Martins–Pinheiro inertia papers
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| Authors | Alexandre A. Martins (Condensed Matter Physics Center, University of Lisbon) and Mario J. Pinheiro (Department of Physics and Center for Plasma Physics, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon) |
|---|---|
| First paper | "The Connection Between Inertial Forces and the Vector Potential", arXiv November 2006; AIP Conference Proceedings (STAIF 2007), pp. 1189–1200 |
| Second paper | "On the electromagnetic origin of inertia and inertial mass", arXiv February 2008; International Journal of Theoretical Physics 47 (10), October 2008 |
| Claim | Inertia arises from a charged particle's interaction with its own vector potential; the electron's mass is wholly or possibly wholly electromagnetic |
| Suggested use | Possible "inertia control" for electromagnetic and space propulsion |
| Status | Theoretical; no experimental confirmation |
| Date | 1 February 2007 |
| Topics | Propulsion & physics (topic) |
| People | Bernard Haisch, Alfonso Rueda, Harold Puthoff |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 164 |
| Year | 2007 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 2007 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 5 |
Between 2006 and 2008 the physicists Alexandre A. Martins and Mario J. Pinheiro, of Lisbon, published two papers arguing that inertia has an electromagnetic origin. In their account, an object's resistance to acceleration comes from a charged particle's interaction with its own vector potential.[1][2] If correct, they suggested, inertial mass might in principle be manipulated, with applications to "electromagnetic propulsion and the development of advanced space propulsion physics".[1][5] The work belongs to a long line of attempts to explain inertia electromagnetically. That line includes the zero-point-field theories of Bernard Haisch, Alfonso Rueda and Harold Puthoff, whose ideas later became influential in government-funded UFO-related research.[4][5]
The authors
The 2007 conference paper lists Martins at the Condensed Matter Physics Center of the University of Lisbon. It lists Pinheiro at the Department of Physics and Center for Plasma Physics of the Instituto Superior Técnico. The authors thank the Rectorate of the Technical University of Lisbon and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for partial support.[5] The earlier version of this article placed both at the Technical University of Lisbon.
The first paper (2006–2007)
"The Connection Between Inertial Forces and the Vector Potential" was posted to arXiv in November 2006. It was published in the AIP Conference Proceedings for the Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF) 2007, pages 1189–1200. The arXiv record gives the volume as 881; the DOI registry gives 880.[1][3]
- Method. The paper writes Newton's second law using the canonical momentum of a charged particle, p = mv + qA, where A is the vector potential. It then expands the result in terms of retarded potentials, "that allow an intuitive physical interpretation of its main terms".[1][5]
- The central picture. A moving charge carries a "potential momentum". When it accelerates, the change in this momentum exerts a force on the particle opposing the applied force, which is the inertial reaction.[5]
- Results claimed. The paper claimed that "the electron mass has a complete electromagnetic origin". It also claimed that its covariant equation solves the long-standing "4/3 mass paradox" of classical electromagnetic mass.[1]
- The force terms. It identified a drag force on a particle moving relative to its own vector-potential field lines. The time derivative of the vector potential gives the inertial reaction, equivalent to the Schott term associated with radiation. The velocity-dependent term relates to the relativistic increase of mass and produces a stress force.[1]
- Locality. The authors argued against Mach's principle, citing a null experimental test, and took the view that inertia is "a local phenomena".[5]
The paper concluded that the work offered "possible means of inertia control" for future space propulsion. The authors also believed it took "one step further" toward unifying electromagnetic and gravitational forces.[5]
The second paper (2008)
"On the electromagnetic origin of inertia and inertial mass" was posted to arXiv in February 2008. It was published in the International Journal of Theoretical Physics (vol. 47, no. 10) in October 2008.[2]
- Approach. It analysed the motion of an extended charged particle using the continuity equation for momentum, including the vector potential's convective derivative. It described inertia as "a kind of induction law" tied to the particle's own vector potential.[2]
- A softer claim. It repeated the drag-force, Schott-term and stress-force results. It phrased the main conclusion more cautiously: within classical electrodynamics the electron mass "has possibly a complete electromagnetic origin", and the 4/3 paradox is solved "for a spherical charge distribution".[2]
Background
The idea of electromagnetic mass is old. The authors trace it to J. J. Thomson's 1881 proposal of a "supplementary inertia" for a moving charge, and to later work by Lorentz, Abraham and others on the classical electron.[5] They set their approach, the particle's interaction with its own field, against two rival programmes:[5]
- Machian theories. These link inertia to gravitational interaction with the rest of the universe.
- Zero-point theories. These, associated with Sakharov, Puthoff, and Haisch and Rueda, attribute inertia to interaction with electromagnetic fluctuations of the quantum vacuum. They include Haisch, Rueda and Puthoff's 1994 paper "Inertia as a Zero-Point Field Lorentz Force".
Their reference list also includes Eric W. Davis's 2004 Teleportation Physics Study for the Air Force Research Laboratory.[5]
In the late 1980s and 1990s Puthoff co-authored papers modelling inertia as an electromagnetic drag force from the zero-point field, building on Sakharov's 1968 proposal.[4]
- Carlip. Physicist Steve Carlip disputed one of Puthoff's 1989 papers as containing a serious computational error that made the effect negligible.
- Levin. Yefim Levin's analysis of the 1994 paper concluded that the model does not show inertia arising from the zero-point field.[4]
- Puthoff and UFOs. Puthoff joined Robert Bigelow's National Institute for Discovery Science in 1995 and Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies in 2008. BAASS had contracts under the Pentagon's UFO programme. In 2017 he co-founded To the Stars with Tom DeLonge.[4]
Reception
The Martins–Pinheiro papers are theoretical, and no experiment has confirmed that inertia can be controlled in the way they suggest.[1][2] Electromagnetic and zero-point theories of inertia remain outside mainstream physics. The best-known of them, the zero-point-field model, has been challenged on mathematical grounds.[4] The earlier version of this article noted that such papers are often cited in discussions of how UAP might perform the manoeuvres witnesses report. Their own stated aim, however, was a classical explanation of electron mass and possible propulsion research.[1][5]
People and topics
- Bernard Haisch — Astrophysicist at Lockheed who co-developed the zero-point field theory of inertia.
- Alfonso Rueda — Physicist who co-developed the zero-point field theory of inertia.
- Harold Puthoff — Physicist who co-founded the SRI remote-viewing research and later worked on AAWSAP and To The Stars Academy.
- Zero-point energy — The lowest possible energy of a physical system, which some hope to tap for power.
- Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
On the Timeline
- 1960s disc hovercraft inquiry (5 Jan 2007) — Puthoff and Davis look into a 1960s Lockheed hovercraft that looks like a disc.
- DARPA zero-point energy test (2007) (27 May 2007) — Haisch tells Vallée a DARPA-funded zero-point energy test is negative so far.
See every 2007 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- A. A. Martins and M. J. Pinheiro, "The connection between inertial forces and the vector potential" (2006), arXiv · arxiv.org · archived copy
- A. A. Martins and M. J. Pinheiro, "On the electromagnetic origin of inertia and inertial mass" (2008), arXiv · arxiv.org · archived copy
- AIP Conference Proceedings (2007), DOI · aip.scitation.org · archived copy
- Harold E. Puthoff — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- arxiv.org · arxiv.org · archived copy
Facts in this article are drawn in part from the Wikipedia article “Harold E. Puthoff”, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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