RUI: Energy Density Fluctuations, Negative Energy Detection and Gravity

RUI：能量密度波动、负能量检测和重力

• 批准号: 0968805
• 负责人: Thomas Roman
• 金额: $ 13.5万
• 依托单位: Central Connecticut State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0968805&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Energy; Density; Fluctuations; Negative

This award supports research to understand the properties of "negative energy." One focus is on methods of indirectly detecting this unusual form of energy using, in part, techniques developed in the field of quantum optics. The PI and a collaborator will work with an experimentalist to determine if such detection is feasible. A second major focus will be to study the distribution of energy fluctuations in the vacuum. Contrary to our experience in everyday life, the laws of quantum physics tell us that "empty" space is not really empty but consists of ever-present fluctuations of energy. The average value of the energy in empty space is zero, as one would expect, but quantum mechanics says that there must be fluctuations around this mean value. In order to average out to zero, there must be both negative as well as positive fluctuations. What is the likelihood then of getting a negative value in a single measurement? Previous work yields a surprisingly high probability for one spatial dimension. Current efforts are geared toward trying to determine the form of this "probability distribution" in the three-spatial-dimensional world in which we live.The laws of quantum mechanics allow the existence of states of energy that are lower than that of the vacuum. If there are no restrictions on negative energy, then bizarre macroscopic effects might become possible. These would include wormholes and warp drives for faster-than light travel, violations of the second law of thermodynamics (e.g., refrigerators with no power sources), and the destruction of black holes. However, the same laws of quantum mechanics which allow this form of energy to exist severely limit its behavior. Typically, the longer the negative energy lasts, the smaller its magnitude. This work lies at the juncture of the fields of quantum theory, Einstein's general relativity, and thermodynamics. The only direct probe of negative energy is gravity, but the amounts of negative energy obtainable in the laboratory are minute. Therefore, one has to resort to indirect detection, such as measuring the effect of negative energy on atomic decay rates. The issue of the form of the probability distribution for energy fluctuations is key to understanding the structure of the vacuum, and has implications for other fields such as cosmology. Undergraduates are being prepared to engage in this research through Mathematica-based courses developed by the PI.

该奖项支持理解“负能量”特性的研究。其中一个重点是利用量子光学领域发展起来的技术，间接探测这种不寻常形式的能量。PI和一名合作者将与一名实验人员合作，以确定这种检测是否可行。第二个重点将是研究真空中能量波动的分布。与我们在日常生活中的经验相反，量子物理定律告诉我们，“空”空间并不是真的空，而是由永远存在的能量波动组成的。正如人们所期望的那样，真空中能量的平均值是零，但量子力学说，在这个平均值周围一定有波动。为了使平均值为零，必须既有负波动，也有正波动。那么在一次测量中得到负值的可能性是多少？先前的工作对一个空间维度产生了惊人的高概率。目前的努力是试图确定我们生活的三维空间世界中这种“概率分布”的形式。量子力学定律允许存在比真空低的能量状态。如果对负能量没有限制，那么奇异的宏观效应可能成为可能。其中包括虫洞和超光速旅行的曲速引擎，违反热力学第二定律（例如，没有电源的冰箱），以及黑洞的毁灭。然而，允许这种形式的能量存在的量子力学定律严重限制了它的行为。通常，负能量持续的时间越长，其大小越小。这项工作处于量子理论、爱因斯坦广义相对论和热力学领域的交汇处。对负能量的唯一直接探测是重力，但在实验室中获得的负能量的数量是微乎其微的。因此，人们不得不求助于间接探测，例如测量负能量对原子衰变速率的影响。能量波动的概率分布形式的问题是理解真空结构的关键，对宇宙学等其他领域也有影响。本科生正准备通过PI开发的以数学为基础的课程参与这项研究。