A classical, elementary approach to the foundations of Quantum Mechanics (1112.3369v17)

Abstract: Elementary particles are found in two different situations: (i) bound to metastable states of matter, for which angular momentum is quantized, and (ii) free, for which, due to their high energy-momentum and leaving aside inner a.m. or spin, the $h$-quantization step is completely harmless. Perhaps Quantum Mechanics can be seen just as the simplest mathematical formalism where angular momentum (the magnitude of each of its three orthogonal projections) is by construction quantized: all possible values are taken from a discrete set. Indeed: (i) This idea finds support in very reasonable, completely classical physical arguments, if we place ourselves in the framework of Stochastic Electrodynamics (SED): there, all sustained periodic movement of a charge must satisfy a power balance that restricts the value of the average angular momentum, on each of its projections. (ii) It gives a natural explanation of the concept of "photon", as a constraint on the observable spectrum of energy-momentum exchanges between metastable physical states, in particular also for its discreteness. QM would be, in this picture, a semi-static theory, transparent to all the (micro)-dynamics taking place between apparently "discrete" events (transitions in the state of the system). For instance, (the magnitude of the projections of) quantum angular momentum would only reflect average values over a (classical) cyclic trajectory, a fact that we regard as almost obvious given the particularity of the corresponding addition rules in QM.