Original poster: "Dan" <DUllfig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Your contention that the current needs a two way path is, i believe,
incorrect. That would be true for DC currents, but not AC. When the
current is flowing from the tramsmitter to the receiver, the charge
accumulates in the top capacitance of the receiver. When the current
is flowing back, it flows back out of the reciver's capacitance, into
the transmitters capacitance.
It is analogous to a hydraulic system, where instead of pumping the
oil always in one direction (you need two hoses to do this), you kept
pumping the oil back and forth. When you do that, you don't need a
return hose, because the oil can go into an accumulator at each end.
Think about it.
Dan
PS.: in common household AC, the neutral is not really a return path
either, but a terminal to collect all three phases and add them
together. By definition, being neutral, the neutral does not carry
any current (beyond the untility pole, that is).