Long ago, Aristotle stated that nature abhors a vacuum. A vacuum isn’t just an absence of air. There are also electromagnetic vacuums and gravitational vacuums. In classical physics, nothing is happening in a vacuum.
In quantum physics, most vacuum fields have a preferred state or “true vacuum.” But others fields are different. Work on string theory has found that there may be nearly countless vacuums. One idea is that the multiverse contains ever-expanding vacuums with only small bubbles of stability, including our universe.
Maybe our universe is not a preferred state at all.
Key Takeaways:
- The idea of nothing is hard to grasp, but it helps define our ideas of everything else.
- There are many kinds of nothing, and it’s important to understand the features of each.
- Quantum nothingness, true and false vacuums, and more each have specific roles to play in the universe.
“As modern physicists have grappled with more sophisticated candidates for the ultimate theory of nature, they have encountered a growing multitude of types of nothing.”
Read more: https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-physics-of-nothing-underlies-everything-20220809/
References:
- Quantum Magazine (Website)
- PBS Space Time (YouTube Channel)
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