In Lectures on Physics, Feynman explains the origin of the 4/3 problem in the electromagnetic theory of matter. He argues that not all the self-energy of the electron is of electromagnetic origin and that there must be a mechanical (non-electromagnetic) contribution, historically attributed to Poincaré stresses. However, I came across a paper by F. Rohrlich, where, by accounting for Lorentz contraction, he derived the correct relation between energy and momentum. Does this imply that Feynman’s statement is incorrect and that the possibility of explaining the electron’s mass through electromagnetic self-energy is still viable?
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