Research website of Vyacheslav Gorchilin
2026-08-14
All articles/Wave electricity
Electron spin as a consequence of the two-sheet cycle of a closed wave

\[ \newcommand{\j}{\jmath} \newcommand{\ep}{\mathfrak{e}} \newcommand{\em}{\bar{\mathfrak{e}}} \newcommand{\pmp}{\mathfrak{p}} \newcommand{\pme}{\bar{\mathfrak{p}}} \]

Electron spin cannot be understood as the mechanical rotation of a charged sphere. In the Wave Electricity model, the electron is viewed as a stable, localized mode of a unified normalized wave, while spin kinematics is linked to the two-sheeted closure of its internal circuit.
In this construction, it is necessary to distinguish three separate structures from the outset. The two sheets are successive segments of a single internal cycle, generating a half-phase and a spin magnitude of \(1/2\). The two internal orientations are determined by the permutation of the fundamental idempotent channels: the operator can be realized as either \(J(a,b)\) or \(J(b,a)\). Finally, electric charge pertains to a distinct operator level and is derived neither from the choice of sheet nor from the permutation of channels.
The primary geometric result arises from the total path length. If a single wave sequentially traverses two sheets, each approximately \(2\pi R\) in length, the closure length becomes \(4\pi R\), and the internal phase changes at half the rate of the observed rotation angle:
\[\tag{1} \boxed{ L_J=4\pi R \quad\Longrightarrow\quad k_J=\frac{1}{2R} \quad\Longrightarrow\quad \chi=\frac{\theta}{2}. } \]
1. What needs to be explained
For a particle with spin \(1/2\), measuring the projection onto an arbitrarily chosen axis \(\mathbf n\) yields two results:
\[\tag{2} S_{\mathbf n}=+\frac{\hbar}{2}, \qquad S_{\mathbf n}=-\frac{\hbar}{2}. \]
When the analyzer axis is rotated by an angle \(\theta\), the probabilities of these results depend on the half-angle, and the state representative changes sign after a rotation of \(2\pi\) and is restored after \(4\pi\):
\[\tag{3} P_+(\theta)=\cos^2\frac{\theta}{2}, \qquad P_-(\theta)=\sin^2\frac{\theta}{2}, \] \[\tag{4} \Psi(2\pi)=-\Psi(0), \qquad \Psi(4\pi)=\Psi(0). \]
The task of the model is not to replicate these properties using pre-defined Pauli matrices, but to solve two different problems sequentially. First, the two-sheeted geometry must generate the factor of \(1/2\) and, thereby, the geometric spin magnitude. Then, the permutation of the fundamental channels must determine the two possible internal orientations of the already formed two-sheeted cycle. Normalization of the result via \(\hbar\), the probability rule, and the measurement dynamics remain separate physical correspondences in this process.
The logical sequence of the article is as follows: two-sheeted closure \(\longrightarrow\) half-phase \(\longrightarrow\) spin \(1/2\) \(\longrightarrow\) two orientations via channel permutation \(\longrightarrow\) observable projections onto the chosen axis.
2. Final state operator
At the final operator level, two mutually complementary idempotents are used:
\[\tag{5} \ep^2=\ep, \qquad \em^2=\em, \qquad \ep\em=0, \qquad \ep+\em=1. \]
The state operator has the form
\[\tag{6} \boxed{ J(a,b)=\j^a(-\j)^b =\ep e^{i\pi b}+\em e^{i\pi a}. } \]
Here, the parameters play different physical roles:
\[\tag{7} a=\varpi t, \qquad \pi\varpi=\omega_{\mathrm{int}}, \qquad b=\frac{\arcsin\beta}{\pi}, \qquad \beta=\frac{v}{c}. \]
The parameter \(a\) describes the internal state of the localized wave, while \(b\) describes the external motion of its center. The case \(b=0\) corresponds to the rest frame. The equality \(J\bar J=1\) expresses operator normalization but represents neither energy nor probability in itself.
3. Two-sheeted extension of the internal circuit
The resulting operator \(J(a,b)\) defines the state at the level of two fundamental idempotent channels. Describing the two-sheeted closure requires a deeper splitting of the internal channel. Let us introduce an additional hyperbolic unit and its idempotents:
\[\tag{8} \j_{\!p}=\pmp-\pme, \qquad \pmp^2=\pmp, \qquad \pme^2=\pme, \qquad \pmp\pme=0, \qquad \pmp+\pme=1. \]
Let us denote the minimal internal factor distinguishing two consecutive sheets by \(Q_\Gamma\):
\[\tag{9} Q_\Gamma(a)=\left(\pmp-\pme\right)^{a/2} =\pmp+\pme e^{i\pi a/2}. \]
The subscript \(\Gamma\) emphasizes that this factor describes the topology of the closure of the internal loop. It does not yet select one of the two spin orientations or determine the sign of the electric charge. Then, the extended electron rest-state operator for a single chosen realization of the principal channels can be represented in the form
\[\tag{10} \mathcal J_{\Gamma}(a)=J(a,0)Q_\Gamma(a). \]
The shift \(a\to a+2\) returns the finite part \(J(a,0)\) to the same value but maps the deep component to a different representative. Only the shift \(a\to a+4\) restores the entire extended operator:
\[\tag{11} J(a+2,0)=J(a,0), \qquad \mathcal J_{\Gamma}(a+2)\ne\mathcal J_{\Gamma}(a), \qquad \mathcal J_{\Gamma}(a+4)=\mathcal J_{\Gamma}(a). \]
The two sheets pertain to a deeper internal continuation of a single wave. They do not represent two electrons, two simultaneously existing orbits, or "spin-up" and "spin-down" states.
4. Geometric representation of the two sheets
In a physical representation, the two deep channels can be depicted as two closely spaced branches of a single closed loop:
\[\tag{12} \pmp\longleftrightarrow C_+, \qquad \pme\longleftrightarrow C_-, \qquad R_\pm=R\pm\frac{\Delta R}{2}, \qquad \Delta R\ll R. \]
The branches may lie in the same physical plane, differing only by a small radial displacement. There is no need to place them in mutually perpendicular spatial or phase planes. The same wave traverses them sequentially:
\[\tag{13} C_+\xrightarrow{\;2\pi\;}C_- \xrightarrow{\;2\pi\;}C_+. \]
To leading order, the lengths of the branches are equal:
\[\tag{14} L_+=2\pi R_+, \qquad L_-=2\pi R_-, \qquad L_++L_-=4\pi R. \]
Radial splitting affects small corrections and potential internal dynamics but does not generate the factor of \(1/2\). The half-angle arises from the sequential traversal of two sheets and the doubled length of the closed loop.
5. Full cycle and half-angle
The fundamental mode on the full loop must accumulate a phase of \(2\pi\) over the length \(L_J=4\pi R\). Therefore, its internal wave number is
\[\tag{15} k_J=\frac{2\pi}{L_J}=\frac{1}{2R}. \]
If \(s\) is the distance traveled and \(\theta=s/R\) is the corresponding geometric angle, then
\[\tag{16} \chi(s)=k_Js =\frac{s}{2R} =\frac{\theta}{2}. \]
After the first revolution, the wave is on the second sheet, and its phase differs in sign. After the second revolution, both the sheet and the phase are restored:
\[\tag{17} \boxed{ \Psi(2\pi)=-\Psi(0), \qquad \Psi(4\pi)=\Psi(0). } \]
The overall sign does not alter the probability of an individual measurement; however, the relative sign is observable through interference with a reference state. Therefore, the \(4\pi\)-periodicity applies to the state amplitude, not to the ordinary spatial trajectory of a material point.
6. Channel permutation and two spin orientations
The two-sheeted cycle explains the appearance of the half-phase and the spin-1/2 modulus, but by itself, it does not yet select the orientation of the total internal state. For this, another operation is used - the permutation of the two fundamental idempotent channels. Let us denote it by \(\mathsf S_\Pi\):
\[\tag{18} \mathsf S_\Pi:\quad \ep\longleftrightarrow\em, \qquad \mathsf S_\Pi^2=I. \]
Then the two possible realizations of the final operator take the form
\[\tag{19} \boxed{ \begin{aligned} J_1(a,b)&=J(a,b) =\ep e^{i\pi b}+\em e^{i\pi a},\\ J_2(a,b)&=\mathsf S_\Pi J_1(a,b) =J(b,a) =\ep e^{i\pi a}+\em e^{i\pi b}. \end{aligned} } \]
The second expression signifies a permutation of the realization channels, not an exchange of the physical roles of the parameters. In both states, \(a\) remains the internal parameter, and \(b\) is the parameter of external motion. We do not assume beforehand which of the two realizations is realized in a specific state prior to its preparation or measurement.
In the rest frame, \(b=0\); therefore, the internal basis takes the form
\[\tag{20} J_1(a,0)=J(a,0), \qquad J_2(a,0)=J(0,a). \]
The notation \(J(a,0\mid0,a)\) signifies an alternative between two realizations, rather than their arithmetic sum or the existence of two independent electron waves. Each realization encompasses the entire two-sheeted contour \(C_+\cup C_-\)) and the same factor \(Q_\Gamma(a)\):
\[\tag{21} \mathcal J_{e,1}(a,b) =J_1(a,b)Q_\Gamma(a), \qquad \mathcal J_{e,2}(a,b) =J_2(a,b)Q_\Gamma(a). \]
The two sheets and two orientations serve distinct functions. The sheets produce a doubled closure length and a factor of \(1/2\); the permutation of the primary channels creates two orientations of the complete two-sheeted cycle.
The phase representatives of the opposite orientations can be written as
\[\tag{22} \Psi_1(\theta)=e^{-i\theta/2}|J_1\rangle, \qquad \Psi_2(\theta)=e^{+i\theta/2}|J_2\rangle. \]
For the rotation generator
\[\tag{23} \widehat S_{\mathbf n} =i\hbar\frac{\partial}{\partial\theta} \]
these two modes have their own eigenvalues
\[\tag{24} \widehat S_{\mathbf n}\Psi_1 =+\frac{\hbar}{2}\Psi_1, \qquad \widehat S_{\mathbf n}\Psi_2 =-\frac{\hbar}{2}\Psi_2. \]
Thus, the origin of the magnitude and the origin of the orientation are distinct. The two-sheeted geometry yields a half-angle phase factor, the permutation of channels provides two orientation signs, and the scale \(\hbar\) is introduced via the physical correspondence between the phase-rotation generator and the measurable angular momentum.
7. Spinor representation
Having obtained the half-angle, the two alternative orientations can be represented by a standard two-component basis:
\[\tag{25} |+\rangle= \begin{pmatrix}1\\ 0\end{pmatrix}, \qquad |-\rangle= \begin{pmatrix}0\\ 1\end{pmatrix}. \]
The positive projection relative to an axis with polar angle \(\theta\) and azimuth \(\varphi\) is written as
\[\tag{26} |+\mathbf n\rangle = \begin{pmatrix} \cos(\theta/2)\\ e^{i\varphi}\sin(\theta/2) \end{pmatrix}. \]
The orthogonal state takes the form
\[\tag{27} |-\mathbf n\rangle = \begin{pmatrix} -e^{-i\varphi}\sin(\theta/2)\\ \cos(\theta/2) \end{pmatrix}. \]
The rotation operator and the spin projection operator then take the familiar form:
\[\tag{28} U_{\mathbf n}(\theta) =\exp\left(-\frac{i\theta}{2} \boldsymbol{\sigma}\cdot\mathbf n\right), \qquad \widehat S_{\mathbf n} =\frac{\hbar}{2}\boldsymbol{\sigma}\cdot\mathbf n. \]
Thus, the spinor does not replace the geometric explanation but provides a compact representation of the previously derived double covering of the angular cycle:
\[\tag{29} U_{\mathbf n}(2\pi)=-I, \qquad U_{\mathbf n}(4\pi)=I. \]
8. Change of the measurement axis
Let the state be prepared with a positive projection relative to the initial axis, and let the axis of the new analyzer form an angle \(\theta\) with it. The amplitudes of the two results are \(\cos(\theta/2)\) and \(\sin(\theta/2)\). Applying the standard quadratic rule, we obtain
\[\tag{30} \boxed{ P_{+\to+}(\theta)=\cos^2\frac{\theta}{2}, \qquad P_{+\to-}(\theta)=\sin^2\frac{\theta}{2}. } \]
The sum of the probabilities equals unity, and the average projection onto the new axis is
\[\tag{31} P_{+\to+}+P_{+\to-}=1, \qquad \langle S_{\mathbf n}\rangle =\frac{\hbar}{2}\cos\theta. \]
The half-angle in the amplitudes is inherited from the length of the internal cycle. The transition from amplitudes to detection frequencies via the squared-modulus rule constitutes an additional probabilistic postulate.
9. External motion does not alter the meaning of the parameters
For a moving electron, the parameter (b) retains the meaning of external motion in both orientations. Using the definitions from Section 6, we can write this requirement in a compact form:
\[\tag{32} J_1(a,b)=J(a,b), \qquad J_2(a,b)=J(b,a). \]
In the second expression, the arrangement of parameters across the idempotent channels changes, but their physical labels are not swapped: (a) remains the internal parameter, and (b) the external one. The external-motion projector must extract the same velocity from both states:
\[\tag{33} \mathcal P_{\mathrm{ext}}[J_1] =\mathcal P_{\mathrm{ext}}[J_2] =\sin(\pi b)=\beta, \qquad \mathbf v=c\beta\,\widehat{\boldsymbol\tau}. \]
The spin axis and the tangent (\widehat{\boldsymbol\tau}) to the center's motion are independent geometric directions. Their coincidence is possible only as a special case and should not be built into the definition of spin.
10. What the Stern-Gerlach experiment measures
An inhomogeneous magnetic field establishes a physical axis of analysis and links the two projections of the magnetic moment to two spatial channels. The potential energy and the force along the (z)-axis are given by
\[\tag{34} U=-\boldsymbol{\mu}\cdot\mathbf B, \qquad F_z=-\frac{\partial U}{\partial z} \simeq\mu_z\frac{\partial B_z}{\partial z}. \]
For an electron, the relationship between the magnetic moment and the spin is expressed as
\[\tag{35} \boldsymbol{\mu}_e =-g\frac{e}{2m_e}\mathbf S. \]
If the state before the analyzer comprises two amplitudes, the interaction with the field correlates them with two diverging wave packets:
\[\tag{36} \left(A_+|+\mathbf n\rangle+A_-|-\mathbf n\rangle\right)\Phi_0 \longrightarrow A_+|+\mathbf n\rangle\Phi_+ +A_-|-\mathbf n\rangle\Phi_-. \]
Upon repeated trials, the ratio of the channel intensities is determined by the squared moduli of the amplitudes:
\[\tag{37} I_+:I_-=|A_+|^2:|A_-|^2. \]
The two spots do not represent an image of two internal sheets. The field maps two alternative projections of the total state onto two spatially separated channels.The microscopic dynamics of registering a single result and the precise origin of the \(g\)-factor require a separate interaction model.
11. Spin and charge belong to different levels
The direction of traversal of the two-sheeted contour cannot simultaneously serve to define both the spin sign and the electric charge sign. In the construction under consideration, a separate multiplicative operator \(J_s\) is not required: the two orientations are already inherent in the choice of \(J_1(a,b)\) or \(J_2(a,b)\), while the spin modulus is generated by the common two-sheeted factor \(Q_\Gamma(a)\). The electron and positron charges must be specified by a separate operator sector \(J_{q,\eta}\):
\[\tag{38} \boxed{ \mathcal J_{\mathrm{particle}}^{(\sigma,\eta)} =J_\sigma(a,b)Q_\Gamma(a)J_{q,\eta}\cdots, \qquad \sigma=1,2, \qquad \eta=\pm. } \]
The index \(\sigma\) selects the arrangement of the internal state across the principal channels, while \(\eta\) selects the charge sector. Therefore, the permutation \(J_1\leftrightarrow J_2\) does not transform an electron into a positron, and charge conjugation \(J_{q,-}\leftrightarrow J_{q,+}\) does not necessarily alter the spin orientation or the two-sheeted cycle.
12. Connection to the spin-polarization transition
Upon the annihilation of an electron-positron pair, the joint spin information of the localized states can be mapped onto the joint polarization state of the two propagating photons:
\[\tag{39} |S=0\rangle_{e^-e^+} \longrightarrow |\Psi_{\mathrm{pol}}\rangle_{\gamma_1\gamma_2}. \]
In this process, one internal sheet does not simply transform into one photon while the other sheet transforms into the other; rather, the entire joint state of the pair undergoes the transformation. This issue is discussed separately in the article “Transition of electron and positron spin into photon polarization.”
13. Scope of the Result
The following consequences arise directly from the adopted two-sheeted geometry: the sequential traversal of the two sheets by a single wave; a total closure length of \(L_J=4\pi R\); a wave number of \(k_J=1/(2R)\); a half-phase of \(\chi=\theta/2\); and a sign reversal of the state representative after a \(2\pi\) rotation, with full restoration occurring after \(4\pi\). Upon establishing a physical correspondence between the phase-rotation generator and angular momentum on the scale of \(\hbar\), this geometry yields a spin magnitude of \(|\mathbf S|=\hbar/2\).
When combined with a magnetic mapping of the two-sheeted charge loop, this same construction yields a fundamental magnetic moment of \(\mu_e^{(0)}=\mu_B\) and a gyromagnetic factor of \(g_0=2\), as demonstrated in the article “Internal Electron Motion and the Origin of Its Magnetic Moment.” Accounting for the finite separation \(\Delta r\) between the branches introduces two additional transitions with a total length of \(2\Delta r\). If \(\Delta r=r_e\), the relative correction to the fundamental path length is \(\alpha_{\mathrm{fs}}/(2\pi)\); this leads to the first term of the anomaly, \(a_e^{(1)}=\alpha_{\mathrm{fs}}/(2\pi)\), and the approximation \(g^{(1)}=2[1+\alpha_{\mathrm{fs}}/(2\pi)]\).
This result is examined in detail in the article “The Anomalous Magnetic Moment of the Electron.”
Specific physical correspondences of the model include: the mapping of deep algebraic channels onto two closely spaced spatial branches; the link between the permutation of the fundamental channels \(J(a,b)\leftrightarrow J(b,a)\) and the two orientations of the total spin; the mapping of the internal state onto an arbitrary axis in three-dimensional space; the quadratic probability rule; the dynamics of a single detection event; the general mechanism projecting internal frequencies into observable magnetic frequencies; and the origin of the higher-order terms of the anomalous magnetic moment.
Thus, the two-sheeted model yields not only the characteristic \(4\pi\)-periodicity but also a geometric basis for spin-1/2, the fundamental factor \(g_0=2\), and the first anomalous correction \(\alpha_{\mathrm{fs}}/(2\pi)\). What remains incomplete is not these geometric results themselves, but rather their full dynamical derivation from a global operator, the mechanism of interaction with the measurement field, and the extension of the anomalous correction to higher orders.
An independent example of a similar approach is presented in the paper "An electromagnetic model of the electron" [1] by C. A. M. dos Santos and M. J. J. Fleury. The authors treat the electron as a rotating electromagnetic wave localized within a toroidal geometry and derive a value of \(\hbar/2\) for its total angular momentum. Although this model does not employ the two-sheeted closure proposed here and does not derive the \(4\pi\)-periodicity, it demonstrates that the concept of the electron as a closed electromagnetic wave mode is being developed independently in other approaches as well.
Conclusion
In the updated model, the geometric basis of spin is formed not by two mutually perpendicular orbits, but by two successive sheets of a single internal contour. In a physical representation, these can correspond to closely spaced radial branches \(R_+\) and \(R_-\) lying in the same plane. A single wave traverses both branches; consequently, the total path length is \(4\pi R\).
\[\tag{40} \boxed{ C_+\to C_-\to C_+ \quad\Longrightarrow\quad L_J=4\pi R \quad\Longrightarrow\quad \chi=\frac{\theta}{2} \quad\Longrightarrow\quad \Psi(4\pi)=\Psi(0). } \]
The two spin directions represent alternative orientations of the complete two-sheeted cycle rather than designations for its individual sheets. Upon the introduction of the physical scale \(\hbar\), these correspond to projections of \(\pm\hbar/2\). The standard spinor, angular probabilities, and two-channel splitting in a magnetic field emerge as consistent manifestations of this structure, whereas external motion and electric charge retain their own independent operator roles.
Materials used
  1. C. A. M. dos Santos, M. J. J. Fleury, An electromagnetic model of the electron, arXiv:2510.22384, 2025.