Orbital Shell Collapse and Reformation: Photon Absorption and Emission as Harmonic Realignment Events in Spacetime Curvature
Abstract
This paper interprets electron orbital transitions—commonly referred to as quantum leaps—within the EPVOD (Electromagnetic Permittivity Variation and Orbital Dynamics) framework. We propose that photon absorption and emission events correspond to localized realignments in the harmonic vacuum field surrounding atomic nuclei. Rather than discontinuous jumps or probabilistic collapses, these transitions are modeled as deterministic reorganizations of spacetime curvature, driven by energy threshold conditions and governed by boundary harmonics. The apparent instantaneous change in electron state is the result of a rapid reconfiguration of vacuum tension, reshaping the permitted orbital waveguide.
1. Introduction
In conventional quantum mechanics, electrons "jump" between discrete energy levels, absorbing or emitting photons in the process. Yet the underlying mechanism remains abstracted within probabilistic formalism. EPVOD offers an alternative: electron orbitals are standing wave harmonics in a spacetime structure deformed by the energy density of the nucleus. Orbital transitions correspond to curvature boundary realignments, conserving angular momentum and energy through vacuum harmonic reshaping.
2. Vacuum Structure and Orbital Shells
An electron's position probability cloud reflects the shape of the permitted harmonic mode in a spacetime curvature well. These orbital shells are established by boundary conditions imposed by nuclear deformation and quantized radial-permittivity gradients:
[
\nabla \cdot \left( \frac{1}{\varepsilon(r)} \nabla \psi \right) + \frac{2m}{\hbar^2}(E - V(r))\psi = 0
]
Orbital stability arises when the harmonic deformation and wavefronts form a standing resonance within these boundaries.
3. Photon Absorption: Energy-Induced Shell Collapse
When an incident photon with energy (E = h\nu) interacts with an electron, its energy locally perturbs the harmonic vacuum boundary. If this energy exceeds the modal transition threshold, the vacuum tension state becomes unstable, forcing the current orbital configuration to collapse.
This is not a probabilistic shift but a deterministic realignment:
- Boundary destabilization: Local permittivity-permeability gradients shift.
- Standing wave reconfiguration: The old mode dissolves and a higher-energy mode forms.
- Electron migration: The wavefunction redistributes into the new geometry.
4. Photon Emission: Vacuum Relaxation and Energy Ejection
Emission occurs when an orbital shell becomes energetically unstable in the absence of sustaining excitation. The vacuum harmonic field seeks the lowest stable configuration.
- Energy surplus: The electron exists in an elevated curvature harmonic.
- Tension release: The vacuum curvature collapses inward, discharging excess energy as a photon.
- Realignment: The orbital shell settles into a lower-order harmonic.
This process explains the instantaneous nature of emission as a self-propagating harmonic contraction.
5. Observational Consequences
- Spectral Line Sharpness: Arises from stable harmonic thresholds between configurations.
- Emission Timing: Determined by local vacuum stability, not stochastic processes.
- Multi-photon Cascades: Occur when intermediate shells are forbidden or unstable, forcing stepwise transitions.
6. Integration with EPVOD Cosmology
These transitions represent microcosmic demonstrations of harmonic curvature modulation. Just as galaxies bend spacetime macroscopically, atomic transitions reflect microscale curvature adjustments, governed by energy input and harmonic stability conditions.
7. Conclusion
Photon absorption and emission are not probabilistic events but deterministic geometric realignments of the vacuum curvature field. Electrons shift modes within harmonic waveguides defined by nuclear-induced spacetime tension. This perspective replaces abstract collapse models with curvature phase transition dynamics, grounded in the EPVOD framework.
Next Paper
Title: "Charge Distribution and Field Line Topology in Curved Vacuum Geometries"