Chapter 03
Matter and Energy
Matter is made from light and light is pure energy. We will discuss light further in later sections. For now, we only say that light is made from the vibrations of electromagnetic waves, just like everything else in the universe.
Everything has an energy, a frequency of Planck’s Constant h and therefore a size due to its wavelength. Energy is a measure of how fast each h spins. Matter results from a curl or twist of this vibration in three dimensions. Mass is a measure of the tightness of its spin. And its interaction with space-time.
When we talk about matter and energy in this book we are primarily concerned with matter in the form of fundamental particles and energy as in a photon of the electromagnetic field. This is not as we often relate with them in our macro world with its rocks and gasoline, for these are complicated compound entities and not elementary. Here, SED initially proposes a theory of how elementary particles are made from energy and then goes on to explore how these particles interact and build a universe from its abundant energy.
Physics often takes the difference between energy and matter for granted. However, SED distinguishes these two entities in this way: Energy has a two-dimensional structure, while matter has three, and SED shows us why. Consequently, matter has mass and inertia because its structure compresses space and has a resistance to changing its motion or accelerating through it.
Physics does however have a name for the elementary particles involved with each entity: boson and fermion, although it does not classify them through structure, for currently it maintains both are structureless. It also says that some particles which it claims are bosons have an enormous mass. Irrespective, a photon is a boson and has integral angular momentum (i.e. a spin of h). It carries energy but has no rest-mass. Fermions do have rest-mass and portray half-integral spin (i.e. a spin of h/2), but unlike SED, particle physics can offer no explanation why this is so.
It also categorises many other short-lived abstract entities like the Higgs boson, but these are not considered important by SED, because in the formation of matter, they have no role. Only during the destruction of matter, where they appear to exist momentarily, do they have any presence. However, this is according to certain indirect evidence, and even this is disputed by some. In this book SED maintains that only what is stable matters.
In the diagram of the Electromagnetic Spectrum shown below, we see that E-M waves cover a huge range of frequencies or sizes (their wavelengths) due to the different amounts of energy they carry. This frequency may form a continuum as any frequence can exist, provided the wave forms a whole complete wavelength. Another formula that expresses this idea is Planck’s equation or E = hf, which shows that the faster h spins, the more energy is involved in a direct or linear manner. This applies to both photons and particles.
It is interesting to note that Planck’s equation is concerned with the energy of photons, while Einstein’s famous equation E = mc2 relates to the energy in particles of matter and was written several years after Planck derived his law in 1900. Until now, these photons and particles have been thought of as quite different entities. However, these two equations are in fact completely identical and according to SED, energy and matter are merely different states of the same thing. That is, vibrating E-M waves. Matter is a state of energy.
Again, this is because of Planck’s constant and what it actually represents. It is the minimum or quantum of angular momentum, and it exists in all things. It could be thought of as a new kind of atom.
Its definition for particles is written as h = mcλ, where m = the particles mass, c = the speed of light, and λ is the Compton or circumferential wavelength[4] of the particle, be it matter or energy. Everything elementary is dynamic and circular and this is how their circle moves. It spins with energy.
And next we have Planck’s equation: E = hf. This ultimately means for every sub-atomic particle, everything turns and curls or spins with the power that it has. At this level, to have substance and in order to exist, it must spin, but as the definition of h is also h = mcλ, we can write Planck’s equation as: E = mcλf and because wavelength, λ times frequency, f is equal to the speed of the wave, c, this is the same as writing: E = mc2 or Einstein’s equation. Energy is mass and mass is energy locked in a soliton. A tiny volume of sustained vibration.
Like a gyroscope, it is rotational inertia of the E-M field as it spins that we perceive as mass, the inertia of the electric and magnetic fields constantly recreating themselves from confined or trapped energy, held inside the localised and compacted volume of space that is the soliton. The intense curvature of the path creates mass as Einstein so very nearly predicted with his general theory of gravitation. What he actually said was that matter curves space. However, what he should have said and what SED maintains is that matter compresses space because of the two loops in the roton and the magnetic attraction within them. It is this compression of space due to the volume matter occupies that causes inertia and gravity. We will discuss this in greater detail in later sections on the structure of the soliton and gravity.
For now we merely ask, could it be that space-time has a resistance to a changing volume when the particle moves through it unevenly as it accelerates, creating a kind of drag? This change in speed means varying momentum and a different kinetic energy and therefore the size or volume of its soliton changes. Is this what we call inertia and also why things can move forever at constant velocity or momentum?
And if so are matter and energy simply two different states of the same underlying phenomena: rapid vibrations of the E-M field, with vibrations that are only different in each state due to their structure and path? Each type is a quantum or full cycle of a wave that continually converts itself into its opposite in a sinusoidal and circular way, travelling at the speed of light as it does so. Each type always consists of exactly one unit of Planck’s constant, h, or spin per cycle.
Furthermore, both SED and the standard model concur that there are two types of fermion or mass particles: leptons and nucleons and both are involved in the construction of an atom. SED proposes a lepton always has the same single wave in its structure. It has only one state. However, a nucleon has one wave that splits into two equal probabilities due to the uncertainty principle and consequently can occupy two states. The simplest example of a lepton is the free electron, a single particle of generally stable matter. Nucleons are either protons or neutrons and can be both stable and somewhat unstable, in that they can transform into one another depending on their environment. They are also far more energetic than leptons and thus much smaller and denser.
The most common composite particle in the universe is an atom, a stable system made of both leptons and nucleons. While not fundamental, an atom follows the same basic ideas but has far greater levels of complexity, due to the number of particles and their various interactions. These interactions involve energy and angular momentum transfer amongst photons, electrons, neutrinos and fermions.
A photon is simply electromagnetic (E-M) field energy with the structure of a flat circle. It both spins and moves forward at the speed of light and thus forms a helix in space-time. Being purely energy transfer it has no real volume or rest-mass (i.e. zero mass when not moving). Its helical shape when in motion gives it somewhat of a three-dimensional form in space-time and consequently it portrays a very small virtual mass through the momentum it carries. Photons usually transfer some energy amongst fermions, though this amount is tiny in comparison to a fermions mass and depends on the interaction time through frequency. A single unit of angular momentum, or h, is always involved with each photon exchange.
It seems self-evident to SED that matter is just another form of energy, because how else could an electron instantly absorb and emit light when it changes energy levels from inside an atom? It is merely changing its size and structure slightly and emitting/absorbing what it already is. Light.
Light is one type of photon occupying the visible or mid-energy range within the E-M spectrum, but others exist with different frequencies, and all move at the speed of light or c with zero rest mass because they have zero volume. While it is well accepted[5] that matter creates and absorbs photons, we have seen that SED proposes the reverse and that highly energetic photons, or gamma rays can combine to create matter. The technology to do this experimentally is not yet available. Visible light and even X-ray photons cannot do this because they do not carry sufficient energy. Only gamma rays can.
Figure 11 – The electromagnetic spectrum. Thanks to Wikipedia
The two types of fermion in an atom, leptons, and nucleons, have a large energy/size difference, so the smaller denser nucleons primarily determine its centre of mass. The electron is not a point and does not revolve or orbit the nucleus but should be thought of as a dynamic field vibration or standing wave enfolding and surrounding the nucleus due to its larger size and smaller mass. It occupies the space as close as charge, the fine structure constant and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle allow. The overall size, number of particles and form is unique and generally stable for each type of atom. We will examine the structure of atoms in more detail in a later section.
Furthermore, to be useful, physics must measure and predict. That is why it is so heavily based on mathematics and formulates equations. However, it must also propose theories that explain how and why things happen in a manner that an interested person could follow. Unfortunately as it struggles to maintain credibility, modern physics can take us down a rabbit hole full of bizarre concepts like the Higgs boson, quarks, multi universes with eleven dimensions and time flowing backwards, but like all rabbit holes, the deeper it goes the more certain it is to become a dead end.
So much so that today, a great deal of particle physics is incomprehensible, inconsistent and incomplete. Very few people can understand or are interested in the standard model, and physics itself is unable to reconcile its theories of the very small with those of the very large. It is also unable to explain what over 90% of the universe actually is, following the discovery of dark matter and dark energy.
There is a story of a man who found a magnificent watch but was unable to fathom how it worked or even open it. He saw the hands going round and round in a regular fashion but knew not how or why. Frustrated, he eventually picked up a sledgehammer and hit it hard, smashing it to pieces. Is this what we are doing at CERN – building bigger sledgehammers?
This book offers a theory about how to create matter, not destroy it.
So, what is an origin of everything, and dare we hope to find it by theorising unusual new ideas? For the second question, I think the answer is a resounding yes, although birth and change are often painful necessities. The first though, will take much longer to digest with considerable thought and debate, most of it new, because until now there have not been any proposed theories that successfully unify a broken physics.
To advance this theory we will enlist the aid of a new branch of physics called Structural Electrodynamics or SED. Originally, this was primarily concerned with how elementary particles are created from energy and offered a model to do this. However, here it also proposes a universal system based on this model whereby all structure and interactions in the universe have a common underlying component that can be readily understood. A world in a grain of sand that we can hold in the palm of our hand.
There is structure in everything from atoms to galaxies. Why can’t we accept that elementary particles also have structure?
[4] Its radius is ƛ (lambda-bar) or λ/2π. Using this, Planck’s constant this becomes ћ and is known as its reduced value. Compton’s wavelength refers to the wavelength light would have if it had the same mass as the particle.
[5] This theory is called quantum electrodynamics or QED. See [3] (Chapter 2) for further info.
The Origin of Everything
(Online Edition)
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04 - Quantum is Not That Strange
Quantum physics seems weird only when we treat it as separate from classical physics. This chapter shows that if you accept that all particles are waves with structure and spin, the quantum world starts to make intuitive sense. Wave-particle duality and other “mysteries” are natural outcomes of field behaviour.
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05 - Angular Momentum & Planck’s Constant h
Spin is not a quirky quantum property. It's the foundation of all physical motion. Planck’s constant defines the smallest unit of angular momentum, making it the heartbeat of the universe’s structure. Everything spins, and spin defines everything.
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06 - The Uncertainty Principle
The Uncertainty Principle isn’t about fuzziness or confusion. It’s about the deep interconnection between motion and measurement. You can’t perfectly know a particle’s position and momentum at the same time because they're different faces of the same process. This chapter reframes uncertainty as a natural limit of structured fields.
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07 - What are Fields?
Fields are more than mathematical abstractions. They are the basis of all of the physical universe. And there is only one type - Electromagnetic. This chapter lays the foundation for understanding how all energy, matter, and forces emerge from field dynamics.
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08 - Charge and Magnetism
What if charge and magnetism aren’t fundamental points but consequences of something deeper? Here we explore how electromagnetic fields give rise to electric charge and magnetism, opposing the current school of thought. It is the elegant interplay of these dynamic fields within the roton that create all of the forces in nature.
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09 - The Electron
In this chapter, the structure of the electron is revealed. Made from two gamma-ray photons colliding at right angles, their energy locks into a spinning loop called a roton—a stable, three-dimensional wave. This motion gives rise to mass, charge, and spin, with no need for point particles. The electron is light, folded and locked into form.
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10 - The Atom
This chapter shows how protons, neutrons, and electrons form from light itself, held together purely by the electromagnetic force—no need for a separate “strong force.” Through Structural Electrodynamics, we uncover the physical structure behind charge, spin, fusion, and the stability of matter itself.
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11 - The Universe
From the subatomic to the cosmic, SED extends its insights to the vast structure and evolution of the universe. This chapter explores how time, matter, and space emerged through waves of creation, annihilation, and expansion - guided by electromagnetic fields. A fresh explanation for inflation, antimatter asymmetry, and mass reveals the universe as a dynamic interplay of field-based phenomena.
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12 - What is Gravity?
Gravity isn’t a force - it’s space itself compressing around matter, pulled inward due to its formation. This chapter redefines gravity as a geometric effect caused by the 3D twisting of energy, revealing the true link between mass, spin, and space-time. SED offers a physical explanation Einstein never had, uncovering why gravity is weak, always attractive, and utterly fundamental.
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13 - Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and Black Holes
SED suggests that even the darkest forces in the cosmos (black holes, dark matter, and dark energy) emerge from the dynamics of electromagnetic fields. From accelerating expansion powered by ongoing annihilation, to invisible rotons that may comprise dark matter, this chapter offers field-based explanations where standard models fall silent. It even draws a provocative link between black holes and fundamental particles through the fine structure constant, hinting at a cosmic symmetry.
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14 - SED and Maxwell’s Equations
Maxwell’s equations are the foundation of electromagnetism, and SED brings them to life by modeling particles as dynamic, twisting field structures called rotons. Within this framework, electric charge emerges from divergence, mass arises from curl, and the dance between E and B fields sustains both light and matter. The roton isn’t just compatible with Maxwell’s theory - it’s a vivid physical manifestation of it.
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15 - The Fine Structure Constant
Since its discovery in 1916 by Sommerfield, the Fine-Structure Constant, α, has long been a mystery, known precisely but not understood. SED proposes that α represents the ratio between the width of a particle’s electromagnetic path and its overall wavelength, giving physical meaning to this dimensionless number. In this model, particles are structured as twisting electromagnetic fields (rotons), and only a specific internal twist, equal to α, can sustain their stable motion. Thus, α emerges naturally from the geometry of light trapped in matter.
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16 - SED and Spin
An eternal twist woven into the fabric of every particle. SED reveals that this motion isn’t abstract or symbolic, but real angular momentum born from the spiraling dance of light itself. Through the geometry of rotons, matter inherits its spin, mass, and dual magnetic states. What quantum theory once shrouded in mystery, SED brings into view with clarity and elegance.
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17 - Problems with the Standard Model
The Standard Model claims to explain the fundamental particles and forces of nature - but SED challenges its complexity, contradictions, and reliance on unverified entities like quarks and gluons. What if mass, charge, and spin emerge from elegant field structures instead of patchwork theories? This chapter invites you to question the orthodoxy and discover a simpler, more unified picture of the universe.
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18 - Unification of the Four Forces
What if all the forces of nature - gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and weak nuclear forces - were just different expressions of a single phenomenon? This chapter presents SED’s radical proposal: that electromagnetic fields alone are responsible for every interaction in the universe. From the binding of atomic nuclei to the warping of space-time, SED reveals how geometry, spin, and field dynamics replace the patchwork of separate forces. It’s an elegant unification, long sought by physics and perhaps, finally within reach.
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19 - What are de Broglie Waves?
De Broglie’s bold idea that all matter behaves like a wave helped spark the quantum revolution. SED brings it vividly to life. By connecting wave-particle duality to real spinning fields, this chapter reimagines de Broglie waves not as abstract probabilities, but as tangible, physical motion. Discover how the dance of spin, wavelength, and momentum shapes both the quantum and the cosmic.
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20 - What is a Spinor?
Spinors are essential to modern physics, yet their physical meaning has remained obscure for over a century. This chapter explores a new perspective from SED that connects spinors with the structure of matter in a clear and testable way. It shows how their strange properties (like requiring a 720° rotation to return to their original state) can be understood as real features of the particles they describe. The result is a model that links the abstract spinor to the familiar electron, revealing them as one and the same.
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21 - SED and Polarisation
A sine wave is circular motion viewed side-on. Fundamentally light is always spinning. This chapter explores how the orientation of that spin gives rise to different types of polarisation: vertical, horizontal, and circular. SED reveals how aligned spins in photons unlock phenomena from sunglasses to 3D cinema. Discover how polarisation offers a window into the deeper structure of light itself.
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22 - What is a Measurement?
What exactly happens when we measure something? In classical science, measurements were thought to simply reveal fixed properties - but quantum physics reveals a deeper truth: the act of measuring can influence the system itself. This chapter explores how observation collapses possibilities into outcomes, and how uncertainty sets limits on what we can ever truly know. A fascinating look at the fine line between potential and reality.
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23 - What is an Observer?
What does it really mean to observe something in physics and why does it matter? This chapter explores the observer’s role in transforming possibilities into actual events, especially at the quantum scale. From photons emitted one by one to the mysterious collapse of the wave function, it challenges the idea that observation is passive. Is the observer merely watching, or are they fundamentally shaping what unfolds?
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24 - What is Entropy?
Often described as a measure of disorder, entropy is a slippery but fundamental concept shaping our understanding of the universe's fate. From the quiet structure of living systems to the chaotic drift toward cosmic “heat death,” this chapter explores entropy as both a mathematical idea and a deep physical truth. Is energy the driver of disorder? Can entropy itself be stored? These provocative questions are explored further.
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25 - SED and Schrödinger’s Equations
Schrödinger’s equation describes how quantum systems evolve, but SED reveals the physical origin behind the maths: spin. Matter waves aren’t abstract- they emerge from the rotational motion of energy in soliton structures. Spin, encoded in Planck’s constant, is the heartbeat of matter itself. This chapter bridges wave mechanics and real structure, grounding quantum behaviour in electromagnetic motion.
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26 - What is a Neutrino?
Neutrinos are the ghost particles of the universe - abundant, fast, and almost invisible to interaction. SED suggests they are oversized, low-energy rotons with hidden structure and a single unchanging spin. Their mysterious ability to morph between three types may be tied to motion through the three dimensions of space. Could their elusive nature be due to an undetectable charge and giant size? This chapter explores the particle that slips through almost everything, including our understanding.
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27 - What is a Wave and What is Waving?
Are the waves in quantum physics real, or just mathematical ghosts? SED argues they’re electromagnetic through and through - real, measurable, and the very essence of matter. This chapter challenges the Copenhagen view, rooting wave-particle duality in structured energy, not abstract probability. What if potential is more physical than we could imagine?
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28 - Gravitational Mass and Inertial Mass
What makes mass resist motion? And what makes it attract other mass? This chapter explores the link between gravitational and inertial mass, proposing they stem from the same origin: space compression during matter formation. Using the SED framework, it offers a tangible geometric explanation for inertia and gravity, and hints at the futuristic possibility of anti-gravity. Could mastering the geometry of space lead to revolutionary new motion?
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29 - Energy Is Not Quantised
Is energy truly quantised? This chapter challenges a core quantum assumption, proposing that while Planck’s constant (h) is quantised, energy itself flows as a continuum - its apparent granularity an illusion shaped by the frequency of vibration. Photons may arrive in discrete packets, but the underlying fabric of energy can take on any value. What determines a particle’s mass or energy? The search for deeper balance continues.
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30 - Conclusion
A new beginning is formed. From conclusions on the formation of matter, gravity, and the fine structure constant a new picture of the universe has been defined. Where to from here?
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31 - Further Studies
These are the areas where further investigation is needed to complete the Theory of Everything.
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32 - References
Interested in further reading? These are the previous authors and books that helped to form the theories within The Origin of Everything
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Foreword
Before diving into the main content, read here about the motivation behind the book and the big questions it seeks to answer. See who inspired the work, and the thinking that led to this theory, and why it might just change the way we understand the universe.
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01 - Introduction
Modern physics often buries insight under complexity. The theory outlined in The Origin of Everything offers a return to simplicity and a new vision of how the universe is built. Written for curious minds, it presents a bold, unified theory of everything - grounded in known physics, inspired by new insight.
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02 - Structural Electrodynamics (SED)
Here we meet the core concept of the book - Structural Electrodynamics: matter is made from energy loops, not point particles. These loops, called rotons, are electromagnetic structures that trap energy in a spinning, three-dimensional wave - a soliton. SED offers a unified framework that can explain particles, forces, and even gravity from first principles.
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03 - Matter and Energy
This chapter redefines the boundary between energy and matter. Energy flows in flat, fast waves, but when curled into a tight loop, it becomes mass. Using this model, we see that light and matter aren’t opposites but two states of the same underlying field.
