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1kCan we justify defining the reality of an environment based on our inability to define its reality.Â
The uncertainty principal of quantum mechanics tells us that we cannot know or observe the precise amount of energy contained in microscopic physical system over very short intervals of time.Â
Some physicists feel that because they cannot know the precise “reality” of the amount of energy contained in microscopic physical system, it must fluctuate around a given point even though it is a vacuum which does not contain anything that can physically fluctuate. They call the energy generated by the uncertainty principal quantum fluctuations or vacuum energy.
However, this means they are defining the “reality” of a vacuum in terms of their inability to know or define its reality.
However we have shown throughout this blog there are many theoretical advantages to defining the universe in terms of four *spatial* dimensions instead of four-dimensional space-time.
One is that it would allow us to understand the “reality” of a quantum vacuum by using our imagination to extrapolate the reality of a three-dimensional environment to a fourth *spatial* dimension.
Einstein gave us this ability when he used the velocity of light to define the geometric properties of time in a space-time environment because it allows one to convert a unit of time in it to a unit of a space identical to those of our three-dimensional space. Additionally because the velocity of light is constant it is possible to defined a universe made up of four *spatial* dimensions that makes predictions identical to those he had attributed to four dimensional space-time.
This as mentioned earlier this would allow one to understand the reality of a quantum environment in terms of the classical laws physics.
For example in the article “Why is mass and energy quantized?‘“ Oct. 4, 2007 it was shown that one can understand the quantum properties of energy/mass by extrapolating the resonant properties of a three-dimension environment to a matter wave moving on a continuous “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension.
Briefly it showed the four conditions required for resonance to occur in a classical environment, an object, or substance with a natural frequency, a forcing function at the same frequency as the natural frequency, the lack of a damping frequency and the ability for the substance to oscillate spatial could be meet by one in four spatial dimensions.
The existence of four *spatial* dimensions would give a matter wave the ability to oscillate spatially on a “surface” between a third and fourth *spatial* dimensions thereby fulfilling one of the requirements for classical resonance to occur.
These oscillations would be caused by an event such as the decay of a subatomic particle or the shifting of an electron in an atomic orbital. This would force the “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension to oscillate with the frequency associated with the energy of that event.
However, the oscillations caused by such an event would serve as forcing function allowing a resonant system or “structure” to be established in a continuous four spatial dimensions.Â
Classical mechanics tells us the energy of a resonant system can only take on the discrete or quantized values associated with its fundamental or a harmonic of its fundamental frequency.
Hence, these resonant systems in four *spatial* dimensions would be responsible for the discrete quantized energy associated with the quantum mechanical systems.
In other words one can understand the reality of a quantum environment in terms of the laws of classical physics if one views in terms of four *spatial* dimensions.
However, if true one may be able to define the “reality” of quantum vacuum by as mentioned earlier using one imagination to extrapolate observations of a three-dimensional environment to four *spatial* dimensions instead of relying, as many physicists seem to on their inability to observe them.
Casimir theorized that quantum fluctuations in a vacuum would cause a force to be developed between two uncharged metallic plates in a vacuum without an external electromagnetic field acting on them, if they were placed a few micrometers apart. This contradicts classical reasoning because, the lack of an external field also means that there is no field between the plates, and therefore no force would be measured between them. However if this field is instead studied using quantum electrodynamics, it is seen that the plates are affect the virtual photons which constitute the field, and generate a net force either an attraction or a repulsion depending on the specific arrangement of the two plates.
This force was first measured by Dutch physicists Hendrik B. G. Casimir and Dirk Polder in 1948 while participating in research at Philips Research Labs. Â
They found its strength falls off rapidly with the distance between the plates and that it is only measurable when the distance between them is extremely small. On a sub micrometer scale, this force becomes so strong that it becomes the dominant force between uncharged conductors. In fact, at separations of 10 nm—about 100 times the typical size of an atom the Casimir effect produces the equivalent of 1 atmosphere of pressure, the precise value depending on surface geometry and other factors.
However, this is what one would expect if the quantum mechanical properties of vacuum were as was shown in the article “Why is mass and energy quantized?” a result of a resonant system form by a matter wave on a “surface” of a three-dimensional space manifold with respect to a fourth *spatial* dimension.
Observations of waves in a classical environment indicate the number of harmonic oscillators that can be established in a given environment is dependent on the distance or “gap” between the “end points” of their environments.
But the same concept can be applied to two uncharged metallic plates in a vacuum, because even without any external electromagnetic field the electromagnetic components of the atoms in each plate are vibrating because they are not at absolute zero they have thermal energy. These random vibrations of their electromagnetic components will result in a random electromagnetic field to be generated between the plates.
However, classical wave mechanics tells us these random electromagnetic vibrations would be reinforced either constructively or destructively at certain points in space. The number of harmonic oscillators or, as some physicist’s call them quantum fluctuations in the space between two plates would decrease as the gap between them decreases. In other words, the smaller the gap between the plates the fewer number of quantum fluctuations that gap could support.
This means as was shown in the article â€Why is mass and energy quantized?“ there will be a greater number harmonic oscillators or quantum fields impacting the plates from outside of the gap than between it. This will cause a force that will push the plates together because the energy density associated with harmonic oscillations outside of the gap would be greater than inside of it.
However, it also tells us there will be places where the distance between them will be equal to the wavelength associated with a fundamental or harmonic of the fundamental frequency of electromagnetic oscillations. At those distances their energy will reinforce force each other and would push them apart.
Therefore, if one assumes as us done here that the quantum mechanical properties of energy/mass are a result of a resonant system in four *spatial* dimension one can understand why the specific arrangement of the two plates causes and attractive or repulsive force to be developed by extrapolating the reality of a three-dimensional environment to a fourth *spatial* dimension.
We know the reality of the wave properties of particles because in 1927 Davisson and Germer observed they are diffracted by crystals. Additionally we can observe the reality and properties of a resonant system in three-dimensional space.
This suggests the Casimir effect may not be due to our inability to know the precise “reality” of the amount of energy contained in microscopic physical system but to the physical observable reality of the wave properties of a particle.
However, it also means the “reality” of a quantum vacuum could be defined, as was done in the article â€Why is mass and energy quantized?“ by extrapolating the laws of classical three-dimensional space to a fourth “spatial* dimensions instead of the non “reality” of quantum field theory.
Later Jeff
Copyright Jeffrey O’Callaghan 2010
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