.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8617166/v2/94bd6b0393aff15d4fb10316.png"},{"id":101989504,"identity":"ce7c252b-b803-4623-a1e2-ececc451a442","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-05 19:19:55","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":3531,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSchematic illustrating the direction of Ampere forces between perpendicularly connected wires. Wires ca and ab are perpendicular and carry current. According to the Ampere force law, the force F1 on wire ca is perpendicular to itself, and the force\\ F2 on wire ab is also perpendicular to itself. Although\\ \\mid F1∣=∣F2∣, the two force vectors are perpendicular, not satisfying a collinear and opposite relationship.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8617166/v2/443bfbe70824e0cc30552fa7.png"},{"id":102295102,"identity":"0f49c1fd-c0d6-44c7-b25f-175833dca357","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-10 10:08:47","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":6539,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSchematic of a three-wire structure illustrating \"carrier asymmetry\" in electromagnetic interaction. Wire ab is connected to two parallel wires bd and bc of equal length. When current flows as shown, wire ab exerts forces\\ (F1,F2) on bd and bc, but the reaction forces f3 and f4 from them on ab sum to zero due to symmetry. Wire ef represents the equivalent part in a physically closed loop that would bear this reaction force.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8617166/v2/74aa427cafcaead53e85ff0d.png"},{"id":101989507,"identity":"ad966dbc-9813-4056-be2b-5596909d264f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-05 19:19:55","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":11216,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSchematic comparing forces on closed loops and open-circuit coils. (a) \u0026amp; (c): The total electromagnetic force on a complete closed current loop is zero, indicating self-balance. (b) \u0026amp; (d): When part of the loop is removed, the remaining open-circuit coil portion loses part of its internal balance, resulting in an apparent net external force.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8617166/v2/772192aaee75cf9e5e9aef66.png"},{"id":102295483,"identity":"4bc3ebf3-e320-44ba-8978-1a1c9b4e8705","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-10 10:11:34","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":2527,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSchematic of the \"Virtual Wire\" model. The solid lines represent the physical open-circuit coil. The red dashed line represents the \"Virtual Wire\" used for theoretical analysis. Together, they form a virtual closed loop for calculation and analysis.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8617166/v2/d32c646b84433398cce2fb70.png"},{"id":102397638,"identity":"b59cfb68-d507-4190-888b-6734555d740c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-11 10:18:40","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":439072,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"10.2ThePrincipleofElectromagneticInteractionAsymmetry.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8617166/v2_covered_efa0948d-58c0-405d-b35b-d0e08b8aadbe.pdf"},{"id":102295186,"identity":"db495273-40ad-44c7-835f-842ae4d6aa6d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-10 10:09:39","extension":"svg","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":11246,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFigure A.1. Schematic diagram of the virtual closed surface\\ \\mathbit{S} used for the force-field integration in the \"Virtual Wire\" model. The surface\\ S closely follows the surfaces of the physical U-shaped coil (solid black line) and the virtual wire (red dashed line) bridging the gap, and closes at a distance to enclose the entire system under analysis.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"FigureA.1.SchematicdiagramofthevirtualclosedsurfacemathbitSusedfortheforcefieldintegrationintheVirtualWiremodel.svg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8617166/v2/1f214c14613e4c3313f65329.svg"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"Apparent Asymmetries in Electromagnetic Interaction: A “Virtual Wire” Model for Reactionless Propulsion and Preliminary Experimental Observations","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Electromagnetic interaction, Apparent asymmetry, Reactionless propulsion, Virtual Wire model, Momentum conservation, Open-circuit coil","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8617166/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8617166/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis paper explores the apparent asymmetries in electromagnetic forces that may arise within finite-sized, non-closed, or transient current-carrying systems under specific configurations, which appear counter-intuitive from a classical mechanics perspective. Based on a systematic analysis of these phenomena, particularly the third form of \"carrier asymmetry,\" we propose an innovative reactionless propulsion concept utilizing open-circuit coils. To resolve the fundamental momentum conservation challenge of this concept self-consistently within classical electrodynamics, we construct an original theoretical model\u0026mdash;the \u0026ldquo;Virtual Wire.\u0026rdquo; This model conceptually closes the physical open-circuit coil into a virtual loop by introducing an ideal massless wire segment. It thereby clearly links the apparent net thrust acquired by the device to the directed radiative momentum flux of the electromagnetic field resulting from the structural discontinuity. To investigate the physical implications of this theoretical model, we designed and implemented two experimental setups for preliminary observation. The second setup employs a center-fed, open-ended toroidal drive coil and a C-shaped working coil wound with 12,000 turns of fine wire, each turn having a 70\u0026deg; opening. Driven at a frequency of 100 MHz with an effective current of approximately 0.3 A, the experiment observed repeatable displacement indications consistent with the model's prediction, corresponding to an estimated net thrust on the order of \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{10}^{-4}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eN. Error analysis and statistical tests indicate that this observed effect is not purely random. From phenomenological analysis and model construction to preliminary experimental exploration, this work aims to provide a self-consistent theoretical perspective and motivating experimental reference for exploring novel propulsion mechanisms within the classical theoretical framework.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Apparent Asymmetries in Electromagnetic Interaction: A “Virtual Wire” Model for Reactionless Propulsion and Preliminary Experimental Observations","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2026-02-05 19:19:50","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8617166/v2","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-20 12:57:01","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8617166/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e8998d55-8f4d-4a1e-94fa-7aa42fc39988","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 5th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":61437886,"name":"Electrophysics"},{"id":61437887,"name":"Aeronautics and Astronautics"},{"id":61437888,"name":"Theoretical Physics"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-20T12:57:02+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-05 19:19:50","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-8617166","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8617166","identity":"rs-8617166","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}