Are ZPM's possible?

[techs]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy

Zero-point energy, also called quantum vacuum zero-point energy, is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have; it is the energy of its ground state. All quantum mechanical systems undergo fluctuations even in their ground state and have an associated zero-point energy, a consequence of their wave-like nature. The uncertainty principle requires every physical system to have a zero-point energy greater than the minimum of its classical potential well. This results in motion even at absolute zero. For example, liquid helium does not freeze under atmospheric pressure at any temperature because of its zero-point energy.

The concept of zero-point energy was developed in Germany by Albert Einstein and Otto Stern in 1913, as a corrective term added to a zero-grounded formula developed by Max Planck in 1900.[1][2] The term zero-point energy originates from the German Nullpunktsenergie.[1][2] An alternative form of the German term is Nullpunktenergie (without the "s").

Vacuum energy is the zero-point energy of all the fields in space, which in the Standard Model includes the electromagnetic field, other gauge fields, fermionic fields, and the Higgs field. It is the energy of the vacuum, which in quantum field theory is defined not as empty space but as the ground state of the fields. In cosmology, the vacuum energy is one possible explanation for the cosmological constant.[3] A related term is zero-point field, which is the lowest energy state of a particular field.[4]



Possible to actually extract zero point energy?

 

[manimal]

Ill ask Rodney

 

[techs]

 

[Jesusthewererabbit]

You better hope so. That chair has to be powered by something.

 

[ViRGE]

Yes, they're possible. But the US Government keeps them under wraps due to the explosive potential of such a concentrated power source.

That and they're needed to keep Atlantis hidden off of San Francisco.

 

[Fritzo]

Zero point energy is possible, but you would need exotic matter with negative energy to use it. For energy to do work, it needs to move up to a higher level, and since ZPE is already at a zero energy level, you would need to get into "anti-energy" properties...which in theory do exist, but we haven't been able to create it (or maybe we can but just can't detect it). Exotic matter could have interesting properties such as anti gravity or the ability to harness "vacuum energy"- which would be an incredibly powerful and unlimited energy source.

So, no, there is no barrier to say "We can not harness zero-point energy." However, the resources needed to do so may not exist, and if they do we won't have any way of producing them anytime in the foreseeable future.

 

[JTsyo]

I say we wait until people ascend and then use them as a power source.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

What is ZPM? Zero point... machine? Mechanism? Masturbation?

 

[Jaepheth]

I say we wait until people ascend and then use them as a power source.

[imagining]

Jesus hooked up to battery cables...

Buddah, and Jesus hooked up in series...

Now add more ascended beings...

Deity-centipede?

[/imagining]

 

[SunnyD]

No, but zed-pee-em's are.

 

[Paratus]

Check out the Casimir Effect. Basically by placing two uncharged metallic plates in a vacuum close together, (sub micron range), the plates will be pushed together by vacuum fluctuations.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_effect

Works is also being done to try and use the virtual particles in the vacuum fluctuations as a working medium for a thruster that doesn't require propellant.

Quantum Vacuum Plasma Thruster

A quantum vacuum plasma thruster (or Q-thruster) is a theoretical deep-space thruster that would not require any propellants. Thus a spacecraft utilizing such thrusters would not need to carry any propellants on board for their operation. A research group at the NASA Johnson Space Center is investigating this possibility.[1]