This chapter has shown how the aether gives basis for wave mechanics and quantum theory. In trying to interest the scientific community in aether theory I found that I was asked in a scornful tone the question as to whether I could derive the Schroedinger equation from my aether model. I was trying to get attention for my achievement in the theoretical derivation of the Planck constant h in its dimensionless composition as hc/2πe2, but that achievement was brushed aside as being of no interest.
So chapter 4 has concentrated on this one issue by introducing the author's interpretation of the true nature of the photon. This has led to the Schroedinger equation, the basis of wave mechanics, but it remains to complete the argument by showing how the actual value of that dimensionless constant is determined by the aether itself. That is a subject deferred to chapter 7. Chapter 4 ends with a reference to the anomalous behaviour of the electron, an anomaly concerning its g-factor, but not the g-factor-of-2 quantity discussed in chapter 2. Here I refer to the anomaly that is recognized by physicists as governed by Q.E.D., quantum electrodynamics.
This latter anomaly was not well understood at the time 'Physics without Einstein' was written, but I had faced criticism also on this account. In trying to get a hearing for my theoretical evaluation of that dimensionless constant, I was told I could not hope to compete with the achievements of the QED method, which would prevail against any aether-based notions. Hence, I did try in 'Physics without Einstein' to set the stage for an attack on that problem. In the event I derived equation (4.21) on p. 77 of the book and used this later in chapter 7 to argue my account of the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron. However, I was destined to improve on this method some years later [1981c] and [1982b] and so advise the reader to be prepared to skip over the sections of chapter 7 that make reference to the quantity calculated in equation (4.21).
I note that one of my problems in developing this aether theory over the years has been that of becoming ensnared by a theoretical feature that offers promise by giving good quaititative and quantitative results, only to find that as the years pass something far superior appears. This is disconcerting as it implies two possible explanations for the same problem, whereas one should be sufficient. In retrospect I am tempted to wonder in some such instances if both explanations are true and if Nature has evolved by adopting the physics of both because that gives the universe a more stable pattern. I will draw attention to an interesting example of this when I comment on the subject of the next chapter, chapter 5.