Information, Quantum Probability and Reflection/Refraction Part II Dynamic Probability

In Part I we considered light moving in the positive x direction stiking a medium with a different index of refraction with some reflecting and the rest refracting. We argued one may immediately write a conservation of energy equation, but this is a single equation while there are two unknowns, the intensity of the reflected beam and the refracted, assuming the incident intensity is known. (We also argued that one also has the relation E=pc for a photon, but this is not needed to solve for the two intensities.) Our main point was that instead of seeking another independent equation (containing new information), one may write the conservation of energy equation as a product of two equations A+ B=C ((1a)) and A/c1 -B/c1 = C/c2  ((1b)) where AA/c1 = BB/c1 + CC/c2 is the energy conservation equation. Thus energy conservation contains all of the information needed, but one must move to a square root of probability picture in order to obtain the two equations needed to solve for the reflected and refracted values B,C and then the intensities BB and CC.

   In Part I, we noted that the reflection/refraction problem may be presented as a steady state one in which the scenario is not changing in time. A Maxwell-Boltzmann gas in equilibrium also does not change in time, but here there is a difference, namely a lack of time reversal invariance. In other words there is a distinct direction of motion i.e. the incident and refracted beams move in the positive direction only and the reflected in the negative x. The problem, however, is also a probabilistic one because given a single photon, it either reflects or refracts with certain probabilities. Thus we suggest there exists in this physical steady state problem a dynamic or directional probability. This probability is related to space and may be positive or negative unlike the usual time probabilities linked to events i.e. classical probability theory. The conservation of energy equation is a classical probability one, but dynamic motion probabilities are present in the problem and should also be manifest in equations. In fact the two dynamic probability equations allow for the solving of the reflected/refracted intensities (probabilities), but are also directly linked to the conservation of energy equation which may be written as:  AA/c1 -BB/c1  = CC/c2 which  points towards flow in two different directions. Thus we argue that a dynamic directional probability is responsible for the decomposition of the energy conservation equation into two dynamic probability ones.