528 lines
30 KiB
Plaintext
528 lines
30 KiB
Plaintext
Reproduced below, with the permission of the author, is a paper written by Dr.
|
|
Harold E. Puthoff, a respected physicist in quantum electrodynamics (QED) and
|
|
in the relatively new field of stochastic electrodynamics (SED). This paper
|
|
originally appeared in Speculations in Science and Technology, vol. 13, no. 4,
|
|
pp. 247-257, 1990. The reader is encouraged to obtain a copy of the original
|
|
paper since the figures could not be reproduced here in ASCII.
|
|
|
|
This paper speculates, using current theories, that *net* energy MIGHT (and
|
|
only might) be extractable from the vacuum of space. Such a possibility does
|
|
not necessarily violate current thermodynamic laws since all we need to do is
|
|
to redraw our thermodynamic boundaries to include the vacuum energy of the
|
|
universe and its attributes. Dr. Puthoff is currently pursuing experimental
|
|
studies to ascertain whether or not there is tappable "excess" energy in the
|
|
vacuum (theoretical considerations cannot ascertain the answer to this although
|
|
there are several possible reasons why it could exist). Since the publication
|
|
of this paper, some preliminary experimental results by Dr. Puthoff and his
|
|
associates using a "condensed charge technology device" indicate that the
|
|
vacuum indeed has significant "excess" energy that is tappable; further work
|
|
to make sure of their results (to avoid the problems that plagued the cold
|
|
fusion controversy), and eventual publication will be done. A patent has
|
|
already been granted on this device: Patent Number 5,018,180, "Energy
|
|
Conversion Using High Charge Density..."
|
|
|
|
As an interesting aside, in my conversation with Dr. Puthoff recently, he
|
|
believed that anomalous heat generation observed in several "cold fusion"
|
|
experiments was not fusion, rather it was vacuum energy extraction (either net
|
|
energy extraction from vacuum energy "excess", or vacuum energy charging and
|
|
later extraction similar to a battery). This could explain why any anomalous
|
|
heat generation was not accompanied by a neutron and radiation signature
|
|
indicating nuclear fusion. Thus, I'm cross-posting this to the fusion energy
|
|
newsgroup for their comment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The reader is also referred to four other related papers by Dr. Puthoff which
|
|
appeared in the literature (three appeared in Physical Review):
|
|
|
|
"Ground State of Hydrogen as a Zero-Point-Fluctuation-Determined State",
|
|
Physical Review D, vol. 35, no. 10, pp. 3266-3269, 15 May 1987.
|
|
|
|
"Gravity as a Zero-Point-Fluctuation Force", Physical Review A, vol. 39, no. 5,
|
|
pp. 2333-2342, 1 March 1989.
|
|
|
|
"Source of Vacuum Electromagnetic Zero-Point Energy", Physical Review A, vol.
|
|
40, no. 9, pp. 4857-4862, 1 November 1989. See also his replies to comments in
|
|
Physical Review A, vol. 44, no. 5, page 3382 and 3385-3386, and an Erratum in
|
|
Physical Review A, vol. 41, no. 5, page 2902.
|
|
|
|
"Everything for Nothing", New Scientist, pp. 52-55, 28 July 1990.
|
|
|
|
*************************************************************************
|
|
-Beginning of Paper-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE ENERGETIC VACUUM: IMPLICATIONS FOR ENERGY RESEARCH
|
|
|
|
|
|
H.E. Puthoff
|
|
|
|
Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin
|
|
1301 Capital of Texas Highway S., Suite A-232
|
|
Austin, TX 78746
|
|
(512) 346-9947
|
|
|
|
|
|
"The existence of an actual vacuum was a subject of debate among scientists
|
|
from Aristotle into the twentieth century. Since light, magnetic fields and
|
|
heat all travel through a vacuum, something must be there. Borrowing a word
|
|
from Aristotle, scientists described various kinds of 'aethers' that exist in
|
|
even the hardest vacuum and that pervade space. Maxwell's theory of electro-
|
|
magnetism reduced these different types to just one, called the ether. Various
|
|
experiments were developed to detect this ether, of which the most famous was
|
|
the Michelson-Morley experiment, which failed to find it. Finally, in 1905,
|
|
Einstein banished the ether by means of special relativity and allowed the true
|
|
vacuum to exist.
|
|
|
|
"But not for long. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle of 1927 led particle
|
|
physicists to predict that particles would arise spontaneously from the vacuum,
|
|
so long as they disappeared before violating the uncertainty principle. The
|
|
quantum vacuum is a very active place, with all sorts of particles appearing
|
|
and disappearing. Careful experiments have demonstrated that the quantum
|
|
theorists are correct in this interpretation of the vacuum... Furthermore,
|
|
starting in 1980 with the theory of the inflationary universe, particle
|
|
physicists have told us that the entire universe was created as a 'false
|
|
vacuum', a quantum vacuum that has more energy in its nothingness than it
|
|
should. The decay of that particular vacuum to an ordinary quantum vacuum
|
|
produced all the mass in the universe and started the Big Bang."
|
|
|
|
From "The Timetables of Science", Simon and Schuster, 1988
|
|
|
|
|
|
INTRODUCTION
|
|
|
|
Modern physical theory, specifically quantum electrodynamics (QED), tells us
|
|
that the vacuum can no longer be considered a void. This is due to the fact
|
|
that, even in the absence of matter, the vacuum is neither truly particle nor
|
|
field free, but is the seat of virtual particle-pair (e.g. electron-positron)
|
|
creation and annihilation processes, as well as zero-point-fluctuation (ZPF) of
|
|
such fields as the vacuum electromagnetic field, which will be the focus of our
|
|
study here.
|
|
|
|
Formally, the energy density associated with the vacuum electromagnetic ZPF
|
|
background is considered to be infinite. With appropriate high-frequency
|
|
cutoffs the ZPF energy density is still conservatively estimated to be on the
|
|
order of nuclear energy densities or greater.[1] The enormity of the figures
|
|
describing the vacuum electromagnetic zero-point energy raises the question as
|
|
to whether these numbers should be taken seriously, whether they are due to
|
|
some defect or misinterpretation of the theory, whether the ZPF fields ought to
|
|
be considered as 'virtual' or 'real'.[2] There is, however, no question but
|
|
that the ZPF fields lead to real, measurable physical consequences. One
|
|
example is the very real Casimir force,[3-6] an experimentally-verified [7-9]
|
|
ZPF-induced attractive quantum force between closely-spaced metal or dielectric
|
|
plates. An elegant analysis by Milonni, et al., at Los Alamos National
|
|
Laboratory shows that the Casimir force is due to radiation pressure from the
|
|
background electromagnetic zero-point energy which has become unbalanced due to
|
|
the presence of the plates, and which results in the plates being pushed
|
|
together.[10] (We will discuss this effect in more detail later when we
|
|
address the possibility of ZPF energy extraction.) Other effects which can be
|
|
traced back to interactions involving the ZPF fields in a fundamental way
|
|
include the Lamb shift (the slight perturbation of the emission lines seen from
|
|
transitions between atomic states),[11-13] the van der Waals chemical binding
|
|
forces,[14] the stabilization of atomic structure against radiative collapse,
|
|
[15-16] quantum field mechanisms underlying the gravitational interaction,[17]
|
|
and spontaneous emission.[18]
|
|
|
|
|
|
ZERO-POINT ENERGY
|
|
|
|
To understand just what the significance of zero-point energy is, let us begin
|
|
with a simple harmonic oscillator as shown in Figure 1. According to classical
|
|
theory, such a harmonic oscillator, once excited but with excitation removed,
|
|
will come to rest (because of friction losses) as shown in Figure 1(a). In
|
|
quantum theory, however, this is not the case. Instead, such an oscillator
|
|
will always retain a finite amount of 'jiggle', as shown in Figure 1(b). The
|
|
average energy (kinetic plus potential) associated with this residuum of
|
|
motion, the so-called zero-point energy, is given by: <E>= hw/2, where 'h' is
|
|
Planck's constant (h= 1.054e-34 joule/sec) and 'w' [really 'omega'] is the
|
|
frequency of oscillation. The meaning of the adjective 'zero-point' is that
|
|
such motion exists even at a temperature of absolute zero where no thermal
|
|
agitation effects remain. Similarly, if a cavity electromagnetic mode is
|
|
excited and then left to decay, as shown in Figure 2, the field energy dies
|
|
away, again to a minimum value <E>= hw/2 (half a photon's worth), indicating
|
|
that fields as well as mechanical systems are subject to zero-point
|
|
fluctuations. It is the presence of such ZPF 'noise' that can never be gotten
|
|
rid of, no matter how perfect the technology, that sets a lower limit on the
|
|
detectability of electromagnetic signals.
|
|
|
|
If we now consider the universe as a whole as constituting a giant cavity, then
|
|
we approach a continuum of possible modes (frequencies, directions) of
|
|
propagation of electromagnetic waves. Again, even in the absence of overt
|
|
excitation, quantum theory has us assign an <E>= hw/2 to each mode.
|
|
Multiplication of this energy by a density of modes factor [19] then yields
|
|
an expression for the spectral energy density that characterizes the vacuum
|
|
electromagnetic zero-point energy
|
|
|
|
rho(w)dw = [w^2/pi^2*c^3]/[hw/2]dw
|
|
|
|
= (hw^3)/(2*pi^2*c^3)dw joules/m^3 (eqn. 1)
|
|
|
|
There are a number of properties of the zero-point energy distribution given in
|
|
equation 1 that are worthy of note. First, the frequency behavior is seen to
|
|
diverge as w^3. In the absence of a high-frequency cutoff this would imply an
|
|
infinite energy density. (This is the source of such statements regarding a
|
|
purely formal theory.) As discussed by Feynman and Hibbs, however, we have no
|
|
evidence that QED remains valid at asymptotically high frequencies (vanishingly
|
|
small wavelengths).[1] Therefore, we are justified in assuming a high-
|
|
frequency cutoff, and arguments based on the requirements of general relativity
|
|
place this cutoff near the Planck frequency (~10^-33 cm).[17] Even with this
|
|
cutoff the mass-density equivalent of the vacuum ZPF fields is still on the
|
|
order of 10^94 g/cm^3. This caused Wheeler to remark that "elementary
|
|
particles represent a percentage-wise almost completely negligible change in
|
|
the locally violent conditions that characterize the vacuum...In other words,
|
|
elementary particles do not form a really basic starting point for the
|
|
description of nature. Instead, they represent a first-order correction to
|
|
vacuum physics."[20] As high as this value is, one might think that the vacuum
|
|
energy would be easy to observe. Although this is true in a certain sense (it
|
|
is the source of quantum noise), by and large the homogeneity and isotropy
|
|
(uniformity) of the ZPF distribution prevent naive observation, and only
|
|
departures from uniformity yield overtly observable effects.
|
|
|
|
Contributing to the lack of direct observability is a second feature of the ZPF
|
|
spectrum; namely, its Lorentz invariance. Whereas motion through all other
|
|
radiation fields, random or otherwise, can be detected by Doppler-shift
|
|
phenomena, the ZPF spectrum with its cubic frequency dependence is unique in
|
|
that detailed cancellation of Doppler shifts with velocity changes leaves the
|
|
spectrum unchanged. (Indeed, one can derive the ZPF spectrum to within a scale
|
|
factor by simply postulating a Lorentz-invariant random radiation field.
|
|
[21,22]) Thus, although any particular component may Doppler shift as a result
|
|
of motion, another component Doppler shifts to take its place. It is also the
|
|
case, again unique to the ZPF cubic-frequency-dependent spectrum, that Doppler
|
|
shifts due to other phenomena (e.g., cosmological expansion, gravitation) also
|
|
do not alter the spectrum. [23] This stands in contrast to, for example, the
|
|
3 K blackbody (thermal) microwave background left over from the Big Bang which
|
|
cools with cosmological expansion.
|
|
|
|
Yet another feature of the ZPF spectrum, related to its Lorentz invariance and
|
|
again unique in comparison with all other competitors, is the complete lack of
|
|
a drag force on a charged particle passing through it. This is because such a
|
|
drag forced (the so-called Einstein-Hopf drag [24]) is proportional to the
|
|
factor [rho(w) - (w/3)*(d rho/dw)], and this vanishes identically for
|
|
rho(w) ~= w^3.
|
|
|
|
On the other hand, accelerated motion through the vacuum can in principle
|
|
reveal the presence of the ZPF energy density directly. Unlike uniform motion
|
|
in which delicate cancellations of Doppler shifts leave the motion undetected,
|
|
in accelerated motion the Doppler-shift cancellations are no longer sustained.
|
|
As a result, the Lorentz-invariant spectrum which holds in uniform motion is
|
|
augmented by additional terms. One factor yields a thermal (Planck) spectrum
|
|
of temperature T= h*a/2*pi*c*k, where 'a' is acceleration, 'k' is Boltzmann's
|
|
constant and 'T' is temperature. This is known as the Davies-Unruh effect.
|
|
[25,26] Yet another factor which shows up in the ZPF spectrum of an
|
|
accelerated observer is found, via the equivalence principle, to reveal a deep
|
|
connection between zero-point energy and gravity along lines originally
|
|
proposed by Sakharov [27] (that gravity could be understood as an induced
|
|
effect brought about by changes in the quantum fluctuation energy of the vacuum
|
|
due to the presence of matter [17]).
|
|
|
|
Thus we see that, with its roots in relativity theory which banished the ether,
|
|
QED has in some sense come full circle to provide us with a model of an
|
|
energetic vacuum that once again constitutes a plenum rather than a void.
|
|
|
|
|
|
SOURCE OF ZERO-POINT ENERGY
|
|
|
|
The fact that the vacuum constitutes an energy reservoir leads naturally to the
|
|
question as to where the zero-point energy comes from, specifically, the vacuum
|
|
electromagnetic zero-point energy under discussion here. (This is an
|
|
especially important issue if one considers the possibility of extracting such
|
|
energy for use.) Nature provides us with but two alternatives: existence by
|
|
fiat as part of the boundary conditions of the present universe (like, for
|
|
example, the 3 K cosmic background radiation left over from the Big Bang), or
|
|
generation by the (quantum fluctuation) motion of charged particles that
|
|
constitute matter. This latter possibility was explored in a recent paper by
|
|
the author, with positive results.[23]
|
|
|
|
The argument goes as follows. Given charged particles in quantum zero-point
|
|
motion throughout the universe, a 1/r^2 dependence of the radiation from such
|
|
motion, and an average volume distribution of such particles in spherical
|
|
shells about any given point that is proportional to the area of the shell
|
|
(that is,proportional to r^2), one could reasonably expect to find at any given
|
|
point a sum of contributions from the surrounding shells that yielded a high-
|
|
density radiation field. (Recall a similar argument in astronomy associated
|
|
with Olbers' paradox.) The high-density ZPF fields would appear to be just
|
|
such a field.
|
|
|
|
The details of the calculations examine the possibility that ZPF fields drive
|
|
particle motion, and that the sum of particle motions throughout the universe
|
|
in turn generates the ZPF fields, in the form of a self-regenerating
|
|
cosmological feedback cycle not unlike a cat chasing its own tail. This self-
|
|
consistent field approach, carried out assuming inflationary cosmology, is
|
|
found to yield the correct frequency distribution and the correct order of
|
|
magnitude to match the known ZPF distribution, thus supporting the hypothesis
|
|
that the ZPF fields are dynamically generated.
|
|
|
|
As it turns out, there is an additional bonus from the calculations. A derived
|
|
expression relating the zero-point energy density to such factors as the mass
|
|
density and size of the universe also yields a precise expression for an
|
|
observed 'cosmological coincidence' often discussed in the context of Dirac's
|
|
large-numbers hypothesis: namely, that the electromagnetic-to-gravitational
|
|
force ratio between an electron and proton is equal to the ratio of the Hubble
|
|
distance to the size of the classical electron. According to the relevant
|
|
calculations such a cosmological coincidence is seen to be a consequence of the
|
|
cosmologically-based ZPF-generation mechanism under consideration that serves
|
|
to link cosmological and atomic parameters.
|
|
|
|
The overall picture that emerges, then, is that the electromagnetic ZPF
|
|
spectrum is generated by the motion of charged particles throughout the
|
|
universe which are themselves undergoing ZPF-induced motion, in a kind of self-
|
|
regenerating grand ground state of the universe. In contrast to other
|
|
particle-field interactions, the ZPF interaction constitutes an underlying,
|
|
stable 'bottom-rung' vacuum state that decays no further but reproduces itself
|
|
on a dynamic-generation basis. In such terms it is possible to explicate on a
|
|
rational basis the observed presence of vacuum zero-point energy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
VACUUM ENERGY EXTRACTION?
|
|
|
|
As we have seen, the vacuum constitutes an extremely energetic physical state.
|
|
Nonetheless, it is a giant step to consider the possibility that vacuum energy
|
|
can be 'mined' for practical use. To begin, without careful thought as to the
|
|
role that the vacuum plays in particle-vacuum interactions, it would only be
|
|
natural to assume that any attempt to extract energy from the vacuum might
|
|
somehow violate energy conservation laws or thermodynamic constraints (as in
|
|
misguided attempts to extract energy from a heat bath under equilibrium
|
|
conditions). As we shall see, however, this is not quite the case.
|
|
|
|
The premier example for considering the possibility of extracting energy from
|
|
the vacuum has already appeared in the literature in a paper by R.L. Forward
|
|
entitled "Extraction of Electrical Energy From the Vacuum..."[28]; it is the
|
|
Casimir effect. Let us examine carefully this ZPF-driven phenomenon.
|
|
|
|
With parallel, non-charged conducting plates set a distance D apart, only those
|
|
(electromagnetic) modes which satisfy the plate boundary conditions (vanishing
|
|
tangential electric field) are permitted to exist. In the interior space this
|
|
constrains the modes to a discrete set of wavelengths for which an integer
|
|
number of half-wavelengths just spans the distance D (see Figure 3). In
|
|
particular, no mode for which a half-wavelength is greater than D can fit; as
|
|
a result, all longer-wavelength modes are excluded, since for these wavelengths
|
|
the pair of plates constitutes a cavity below cutoff. The constraints for
|
|
modes exterior to the plates, on the other hand, are much less restrictive due
|
|
to the larger spaces involved. Therefore, the number of viable modes exterior
|
|
is greater than that interior. Since such modes, even in vacuum state, carry
|
|
energy and momentum, the radiation pressure inward overbalances that outward,
|
|
and detailed calculation shows that the plates are pushed together with a force
|
|
that varies as 1/D^4, viz,[10]
|
|
|
|
F/A = -(pi^2/240)(h*c/D^4) newtons/m^2 (eqn. 2)
|
|
|
|
The associated attractive potential energy (Casimir energy) varies as 1/D^3,
|
|
|
|
U/A = -(pi^2/720)/(h*c/D^3) joules/m^2 (eqn. 3)
|
|
|
|
As is always the case, bodies in an attractive potential, free to move, will do
|
|
so, and in this case the plates will move toward each other. The conservation
|
|
of energy dictates that in this process potential energy is converted to some
|
|
other form, in this case the kinetic energy of motion. When the plates finally
|
|
collide, the kinetic energy is then transformed into heat. (The overall
|
|
process is essentially identical to the conversion of gravitational potential
|
|
energy into heat by an object that falls to the ground.) Since in this case
|
|
the Casimir energy derives from the vacuum, the process constitutes the
|
|
conversion of vacuum energy into heat, and is no more mysterious than in the
|
|
analogous gravitational case.
|
|
|
|
In such fashion we see that the conversion of vacuum energy into heat, rather
|
|
than violating the conservation of energy, is in fact required by it. And this
|
|
conversion can be traced microjoule by microjoule as modes (and their
|
|
corresponding zero-point energies) are eliminated by the shrinking separation
|
|
of the plates. What takes getting used to conceptually is that the vacuum
|
|
state does not have a fixed energy value, but changes with boundary conditions.
|
|
In this case vacuum-plus-plates-far-apart is a higher energy state than vacuum-
|
|
plus-plates-close-together, and the combined system will decay from the higher-
|
|
energy state to the lower, in the process creating kinetic energy, then heat,
|
|
to conserve overall energy. Similar vacuum-decay processes have been discussed
|
|
within the context of so-called charged vacuum states.[29]
|
|
|
|
With regard to extracting zero-point energy for use, in Forward's proposed
|
|
embodiment the two plates in a Casimir experiment are charged with the same-
|
|
sign charge (e.g., electrons). At sufficiently small spacings the Coulomb
|
|
repulsion between the plates (which goes in an inverse square law 1/D^2 or
|
|
less, depending on spacing and geometry) can always be overcome by the stronger
|
|
1/D^4 attractive Casimir force. The plates will therefore be drawn together in
|
|
a collapsing motion. This confines the charge distribution to a smaller and
|
|
smaller volume and results in an increased electric field strength in the
|
|
vicinity of the plates. In such fashion the zero-point energy (Casimir energy)
|
|
is transformed into stored Coulomb energy, which can then be extracted by a
|
|
variety of means.
|
|
|
|
Although demonstrating in principle the extraction of energy from the vacuum,
|
|
Forward's embodiment is admittedly impractical for significant, continuous
|
|
energy generation, for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the fact
|
|
that the generator is a 'one-shot' device. To recycle the generator one must
|
|
put as much energy into the device to return the plates to their original
|
|
separated positions as was obtained during the collapse phase, as would be
|
|
expected in any conservative potential. As a result, given the losses in any
|
|
real system, not even 'break-even' operation can be achieved, let alone net
|
|
energy gain.
|
|
|
|
Let us carry this one step further, however. If one could arrange to have an
|
|
inexhaustible supply of such devices, and if it took less energy to make each
|
|
device than was obtained from the Casimir-collapse process, and if the devices
|
|
were discarded after use rather than recycled, then one could envision the
|
|
conversion of vacuum energy to use with a net positive yield. Although almost
|
|
certainly not achievable in terms of mechanical devices, a possible candidate
|
|
for exploitation along such lines would be the generation of a cold, dense,
|
|
non-neutral (charged) plasma in which charge condensation takes place not on
|
|
the basis of charged plates being drawn together, but on the basis of a Casimir
|
|
pinch effect. (Casimir pinch effects have been explored in the literature, not
|
|
with regard to energy conversion, but in terms of semiclassical modelling of
|
|
charge confinement in elementary particles, hadron bag models, etc.[30]) Such
|
|
an approach would constitute a 'Casimir-fusion' process, which in its cycle of
|
|
operation would mimic the nuclear-fusion process. It would begin, like its
|
|
nuclear counterpart, with an initial energy input into a plasma to overcome a
|
|
Coulomb barrier, followed by a condensation of charged particles drawn together
|
|
by a strong, short-range attractive potential (in this case a Casimir rather
|
|
than a nuclear potential), and with an accompanying energy release. Should the
|
|
energy requirements for plasma formation, and electrical circuit and heat
|
|
losses be kept at a level below that required for break-even operation, then
|
|
net, useful energy could in principle be generated, as in the nuclear case.
|
|
Such a proposal is, of course, highly speculative at this point, and further
|
|
detailed analysis of the energetics involved may yet uncover some hidden flaw
|
|
in the concept. Nonetheless, known to this author are programs in the United
|
|
States, the Soviet Union and other countries to explore just such an approach
|
|
on an experimental basis.
|
|
|
|
The above provides just one example of the type of concept that can be explored
|
|
with regard to possible vacuum energy extraction. Other proposals for
|
|
extracting vacuum energy have been made as well,[31] covering the gamut from
|
|
the clearly unworkable to the intriguing. To this author's way of thinking,
|
|
however, there is as yet neither clear-cut evidence of experimental success nor
|
|
an absolutely unimpeachable theoretical construct. Nonetheless, it is only by
|
|
continued, careful consideration of such proposals that we can hope to resolve
|
|
the issue as to whether energy can be extracted from the vacuum, as part of a
|
|
generalized 'vacuum engineering' concept of the type suggested by Nobel
|
|
Laureate T.D. Lee.[32] As a caution along the way, the prudent scientist,
|
|
while generally keeping an open mind as to the possibility of vacuum energy
|
|
extraction, must of course approach any particular device claim or theoretical
|
|
proposal with the utmost rigor with regard to verification and validation.
|
|
|
|
Can the energy crisis be solved by harnessing the energies of the zero-point
|
|
sea? In the final analysis, given our relative ignorance at this point we must
|
|
of necessity fall back on a quote given by Podolny [33] when contemplating this
|
|
same issue. "It would be just as presumptuous to deny the feasibility of
|
|
useful application as it would be irresponsible to guarantee such application."
|
|
Only the future can reveal whether a program to extract energy from the vacuum
|
|
will meet with success.
|
|
|
|
|
|
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
|
|
|
|
I wish to express my appreciation to G.W. Church, Jr., for helpful discussion
|
|
in the exploration of the concepts developed here. I also wish to thank K.R.
|
|
Shoulders of Jupiter Technologies, Austin, Texas, and William L. Stoner, III,
|
|
of OmniTech International, Springdale, Virginia, for continuing impetus and
|
|
encouragement to explore these issues.
|
|
|
|
|
|
REFERENCES
|
|
|
|
1. Feynman, R.P. and Hibbs, A.R. *Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals*,
|
|
page 245, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1965. See also Misner, C.W., Thorne,
|
|
K.S. and Wheeler, J.A. *Gravitation*, page 1202 ff. Freeman, San
|
|
Francisco, 1973.
|
|
|
|
2. See, for example, the Closing Remarks section in Boyer, T.H., Phys.
|
|
Rev. D, volume 29, p. 1089, 1984. It can be added that, although the
|
|
approach developed here involves treating the ZPF fields as real, an
|
|
alternative viewpoint can be taken in which the results of field-
|
|
particle interactions traditionally attributed to ZPF are expressed
|
|
instead in terms of the radiation reaction of the particles involved,
|
|
without explicit reference to the ZPF. For this viewpoint, see Milonni,
|
|
P.W., Phys. Rev. A, volume 25, p. 1315, 1982. Although it is sometimes
|
|
assumed that the radiation-reaction approach might imply that the ZPF
|
|
fields do not exist, detailed analysis (see Milonni's paper) shows that
|
|
even though the interpretation of ZPF effects "can be given exclusively
|
|
in terms of either radiation reaction or the zero-point field, *both
|
|
fields are in fact necessary for the formal consistency of the theory*."
|
|
The interrelationship between these two approaches (ZPF, radiation
|
|
reaction) can be shown to be complementary on the basis of an underlying
|
|
fluctuation-dissipation theorem.
|
|
|
|
3. Casimir, H.B.G., Proc. K. Ned. Akad. Wet., volume 51, p. 793, 1948.
|
|
|
|
4. Fierz, M. Helv. Phys. Acta., volume 33, p. 855, 1960.
|
|
|
|
5. Marshall, T.W. Nuovo Cimento, volume 38, p. 206, 1965.
|
|
|
|
6. Boyer, T.H. Ann. Phys., volume 56, p. 474, 1970.
|
|
|
|
7. Wittmann, F., Splittgerber, H. and Ebert, K. Z. Phys, volume 245,
|
|
p. 354, 1971.
|
|
|
|
8. Israelachvili, J.N. and Tabor, D. Proc. Roy Soc. London, Ser. A, volume
|
|
331, p. 19, 1972.
|
|
|
|
9. Arnold, W., Hunklinger, S. and Dransfeld, K. Phys Rev. B, volume 19,
|
|
p. 6049, 1979; Phys. Rev. E, volume 21, p. 1713, 1980.
|
|
|
|
10. Milonni, P.W., Cook, R.J. and Goggin, M.E. Phys. Rev. A, volume 38,
|
|
p. 1621, 1988.
|
|
|
|
11. Lamb, W.E., Jr. and Retherford, R.C. Phys. Rev., volume 72, p. 241, 1947.
|
|
|
|
12. Bethe, H.A. Phys. Rev., volume 72, p. 339, 1947.
|
|
|
|
13. Welton, T.A. Phys. Rev., volume 74, p. 1157, 1948.
|
|
|
|
14. Boyer, T.H. Phys. Rev., volume 180, p. 19, 1969; Phys. Rev. A, volume 7,
|
|
p. 1832, 1973.
|
|
|
|
15. Puthoff, H.E. Phys. Rev. D, volume 35, p. 3266, 1987. See also
|
|
New Scientist, volume 115, p. 26, 9 July 1987.
|
|
|
|
16. Cetto, A.M. and Pena, L. de la. Found. Phys., volume 19, p. 419, 1989.
|
|
|
|
17. See Puthoff, H.E. Phys. Rev. A, volume 39, p. 2333, 1989 and references
|
|
therein.
|
|
|
|
18. Milonni, P.W. Physica Scripta, volume T 21, p. 102, 1988.
|
|
|
|
19. See, for example, Pantell, R.H. and Puthoff, H.E. *Fundamentals of
|
|
Quantum Electronics*, pp. 179 ff., Wiley, New York, 1969.
|
|
|
|
20. Wheeler, J.A. *Geometrodynamics*, Academic Press, New York, 1962.
|
|
|
|
21. Marshall, T.W. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc., vol. 61, p. 537, 1965.
|
|
|
|
22. Boyer, T.H. Phys. Rev., vol. 182, p. 1374, 1969.
|
|
|
|
23. Puthoff, H.E. Phys. Rev. A, volume 40, p. 4857, 1989. Errata in
|
|
Phys. Rev. A, volume 44, p. 3385, 1991. See also New Scientist,
|
|
volume 124, p. 36, 2 December 1989.
|
|
|
|
24. Milonni, P.W. Am. J. Phys., volume 49, p. 177, 1981.
|
|
|
|
25. Davies, P.C.W. J. Phys. A, volume 8, p. 609, 1975.
|
|
|
|
26. Unruh, W.G. Phys. Rev. D, volume 14, p. 870, 1976. For a semi-classical
|
|
derivation, see also Boyer, T.H. Phys. Rev. D, volume 21, p. 2137, 1980.
|
|
|
|
27. Sakharov, A.D. Dokl. Akad. Nauk. SSSR [Sov. Phys. - Dokl., volume 12,
|
|
p. 1040], 1968. See also Misner, C.W., Thorne, K.S. and Wheeler, J.A.
|
|
Gravitation, pp. 426-428, Freeman, San Francisco, 1973.
|
|
|
|
28. Forward, R.L. Phys. Rev. B, volume 30, p. 1700, 1984.
|
|
|
|
29. Rafelski, J., Fulcher, L.P. and Klein, A. Phys. Rep., volume 38, p. 227,
|
|
1978. See also "The Decay of the Vacuum", Scientific American, volume
|
|
241, p. 150, 1979.
|
|
|
|
30. For the original concept see Casimir, H.B.G., Physica, volume 19, p. 846,
|
|
1956. Early follow-on efforts include Boyer, T.H., Phys. Rev, volume 174,
|
|
p. 1764, 1968; Milton, K.A., Annals Phys., volume 127, p. 49, 1980;
|
|
DeRaad, L.L., Jr. and Milton, K.A., Annals Phys., vol. 136, p. 229, 1981;
|
|
Brevik, I., Annals Phys., volume 138, p. 36, 1982; Brevik, I. and
|
|
Kolbenstevdt, H., Annals Phys., volume 143, p. 179, 1982.
|
|
|
|
31. Booth, L.I. Speculat. Sci. Tech., volume 10, p. 201, 1987.
|
|
|
|
32. Lee, T.D. *Particle Physics and Introduction to Field Theory*, p. 826,
|
|
Harwood Academic Publ., London, 1988.
|
|
|
|
33. Podolny, R. *Something Called Nothing*, Mir Publ., Moscow 1986.
|
|
|
|
-End of Paper-
|
|
|
|
|