Abstract
<p>A model of a three-dimensional dynamic quantum vacuum with variable energy density is proposed. In this model, time we measure with clocks is only a mathematical parameter of changes running in quantum vacuum. Mass and gravity are carried by the variable energy density of quantum vacuum. Each elementary particle is a structure of quantum vacuum and diminishes the quantum vacuum energy density. Symmetry “particle – diminished energy density of quantum vacuum” is the fundamental symmetry of the universe which gives origin to the inertial and gravitational mass. Special relativity’s Sagnac effect in GPS system and important predictions of general relativity such as precessions of the planets, the Shapiro time delay of light signals in a gravitational field and the geodetic and frame-dragging effects recently tested by Gravity Probe B, have origin in the dynamics of the quantum vacuum which rotates with the earth.</p>
Highlights
The idea of 19th century physics that space is filled with “ether” did not get experimental proof in order to remain a valid concept of today physics
We have explored recently this possibility by introducing, on the basis of the Planckian metric emerging, for example, from loop quantum gravity [2, 3, 4], a model of a three-dimensional (3D) dynamic quantum vacuum (DQV) in which general relativity emerges as the hydrodynamic limit of some underlying theory of a more fundamental microscopic 3D quantum vacuum condensate where each elementary particle is determined by elementary reduction-state (RS) processes of creation/annihilation of quanta corresponding to an opportune change of the quantum vacuum energy density [5, 6]
(where the quantum Einstein tensor operator GPQ is expressed in terms of the operators hPQ ) to be obtained directly. This means that the curvature of space-time characteristic of general relativity may be considered as a mathematical value which emerges from the quantized metric (32) and from the changes and fluctuations of the quantum vacuum energy density (on the basis of equations (33) and (34)) [6]
Summary
The idea of 19th century physics that space is filled with “ether” did not get experimental proof in order to remain a valid concept of today physics. It must be emphasized that, in the light of recent Gao’s results, the existence of a minimum observable interval of a discrete background expressed by equations of the form (38)-(40) can provide a deeper understanding of special relativity, general relativity and quantum theory, and have implications for the solutions to the measurement problem and the problem of quantum gravity: when combining with the uncertainty relations of the form (38)-(40), the discreteness of space may help explain why the speed of light is invariant in all inertial frames, why matter curves spacetime (showing that the dynamical relationship between matter and spacetime holds true for macroscopic objects and for microscopic particles) and why the wave function collapses in agreement with experiments [27]. This means that the curvature of space-time characteristic of general relativity may be considered as a mathematical value which emerges from the quantized metric (32) and from the changes and fluctuations of the quantum vacuum energy density (on the basis of equations (33) and (34)) [6]
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