Gravity and the quantum vacuum inertia hypothesis

Abstract

In previous work it has been shown that the electromagnetic quantum vacuum, or electromagnetic zero-point field, makes a contribution to the inertial reaction force on an accelerated object. We show that the result for inertial mass can be extended to passive gravitational mass. As a consequence the weak equivalence principle, which equates inertial to passive gravitational mass, appears to be explainable. This in turn leads to a straightforward derivation of the classical Newtonian gravitational force. We call the inertia and gravitation connection with the vacuum fields the quantum vacuum inertia hypothesis. To date only the electromagnetic field has been considered. It remains to extend the hypothesis to the effects of the vacuum fields of the other interactions. We propose an idealized experiment involving a cavity resonator which, in principle, would test the hypothesis for the simple case in which only electromagnetic interactions are involved. This test also suggests a basis for the free parameter η(ν) which we have previously defined to parametrize the interaction between charge and the electromagnetic zero-point field contributing to the inertial mass of a particle or object.

The wave-induced added mass of walking droplets

“…Workers in stochastic electrodynamics (de la Peña & Cetto 1996) have suggested that an electromagnetic pilot wave might arise through the resonant interaction between a microscopic particle's internal vibration and the electromagnetic vacuum field (Boyer 2011). Some have further proposed that the interaction of moving particles with this vacuum field could give rise to a speed-dependent inertial mass, a feature of relativistic mechanics (Haisch & Rueda 2000;Rueda & Haisch 2005). We here explore the relevance of this perspective to the dynamics of walking droplets by inferring their wave-induced added mass.…”

Zero-Point Energy and the Emergence of Gravity: Two Hypotheses

“…The theoretical review papers of Margan (nd (a) & nd (b)) are also acknowledge as playing a significant and influential role in the clarification of the thinking on the part of the author. Rueda and Haisch (2005) had considered the idea of quantum vacuum energy continually falling into a massive object (say a planet). They posited that a first intuition might suggest that a continual influx of vacuum energy into a massive body would lead to a steady increase of internal energy with time.…”

“…A suggestion, put forward by Santos (2012) in which he alluded to the possibility that zero-point energy may be responsible for maintaining the electron stability [Note 2] within atoms via a resonance-type interactions led the author to reexamine the theoretical work of Haisch, Rueda, and Puthoff (1997), Puthoff (2001), Rueda and Haisch (2005). This along with the findings of Rancourt (2011) and Rancourt and Tattersall (2015) led to an interesting conclusion, particularly when entertaining new ideas as to the possible nature of gravity as a pushing force or pressure.…”

“…Science, like art generally, bears the indelible signature of our humanness (Tattersall, 2015). Rueda and Haisch (2005), during a discussion on the physical basis of the principle of equivalence, successfully make use of Einstein's falling frames concept in analyzing the physical basis of the principle of equivalence (the equivalence between inertial and gravitational mass). They state, "…The interaction between the electromagnetic quantum vacuum and the electromagnetically-interacting particles constituting any physical object (quarks and electrons) is identical for the two situations of (a) accelerating with respect to constant velocity inertial frames or (b) remaining fixed above some gravitating body with respect to freely falling inertial frames."…”

“…Otherwise freely falling bodies experience weightlessness as they undergo acceleration due to the 'pull' of gravity (Newton) or the curvature of space-time (Einstein). Having clearly shown the consistency of their quantum vacuum inertia hypothesis with the primary tenets of general relativity Rueda and Haisch (2005) acknowledge that the origin of active gravitation mass is yet to be explicated in terms of their quantum vacuum inertia hypothesis.…”