Is vacuum devoid of matter?
December 22nd 2010 07:41
In common sense, there is nothing in vacuum. Is vacuum really devoid of matter? According to energy-time uncertainty principle
&Delta E &Delta t &ge h,
we can not have zero energy. Where does vacuum energy come from?
Vacuum can be thought of particle-antiparticle pairs, which shortly annihilate each other and disappear. When we are in a large time scale, we can not see particle and anti-particle annihilation. When we are in a very short time scale (quantum level), we do see virtual particle pairs which are created and destroyed out of the vacuum. This creates underlying background energy, called vacuum energy.
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If we think about we live in 3 dimensional space, yes there is nothing in vacuum. But we live in 4 dimensional space-time, time itself can create energy and cause universe to evolve, i,e from nothing in initial universe to the universe we live.
Video: Vacuum Energy (Sean Carroll, California Institute of Technology, answers a question about fluctuations in vacuum energy.)
&Delta E &Delta t &ge h,
we can not have zero energy. Where does vacuum energy come from?
Vacuum can be thought of particle-antiparticle pairs, which shortly annihilate each other and disappear. When we are in a large time scale, we can not see particle and anti-particle annihilation. When we are in a very short time scale (quantum level), we do see virtual particle pairs which are created and destroyed out of the vacuum. This creates underlying background energy, called vacuum energy.
.
If we think about we live in 3 dimensional space, yes there is nothing in vacuum. But we live in 4 dimensional space-time, time itself can create energy and cause universe to evolve, i,e from nothing in initial universe to the universe we live.
Video: Vacuum Energy (Sean Carroll, California Institute of Technology, answers a question about fluctuations in vacuum energy.)
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