  Even when the Higgs particle is finally detected, it will continue to be a
legitimate question to ask whether the inertia of matter as a reaction force
opposing acceleration is an intrinsic or extrinsic property of matter. General
relativity specifies which geodesic path a free particle will follow, but
geometrodynamics has no mechanism for generating a reaction force for deviation
from geodesic motion. We discuss a different approach involving the
electromagnetic zero-point field (ZPF) of the quantum vacuum. It has been found
that certain asymmetries arise in the ZPF as perceived from an accelerating
reference frame. In such a frame the Poynting vector and momentum flux of the
ZPF become non-zero. Scattering of this quantum radiation by the quarks and
electrons in matter can result in an acceleration-dependent reaction force.
Both the ordinary and the relativistic forms of Newton's second law, the
equation of motion, can be derived from the electrodynamics of such
ZPF-particle interactions. Conjectural arguments are given why this interaction
should take place in a resonance at the Compton frequency, and how this could
simultaneously provide a physical basis for the de Broglie wavelength of a
moving particle. This affords a suggestive perspective on a deep connection
between electrodynamics, the origin of inertia and the quantum wave nature of
matter.
