Vacuum energy as modern space ether
Einstein once had eliminated the
space ether, to be able to formulate the STR free from contradictions.
His radical demand was, light waves need no medium (ether) for their
propagation,
but can (also) spread out in the absolutely empty space. Since the
quantum
field theory teaches us, the vacuum also contains energy , this view is
no longer viable [22], p.319:
”This corresponds to the fact
that
the so- called zero point fluctuations of a quantum field never can be
suppressed…. besides, such a fluctuation field has the
interesting
propert that, it is Lorentz- variant, so its spectrum character looks
the same,
from any inertial system. Applied to such a vacuum, Einstein’s
special-
relativistic equivalence principle accordingly seems to be adhered to.”
Thus, it does exist, the ever
present ether of which H. Hertz once said [23], p. 183: „
... take the light carrying ether from the world, and the electric and
magnetic forces can no longer travel through space". Occasionally,
Einstein had later called it „ ether of the GTR" [24] p. 89.
The cosmological constant as value for the vacuum energy density
Since the detection that the
energy
of virtual parts, i. e. of steadily composed and decomposed particles-
antiparticles pairs supplies a contribution to the basic state of a
quantum
field, the cosmological constant can be linked to this so- called
vacuum
energy.“ According to [10], p. 128:
(16)
(L
= cosmological constant, ev
= rvc2
= energy density of the vacuum)
By conversion of eq. (6), we receive
(17)
(e
=
r
c
2 = average total energy density for a plane universe)
Therefore, with(16) and (17)
results, for the cosmological constant:
(18)
It is very strange now,
between
the vacuum energy density deducible from the quantum field theory and
that
admissible by observations, there gapes a huge difference of 120 powers
of ten (10 120) , which is regarded
as a
fundamental problem by some scientists. Fortunately, there also are
other
theoretical formulations than those of the elementary particles physics
to quantify the energy density in the vacuum.
Leibnitz (1646-1716) already
stated [13], p.278: „There is no space without matter.”
In his book “ Movements”,
Bishop Berkeley had pointed out in 1721 [13], p.279: „ ... that
space
per se would be emptiness and therefore nothing; its sole property
would
be the extension, and without a basic distribution of matter, this
property
was senseless.”
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