The Quantum Vacuum

by Boi, Luciano

• ISBN13: 9781421402475
• ISBN10: 1421402475
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-28
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

A vacuum, classically understood, contains nothing. The quantum vacuum, on the other hand, is a seething cauldron of nothingness: particle pairs going in and out of existence continuously and rapidly and exerting influence over an enormous range of scales. Acclaimed mathematical physicist and natural philosopher Luciano Boi expounds the quantum vacuum, exploring the meaning of nothingness and its relationship with physical reality. Boi first provides a deep analysis of the interaction between geometry and physics at the quantum level. He next describes the relationship between the microscopic and macroscopic structures of the world. In so doing, Boi sheds light on the very nature of the universe, stressing in an original and profound way the relationship between quantum geometry and the internal symmetries underlying the behavior of matter and the interactions of forces. Beyond the physics and mathematics of the quantum vacuum, Boi offers a deeply philosophical interpretation of the concept. Plato and Aristotle did not believe a vacuum was possible. How could nothing be something, they asked? Boi traces the evolution of the quantum vacuum from an abstract concept in ancient Greece to its fundamental role in quantum field theory and string theory in modern times. The quantum vacuum is a complex entity, one essential to understanding some of the most intriguing issues in twentieth-century physics, including cosmic singularity, dark matter and energy, and the existence of the Higgs boson particle. Boi explains with simple clarity the relevant theories and fundamental concepts of the quantum vacuum. Theoretical, mathematical, and particle physicists, as well as researchers and students of the history and philosophy of physics, will find in The Quantum Vacuum a stimulating and engaging primer on the topic.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Prologue	p. 1
Introduction: The Vacuum as a Scientific and Philosophical Concept	p. 3
The Role of Vacuum in Modern Physics	p. 10
The Quantum Vacuum in the Early Universe	p. 27
The Problem of the Vacuum and the Conceptual Conflict between General Relativity Theory and Quantum Mechanics	p. 31
Topology and Curvature as Sources of Vacuum Fields	p. 37
The Dirac "Full-of-Particles Sea" Idea and the Vacuum in Quantum Field Theory	p. 59
The Role of the Vacuum in Quantum Electrodynamics, the Casimir Effect, and Vacuum Polarization	p. 69
Hole Theory, Negative Energy Solutions, and Vacuum Fluctuations	p. 73
Further Theoretical Remarks on the Vacuum Fluctuations: Poincaré Conformal Invariance and Spontaneous Symmetry-Breaking Symmetry	p. 78
More Intuitive Remarks on the Casimir Effect and Force, and on Their Significance	p. 87
Dynamical Principles of Invariance and the Physical Interactions	p. 92
Quantum Electrodynamics and Gauge Theory	p. 101
Vacuum as the Source of Asymmetry	p. 107
Topological Quantum Field Theories and Gauge Theories: A Far-Reaching Interface between Geometry and Physics	p. 117
Remarks on Kaluza-Klein Theory and Supergravity	p. 123
Creation of Universes from Nothing	p. 131
String Landscape and Vacuum Energy: The Emergence of a Multidimensional World from Geometrical Possibilities	p. 145
Concluding Remarks	p. 152
Appendixes
The Difference between the Causality/Determinism of Classical Physics and that of Quantum Physics	p. 157
The Similarities between the "Quantum Vacuum" and Plato's "Chora" (Space)	p. 159
Remarks on the Quantum Effects in Supersymmetric Quantum Field Theories	p. 161
How "Fock Space" Can Help to Represent the Vacuum Fluctuations in Quantum Field Theory	p. 165
Is the Word "Vacuum" Suitable for What Is Happening in Modern Physics?	p. 167
Mathematical Concepts and Techniques	p. 169
Path Integral and Yang-Mills Connections	p. 180
Notes	p. 187
Bibliography	p. 199
Index	p. 215
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