Jiansen Lu
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.
particle and anti-particle annihilation
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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