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Revision as of 04:47, 21 June 2006 by Cydebot (talk | contribs) (Robot - Moving category Fringe physics to Pseudophysics per CFD at Misplaced Pages:Categories for deletion/Log/2006 June 12.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)In theoretical physics, Stochastic electrodynamics (SED) refers to a more or less controversial theory which posits that the interaction of elementary particles with the vacuum radiation field, or zero point field, is ultimately responsible for various familiar quantum phenonmena.
SED has been developed by a number of physicists; their contributions can generally be characterized as speculative proposals within mainstream physics, but widely popularized work by Haisch and Rueda (especially as portrayed in various cranky websites) is often considered fringe science.
Brief history
Stochastic electrodynamics is usually credited to Timothy H. Boyer, but builds upon the notions of stochastic optics proposed by T. W. Marshall (and, some say, the notion of induced gravity proposed by Andrei Sakharov). Boyer's ideas have been further developed by L. de la Pena and A. M. Cetto, who introduced linear stochastic electrodyamics (LSED).
This work is generally regarded as more or less mainstream physics. However, starting in about 1984, Bernard Haisch and Alfonso Rueda, sometimes joined by Harold E. Puthoff, have championed the notion that the inertia of a massive object arises via an electromagnetic reaction force via interaction with the so-called zero point field. This builds upon a much earlier proposal by Walther Nernst, but is highly controversial; even more controversial is their proposal that this putative effect can be used for spacecraft propulsion and might even explain the UFO phenomenon.
Nature of SED
The zero point field can be thought of, roughly speaking, as a superposition of electromagnetic waves with random frequencies, phases and directions, with a distribution proportional to the cube of frequency, up to a cutoff frequency on the order of the reciprocal of the Planck time. Planck's constant then appears as a kind of typical amplitude for quantum fluctuations in the zero point field.
The original motivation for SED is that it seeks to provide a local realist foundation for various mysterious effects of quantum field theory, including
- Casimir force
- van der Waals forces,
- diamagnetism
- cavity effects
- Unruh effect
- radiative corrections in the theory of the quantum harmonic oscillator
More controversially, Haisch and Rueda have tried to use SED to provide explanations for the phenomena of
The work of Haisch and Rueda
According to Haisch and Rueda, inertia arises as an electromagnetic drag force on accelerating particles, produced by interaction with the zero-point field. In their 1998 Ann. Phys. paper (see citations), they speak of a "Rindler flux", presumably meaning the Unruh effect, and claim to have computed a nonzero "z.p.f. momentum". This computation rests upon their claim to compute a nonzero "z.p.f. Poynting vector", but according to Bill Unruh this computation is incorrect. In a post to sci.math.research, mathematical physicist John Baez wrote (referring to an email from Unruh to Baez):
Unruh says that Haisch and Rueda's calculations are wrong, and that a correct calculation shows a uniformly accelerating observer zipping through the vacuum state of a quantized electromagnetic field on Minkowski spacetime sees a *perfectly thermalized* bath of photons.
In particular, this means such an observer will see no "Rindler flux" - i.e., the expectation value of the Poynting vector is zero. Or in less fancy language: there will be, on average, no net flux of momentum in the photons seen by the accelerating observer.
He gives a very simple argument showing that the expectation value of the Poynting vector *must* be zero: the whole situation is time-symmetric, and time reversal flips the direction of the Poynting vector!
He also says that Haisch and Rueda don't do a straightforward calculation; rather, they use the "Boyer stochastic field technique, together with assumptions I have never been able to figure out."
So, it seems pretty obvious that an accelerating observer in a quantized electromagnetic field will not see the "Rindler flux" predicted by Haisch and Rueda. Less obvious, but also reassuring to my intuition, is that the observer will simply see isotropic
blackbody radiation!
— John Baez, sci.math.research, Sep 15 2001
Haisch and Rueda also claim that gravitation arises from an electromagnetic induced dipole shielding similar to the Van der Waals force. They claim to explain the equality of gravitational and inertial mass, which is assumed but not derived in general relativity, and they claim to compute thereby the value of the Planck constant from the gravitational constant, or vice versa.
Haisch and Rueda claim that the structure of atoms arises from a thermal equilibrium between between a particle in a potential well and the zero point field. They claim that this resolves the radiation paradox of the Bohr model, a well known shortcoming of that model. This paradox states that an orbiting classical electron will quickly radiate all its energy away and collapse into the nucleus, which is in drastic disagreement with observation. According to Haisch and Rueda, however, in their theory, each orbiting electron absorbs exactly as much energy from the zero-point field as it radiates. They claim that the absorption and re-emission by the electrons in an atom preserves both the frequency distribution and isotropic random phase character of the zero-point field. They suggest this intuitive picture: the electron is constantly trying to collapse into the nucleus but is blown off course by "gusts" from the background field and so maintains a stable orbit.
Haisch and Rueda claim that the Heisenberg uncertainty principle also arises from interaction of particles with the zero-point field, which, they say, randomly changes the position and velocity of every particle.
These claims are vigorously disputed by other physicists.
The Haisch/Rueda version of SED appears to incorrectly predict no deflection of light in a gravitational field. Their theory also appears to predict an enormous value for the cosmological constant. Haisch and Rueda propose to solve this problem by assuming that the zero-point field does not itself have gravitational mass; rather, they say, the gravitational mass of a massive object is created by the interaction between this object and the zero-point field. Issues which they have apparently not yet addressed include the homogeneous and isotropic nature of their notion of the zero point field.
Internet culture
The proposals of Haisch and Rueda have been eagerly promoted at many websites by new energy fans, who hope that the notion of zero point energy might ultimately provide no cost "energy from the vacuum", thereby solving many current problems in contemporary human society. Others claim that the work of Haisch, Rueda, and Puthoff holds out hope of developing an "inertial-less drive" (see Dean drive) which can be used to enable humans to visit far distant regions of the universe. According to a newstory which appeared in the Washington Post, a paper by Haisch played a key role in the bizarre story of the life-changing encounter of Joe Firmage with a (possibly imaginary) "luminous being".
See also
- Casimir effect
- Polarizable vacuum
- Reactionless drive
- Rindler coordinates
- Unruh effect
- Vacuum energy
- Zero-point energy
External links
- California Institute for Physics and Astrophysics, a fringe physics organization founded by Bernard Haisch
- The CEO from Cyberspace: Joe Firmage, a master of the Universe at 28, Wants to Defy Gravity and Visit the Far Corners Of His Realm, by Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, March 31, 1999, from the anticult website of Rick Ross
- H. E. Puthoff, Quantum Vacuum Fluctuations: A New Rosetta Stone of Physics? from Lambert Dolphin's website; Dolphin has claimed that the speed of light has measurably decreased during the past 300 years, that special relativity is incorrect, has promoted the claims of Tom Van Flandern, and so on
References
- Marshall, T. W. (1963). "TITLE NEEDED". Proc. Roy. Soc. A: 475.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help)
- Sakharov, A. D. (1968). "Vacuum Quantum Fluctuations in Curved Space and the Theory of Gravitation". Sov. Phys. Doklady: 1040.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help)
- Boyer, Timothy H. (1975). "Random electrodynamics: The theory of classical electrodynamics with classical electromagnetic zero-point radiation". Phys. Rev.: 790–808.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help)
- Boyer, T. H. (1980). "A Brief Survey of Stochastic Electrodynamics". Foundations of Radiation Theory and Quantum Electrodynamics.
{{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter|booktitle=ignored (|book-title=suggested) (help) ISBN 0306402777
- Boyer, Timothy H. (1985). "The Classical Vacuum". Scientific American.
{{cite journal}}: Text "pages 70-78" ignored (help) online version from PADRAK, the website of Patrick Bailey, who publishes New Energy News in Salt Lake City, UT, and who promotes a cranky theory of "plasmoids", which he says "contradict theories about gravity and 'mass' "
- Milonni, Peter W. (1994). The Quantum Vacuum: An introduction to quantum electrodynamics. San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 0-124-98080-5.
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- Haisch, B.; Rueda, A.; and Puthoff, H. E. (1994). "Inertia as a zero-point-field Lorentz force". Phys. Rev. A: 678–694.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) on-line version from Haisch's website
- de la Pena, L.; and Cetto, A. M. (1996). The Quantum Dice: An Introduction to Stochastic Electrodynamics. Dordrecht: Kluwer. ISBN 0792338189.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) amazon page
- Rueda, Alfonso; and Haisch, Bernard (1998). "Contribution to inertial mass by reaction of the vacuum to accelerated motion". Found. Phys.: 1057–1108.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) physics/9802030
- Rueda, Alfonso, and Haisch, Bernard (2005). "Gravity and the Quantum Vacuum Inertia Hypothesis". Ann. Phys.: 479–498.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) gr-qc/0504061
- de la Pena, L.; and Cetto, A. M. (2005). "Contribution from stochastic electrodynamics to the understanding of quantum mechanics". arXiv:quant-ph/0501011.
{{cite arXiv}}: Unknown parameter|version=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link), a review paper
See Stochastic_electrodynamics/Bibliography for more research papers.
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