Energy of the vacuum

The term of energy of the vacuum is employed to indicate two concepts a priori different, whose possible link remains to be shown:

  • average density of energy and pressure generated by the fluctuations of the quantum Vacuum, which is highlighted at very weak scales by the Effet Casimir. This form of energy is sometimes also called " Energy of the point zéro".

  • average density of energy of the vacuum on cosmological scales , highlighted by the observation of the Acceleration of the expansion of the universe. This density of energy calculated starting from these observation (about 10^ {- 29} g.cm ^ {- 3} ) is associated with the energy sinks, like with the cosmological Constante.

Historically, the " term; energy of the vide" is rather associated with the quantum fluctuations and remains still very mainly employed in this direction. It is only rather recently (end of the year 1990) which this term is also employed to indicate the density of energy of the vacuum with large scales, which involves confusions. This is why the concept of energy sinks was forged, and should be employed preferentially with " energy of the vide" to indicate the density of energy of the vacuum on large scales.

The density of average energy of the quantum fluctuations with large scales is in theory perfectly null. However, certain theories envisage a residual effect with large scales of the fluctuations, so some virtual particles created by the fluctuations are stabilized in Condensat of Bump-Einstein. But the ideal models corresponding are not yet at the point, and the possibility even of stable condensates with large scales is not shown yet.

Energy of the vacuum and Pseudo-science

The term “energy of the vacuum” is sometimes used by pseudo-scientists trying to make believe that it is possible to extract from the energy - i.e. mechanical work, Chaleur… - vacuum, therefore to have an inexhaustible and free energy source.

In fact, the problem is not so much to extract energy from the vacuum (that is possible: a Black hole extracts from the energy of the vacuum, generating a thermal radiation due to its evaporation), but to extract it without spending more energy than one can potentially recover some. In the case of the black hole, it is his mass which is in fine converted into energy; it was not obtained " gratuitement".

Even in the Effect Casimir, the installation of the conditions of the experiment (cooling etc.) consume much more energy than the energy recovered by the effect.

These various theories thus involve the skepticism of the scientific community, because they involve a questioning of one of the cardinal laws of physics, ever taken at fault and inseparable from all the recognized scientific theories: the Conservation of energy.

The average density of energy of the vacuum being zero, or at best very low, this law implies that the attempts to extract energy from the vacuum will always be done, for fundamental reasons, with negative energy assessment and at best no one.

The problems are similar to that of the Perpetual motion.

See too

  • quantum Vide

  • Effet Casimir
  • energy sinks
  • cosmological Constante

External bonds

  • black Energy, big unknown (CNRS 2005)

  • Called into question (CNES 2003)

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