Will someone please explain zero-point energy to me?!

The subject line pretty much says it all. About the only thing I've heard concerning zero-point energy is what I heard tonight on Coast-to-Coast AM. I heard in passing something about "The tether experiment" conducted by the Space Shuddle, wherein some mystical energy melted a wire tether line set adrift behind the Shuddle.

Now, I'm asking...no...BEGGING...for someone to please tell me EXACTLY what this stuff is. Thanks

No need to beg, just ask and ye shall recieve.

These links is a bit technicle but it may answer some questions

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikipedia.org...

And here is one that seems more suited for the layman(eg Little to no Math)

www.calphysics.org...

To try to put ZPE in a nutshell, let me draw sort of an analogy,

Water waves are propogated by the water, sound waves are propogated by the air, so then, what are electromagnetic waves (including light) propogated on?

Current science says it propogates on nothing.

The Zero Point Energy, or ZPE concept is based on a Unified theory that the entire universe is, at the quantum or sub-space (1) level comprised of what is termed as the 'ether' or 'vacuum', and that Gravity, Inertia and Electromagnetism are forces which result from the interaction of matter with the sub-space vacuum.

The ZPE proponents contend that the entire universe is filled with a sort of 'Electromagnetic Wind' (Not to be confused with 'Ion Wind') that is the source of unlimited energy, the energy of space-time itself.

At the forefront of the ZPE argument is Tom Bearden, author of "Free Energy From the Vacuum;Concepts and principles", who wrote in Dec 2004

For comic relief, one realizes that the Creator must have a great sense of humor, for the job definitely requires it. Here the creation has provided us with available, free, unlimited electrical energy flowing freely from every charge in the universe. Everywhere. In every EM system ever built or that ever will be built. And in the midst of such incredible riches of available energy for the taking, our scientists have botched it for more than a century, despoiling the planet and savagely fighting and tearing nature itself, ripping out and consuming vast quantities of hydrocarbons, nuclear fuel rods, etc., killing of species and poisoning the biosphere, and all the while proclaiming how advanced our science is and that we can do no better in our efforts to keep up with the rapidly escalating demands for energy and transportation.

He makes some pretty convincing arguments, but he is largely ignored by the mainstream scientific community.









[edit on 5/16/05 by Divergence]

I was just reading about this a few days ago. The links above will probably explain about as much as I know (I clicked on them and I think those were some of the very ones I read, even) A related concept to ZPE is something called the Casimir effect

en.wikipedia.org...
math.ucr.edu...
physicsweb.org...

ZPE is still theoretical, but from what I understand, the Casimir Effect is real. It is theorized by some that zero-point is what is causing the Casimir effect.

If you are able to go into chat, look for rogue1 or sugarlump, they were the ones who introduced me to ZPE. They know a lot about it.

ZPE is still theoretical

From all that I've read it's fairly well accepted by Theorists as a direct consequence of the Uncertainty Principal allthogh I guess it is still Theoretical if we havn't observed it yet. Remember Quantum Mechanics has never provided a false prediction in my memory, I would even go on to say that QM has been the single most succefull set of theories in physics. Maybe even more profound then Einsteins Theories, even he at the time rejected QM as "God didn't play dice with the universe" or some such.

Man I love Physics

I think you are right about that, sardion2000. ZPE is supposed to be a consequence of the uncertainty principle, although it hasn't yet been observed (unless the Casimir effect turns out to be caused by ZPE)

Originally posted by DragonsDemesne
I think you are right about that, sardion2000. ZPE is supposed to be a consequence of the uncertainty principle, although it hasn't yet been observed (unless the Casimir effect turns out to be caused by ZPE)

If we observed it now, I would be very surprised. I believe the scales ZPE works at is around a Trillion times smaller then the Nanoscale. Planck scale I believe it's called.

Having read up on ZPE as well has having done a little theoretical research on harnessing ZPE, I do believe that it exists. The easiest way to describe ZPE is by using an example. Hydrogen molecules exist in open space. Open space has a temperature of approximately 99.999999999999999...% of absolute zero (the temperature at which particles within molecules cease to move). However, these hydrogen molecules in open space do move, at a rate significantly faster than they should be moving at this temperature. This is theorized to be an effect of zero point energy (or as Nikola Tesla referred to it, galactic energy). It is theorized that zero point energy can be harnessed by harnessing this enigmatic energy that allows these open-space hydrogen molecules to move as they do. This may be possible by a sudden capture within a plasma field, in which the molecules would be superheated so quickly, that they would speed up at an incredible rate, thereby creating their own fission reaction as particles fly off of the molecule, and releasing a great deal of energy. If this plasma field has a direction of flow, and is able to be captured by a device that can turn this raw energy into electrical energy, unlimited amounts of energy could be created. Tesla (and later his assistant, Marconi) has experimented with this and proven it possible (though much of the research is deemed inadequate and quite likely wrong. However, given current quantum theory, it seems that the results Tesla and Marconi saw were actually real. The means they developed to create this reaction, however, are filled with half-truths and incomplete information, resulting in an inability by modern physicists to re-create their results.

Do a little reading, and a little puzzle solving. The answers exist. They're just not easy to find.

i was reading that zero point energy isn't actually zero point, its just as close to zero as we can possibly get at this point in time.

I think there is too much confusion between terminology. What the above people are talking about is vacuum energy. Technically zero point energy is the energy possessed by electrons in bound atoms in their ground state at absolute zero. The electrons can not stop and they still possess energy, E = h^2/8mL. Where L is the width of the potential well. You cannot extract this energy so it is misleading to think that zero point energy might be a source of free energy. However the vacuum is full of energy.

Okay, all of this is very interesting! However, I do see some shortcomings in these experiments. Sonoluminesence stills requires that you plug something into a socket to begin the experiment. Nonetheless, the notion of making light from water is very cool!

What about the errant static that builds up on abandoned power lines, or shut down antenna towers? Is this Zero point energy?