Pulsed tunneling effect: a new perspective on the nature of radiation-matter interactions. Generation of phonons by optical radiation, their synchronization, and conversion into electromagnetic emission
Abstract
The nature of radiation and its relation to photon energy remain central topics in fundamental research. In this paper we propose and discuss the hypothesis of the Pulsed Tunneling Effect (PTE): the generation of electromagnetic radiation resulting from rapid spatiotemporal changes of the rising front of particle momentum p(x, t). PTE is based on the de Broglie relation λ = h/p and treats local gradients and time derivatives of the momentum field (∇p, ∂p/∂t) as sources of field perturbations. It is assumed that, under rapid modulation of the momentum front, its local “tilted” structure can be decomposed into harmonics corresponding to components of the electromagnetic field; in ensembles with phase synchronization this enables cooperative amplification (an analogue of stimulated emission). The hypothesis preserves energy conservation: the radiated energy is drawn from changes in kinetic/potential energy and external work. Physical mechanisms are identified (classical accelerated charges, piezo- and electro-optic phonon → photon conversion), together with order-of-magnitude estimates of perturbations in solids and plasmas, and experimentally testable predictions: broadband emission for rapid changes of p(x, t), spectral dependence on ∂p/∂t and ∇p, and enhancement when a resonator and phase synchronization are introduced. Formalization within QED, possible experimental setups (current modulation in nanowires, rapid acceleration of electron clouds, optomechanical schemes), connections with nonlinear optics, and implementation limitations are discussed. PTE is presented as a complementary mechanism to classical radiation channels that requires further theoretical development and experimental validation.