Standing waves in TGD

Four-wave mechanism is one of the basic mechanism encountered in laser physics. It is not obvious what the description of four-wave mechanism is at the basic level in TGD framework. In Maxwellian approach one introduces non-linear F⁴ term in the Lagrangian: here F is the electromagnetic field strength. This approach must be replaced by something else in TGD level if one wants a microscopic description.

To end up with this description by making first the question how to understand amplitude modulation. Even this is not enough. One must ask what is the first principle description for the linear superposition of fields in TGD framework. I have described this description in the earlier posting. The basis idea is that superposition does not occur for fields: only for their quantal effects. Some of the implications are discussed here, here, and here.

Also the phenomena of amplitude modulation and four-wave interaction would be effects appearing as quantal reactions of charged particles to the presence of space-time sheets carrying fields. They need not be present for the induced gauge fields. One might perhaps even say that these effects appear only at the level of conscious perception involving quantum jumps but not at the level of classical fields. This would be a direct evidence for the quantal character of conscious experience.

The summation of effects of em fields can induce amplitude modulation. If charged particles have topological sum contacts to the two space-time sheets carrying classical fields with different frequencies, the rate for quantum jumps is proportional to the modulus squared for the sum of the forces caused by these fields, and one obtains amplitude modulation visible as different and sum of the frequencies involved. In the case of massless extremals the sum and difference of frequencies appear only if MEs corresponding to opposite directions of 3-momentum are present. This leads to an effect that would be regarded as being caused by a standing electromagnetic wave. MEs correspond to waves propagating in single direction for a given sign of frequency, and in TGD framework it is highly implausible that standing waves could be realized as classical gauge fields. Probably I have not been the only child who has experienced standing wave in a rope as mysterious and somehow otherworldly phenomenon.

Similar description applies to four-wave mechanism. Four space-time sheets can give rise to the sums of four frequencies appearing with both signs in the sum and the temporally constant effect is obtained when the sum of the frequencies vanishes.