Neoclassical physics and blackbody radiation

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Abstract
The neoclassical theory of the interaction of radiation with matter, introduced by its authors as a potentially viable alternative to quantum electrodynamics, is examined in the case of a multilevel atom interacting with blackbody radiation. The stationary statistical states of the atom and the field are derived, and two independently untenable results emerge. First, the stationary blackbody law turns out to be that of Rayleigh and Jeans, rather than that of Planck. Second, the mean energy of a harmonic oscillator, which interacts with the field only near a single frequency, turns out to be infinite. These results are discussed in the light of the neoclassical description of spontaneous emission.

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