arXiv subjects

Alfonso Rueda

Publications and source records attributed to Alfonso Rueda.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2013

Quantum Vacuum and Inertial Reaction Force in Nonrelativistic QED

The possible connection between the electromagnetic zero-point field (ZPF) and the inertia reaction force was first pointed out by Haisch, Rueda, and Puthoff (Phys. Rev. A, 49, 678, 1994), and then by Rueda and Haisch following a totally different and more satisfactory approach (Found. Phys., 28, 1057, 1998; Phys. Letters A, 240, 115, 1998; Annalen der Physik, 10 (5), 393, 2001). In the present paper, the approach taken by Rueda and Haisch will be followed, but the analysis will be done within a formulation that uses nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics with the creation and annihilation operators rather than the approach of Rueda and Haisch using stochastic electrodynamics. We analyze the interaction between the zero-point field and an object under hyperbolic motion (constant proper acceleration), and find that there arises a reaction force which is proportional in magnitude, and opposite in direction, to the acceleration. This is suggestive of what we know as inertia. We also point out that the equivalence principle -- that inertial mass and gravitational mass have the same values -- follows naturally using this approach. Inertial mass and gravitational mass are not merely equal, they are the identical thing viewed from two complementary perspectives (Annalen der Physik, 14 (8), 479, 2005). In the first case an object accelerating through the electromagnetic zero-point field experiences resistance from the field. In the case of an object held fixed in a gravitational field, the electromagnetic zero-point field propagates on curved geodesics, in effect accelerating with respect to the fixed object, thereby generating weight. Hence, the equivalence principle does not need to be independently postulated.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2005

Gravity and the Quantum Vacuum Inertia Hypothesis

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.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2002

Update on an Electromagnetic Basis for Inertia, Gravitation, the Principle of Equivalence, Spin and Particle Mass Ratios

A possible connection between the electromagnetic quantum vacuum and inertia was first published by Haisch, Rueda and Puthoff (1994). If correct, this would imply that mass may be an electromagnetic phenomenon and thus in principle subject to modification, with possible technological implications for propulsion. A multiyear NASA-funded study at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center further developed this concept, resulting in an independent theoretical validation of the fundamental approach (Rueda and Haisch, 1998ab). Distortion of the quantum vacuum in accelerated reference frames results in a force that appears to account for inertia. We have now shown that the same effect occurs in a region of curved spacetime, thus elucidating the origin of the principle of equivalence (Rueda, Haisch and Tung, 2001). A further connection with general relativity has been drawn by Nickisch and Mollere (2002): zero-point fluctuations give rise to spacetime micro-curvature effects yielding a complementary perspective on the origin of inertia. Numerical simulations of this effect demonstrate the manner in which a massless fundamental particle, e.g. an electron, acquires inertial properties; this also shows the apparent origin of particle spin along lines originally proposed by Schroedinger. Finally, we suggest that the heavier leptons (muon and tau) may be explainable as spatial-harmonic resonances of the (fundamental) electron. They would carry the same overall charge, but with the charge now having spatially lobed structure, each lobe of which would respond to higher frequency components of the electromagnetic quantum vacuum, thereby increasing the inertia and thus manifesting a heavier mass.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2001

Gravity and the Quantum Vacuum Inertia Hypothesis. I. Formalized Groundwork for Extension to Gravity

It has been shown [1,2] that the electromagnetic quantum vacuum makes a contribution to the inertial mass, $m_i$, in the sense that at least part of the inertial force of opposition to acceleration, or inertia reaction force, springs from the electromagnetic quantum vacuum. As experienced in a Rindler constant acceleration frame the electromagnetic quantum vacuum mainfests an energy-momentum flux which we call the Rindler flux (RF). The RF, and its relative, Unruh-Davies radiation, both stem from event-horizon effects in accelerating reference frames. The force of radiation pressure produced by the RF proves to be proportional to the acceleration of the reference frame, which leads to the hypothesis that at least part of the inertia of an object should be due to the interaction of its quarks and electrons with the RF. We demonstrate that this quantum vacuum inertia hypothesis is consistent with general relativity (GR) and that it answers a fundamental question left open within GR, viz. is there a physical mechanism that generates the reaction force known as weight when a specific non-geodesic motion is imposed on an object? The quantum vacuum inertia hypothesis provides such a mechanism, since by assuming the Einstein principle of local Lorentz-invariance (LLI), we can immediately show that the same RF arises due to curved spacetime geometry as for acceleration in flat spactime. Thus the previously derived expression for the inertial mass contribution from the electromagnetic quantum vacuum field is exactly equal to the corresponding contribution to the gravitational mass, $m_g$. Therefore, within the electromagnetic quantum vacuum viewpoint proposed in [1,2], the Newtonian weak equivalence principle, $m_i=m_g$, ensues in a straightforward manner.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2001

Geometrodynamics, Inertia and the Quantum Vacuum

Why does {\bf F} equal m{\bf a} in Newton's equation of motion? How does a gravitational field produce a force? Why are inertial mass and gravitational mass the same? It appears that all three of these seemingly axiomatic foundational questions have an answer involving an identical physical process: interaction between the electromagnetic quantum vacuum and the fundamental charged particles (quarks and electrons) constituting matter. All three of these effects and equalities can be traced back to the appearance of a specific asymmetry in the otherwise uniform and isotropic electromagnetic quantum vacuum. This asymmetry gives rise to a non-zero Poynting vector from the perspective of an accelerating object. We call the resulting energy-momentum flux the {\it Rindler flux}. The key insight is that the asymmetry in an accelerating reference frame in flat spacetime is identical to that in a stationary reference frame (one that is not falling) in curved spacetime. Therefore the same Rindler flux that creates inertial reaction forces also creates weight. All of this is consistent with the conceptualizaton and formalism of general relativity. What this view adds to physics is insight into a specific physical process creating identical inertial and gravitational forces from which springs the weak principle of equivalence. What this view hints at in terms of advanced propulsion technology is the possibility that by locally modifying either the electromagnetic quantum vacuum and/or its interaction with matter, inertial and gravitational forces could be modified.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2000

Inertial mass and the quantum vacuum fields

Even when the Higgs particle is finally detected, it will continue to be a legitimate question to ask whether the inertia of matter as a reaction force opposing acceleration is an intrinsic or extrinsic property of matter. General relativity specifies which geodesic path a free particle will follow, but geometrodynamics has no mechanism for generating a reaction force for deviation from geodesic motion. We discuss a different approach involving the electromagnetic zero-point field (ZPF) of the quantum vacuum. It has been found that certain asymmetries arise in the ZPF as perceived from an accelerating reference frame. In such a frame the Poynting vector and momentum flux of the ZPF become non-zero. Scattering of this quantum radiation by the quarks and electrons in matter can result in an acceleration-dependent reaction force. Both the ordinary and the relativistic forms of Newton's second law, the equation of motion, can be derived from the electrodynamics of such ZPF-particle interactions. Conjectural arguments are given why this interaction should take place in a resonance at the Compton frequency, and how this could simultaneously provide a physical basis for the de Broglie wavelength of a moving particle. This affords a suggestive perspective on a deep connection between electrodynamics, the origin of inertia and the quantum wave nature of matter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2000

On the relation between a zero-point-field-induced inertial effect and the Einstein-de Broglie formula

It has been proposed that the scattering of electromagnetic zero-point radiation by accelerating objects results in a reaction force that may account, at least in part, for inertia [1,2,3]. This arises because of asymmetries in the electromagnetic zero-point field (ZPF) or electromagnetic quantum vacuum as perceived from an accelerating reference frame. In such a frame, the Poynting vector and momentum flux of the ZPF become non-zero. If one assumes that scattering of the ZPF radiation takes place at the level of quarks and electrons constituting matter, then it is possible for both Newton's equation of motion, ${\bf f}=m{\bf a}$, and its relativistic covariant generalization, ${\cal F}=d{\cal P}/dτ$, to be obtained as a consequence of the non-zero ZPF momentum flux. We now conjecture that this scattering must take place at the Compton frequency of a particle, and that this interpretation of mass leads directly to the de Broglie relation characterizing the wave nature of that particle in motion, $λ_B=h/p$. This suggests a perspective on a connection between electrodynamics and the quantum wave nature of matter. Attempts to extend this perspective to other aspects of the vacuum are left for future consideration.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2000

The Case for Inertia as a Vacuum Effect: A Reply to Woodward and Mahood

The possibility of an extrinsic origin for inertial reaction forces has recently seen increased attention in the physical literature. Among theories of extrinsic inertia, the two considered by the current work are (1) the hypothesis that inertia is a result of gravitational interactions, and (2) the hypothesis that inertial reaction forces arise from the interaction of material particles with local fluctuations of the quantum vacuum. A recent article supporting the former and criticizing the latter is shown to contain substantial errors.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

Toward an Interstellar Mission: Zeroing in on the Zero-Point-Field Inertia Resonance

While still an admittedly remote possibility, the concept of an interstellar mission has become a legitimate topic for scientific discussion as evidenced by several recent NASA activities and programs. One approach is to extrapolate present-day technologies by orders of magnitude; the other is to find new regimes in physics and to search for possible new laws of physics. Recent work on the zero-point field (ZPF), or electromagnetic quantum vacuum, is promising in regard to the latter, especially concerning the possibility that the inertia of matter may, at least in part, be attributed to interaction between the quarks and electrons in matter and the ZPF. A NASA-funded study (independent of the BPP program) of this concept has been underway since 1996 at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto and the California State University at Long Beach. We report on a new development resulting from this effort: that for the specific case of the electron, a resonance for the inertia-generating process at the Compton frequency would simultaneously explain both the inertial mass of the electron and the de Broglie wavelength of a moving electron as first measured by Davisson and Germer in 1927. This line of investigation is leading to very suggestive connections between electrodynamics, inertia, gravitation and the wave nature of matter.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv1999

The Zero-Point Field and Inertia

A brief overview is presented of the basis of the electromagnetic zero-point field in quantum physics and its representation in stochastic electrodynamics. Two approaches have led to the proposal that the inertia of matter may be explained as an electromagnetic reaction force. The first is based on the modeling of quarks and electrons as Planck oscillators and the method of Einstein and Hopf to treat the interaction of the zero-point field with such oscillators. The second approach is based on analysis of the Poynting vector of the zero-point field in accelerated reference frames. It is possible to derive both Newton's equation of motion, F=ma, and its relativistic co-variant form from Maxwell's equations as applied to the zero-point field of the quantum vacuum. This appears to account, at least in part, for the inertia of matter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

Electromagnetic Zero Point Field as Active Energy Source in the Intergalactic Medium

For over twenty years the possibility that the electromagnetic zero point field (ZPF) may actively accelerate electromagnetically interacting particles in regions of extremely low particle density (as those extant in intergalactic space (IGS) with n < 1 particle/m^3 has been studied and analyzed. This energizing phenomenon has been one of the few contenders for acceleration of cosmic rays (CR), particularly at ultrahigh energies. The recent finding by the AGASA collaboration (Phys. Rev. Lett., 81, 1163, 1998) that the CR energy spectrum does not display any signs of the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cut-off (that should be present if these CR particles were indeed generated in localized ultrahigh energies CR sources, as e.g., quasars and other highly active galactic nuclei), may indicate the need for an acceleration mechanism that is distributed throughout IGS as is the case with the ZPF. Other unexplained phenomena that receive an explanation from this mechanism are the generation of X-ray and gamma-ray backgrounds and the existence of Cosmic Voids. However recently, a statistical mechanics kind of challenge to the classical (not the quantum) version of the zero-point acceleration mechanism has been posed (de la Pena and Cetto, The Quantum Dice, 1996). Here we briefly examine the consequences of this challenge and a prospective resolution.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

Progress in Establishing a Connection Between the Electromagnetic Zero-Point Field and Inertia

We report on the progress of a NASA-funded study being carried out at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto and the California State University in Long Beach to investigate the proposed link between the zero-point field of the quantum vacuum and inertia. It is well known that an accelerating observer will experience a bath of radiation resulting from the quantum vacuum which mimics that of a heat bath, the so-called Davies-Unruh effect. We have further analyzed this problem of an accelerated object moving through the vacuum and have shown that the zero-point field will yield a non-zero Poynting vector to an accelerating observer. Scattering of this radiation by the quarks and electrons constituting matter would result in an acceleration-dependent reaction force that would appear to be the origin of inertia of matter (Rueda and Haisch 1998a, 1998b). In the subrelativistic case this inertia reaction force is exactly newtonian and in the relativistic case it exactly reproduces the well known relativistic extension of Newton's Law. This analysis demonstrates then that both the ordinary, F=ma, and the relativistic forms of Newton's equation of motion may be derived from Maxwell's equations as applied to the electromagnetic zero-point field. We expect to be able to extend this analysis in the future to more general versions of the quantum vacuum than just the electromagnetic one discussed herein.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1998

Advances in the proposed electromagnetic zero-point field theory of inertia

A NASA-funded research effort has been underway at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto and at California State University in Long Beach to develop and test a recently published theory that Newton's equation of motion can be derived from Maxwell's equations of electrodynamics as applied to the zero-point field (ZPF) of the quantum vacuum. In this ZPF-inertia theory, mass is postulated to be not an intrinsic property of matter but rather a kind of electromagnetic drag force that proves to be acceleration dependent by virtue of the spectral characteristics of the ZPF. The theory proposes that interactions between the ZPF and matter take place at the level of quarks and electrons, hence would account for the mass of a composite neutral particle such as the neutron. An effort to generalize the exploratory study of Haisch, Rueda and Puthoff (1994) into a proper relativistic formulation has been successful. Moreover the principle of equivalence implies that in this view gravitation would also be electromagnetic in origin along the lines proposed by Sakharov (1968). With regard to exotic propulsion we can definitively rule out one speculatively hypothesized mechanism: matter possessing negative inertial mass, a concept originated by Bondi (1957) is shown to be logically impossible. On the other hand, the linked ZPF-inertia and ZPF-gravity concepts open the conceptual possibility of manipulation of inertia and gravitation, since both are postulated to be electromagnetic phenomena. It is hoped that this will someday translate into actual technological potential. A key question is whether the proposed ZPF-matter interactions generating the phenomenon of mass might involve one or more resonances. This is presently under investigation.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv1998

Contribution to inertial mass by reaction of the vacuum to accelerated motion

We present an approach to the origin of inertia involving the electromagnetic component of the quantum vacuum and propose this as an alternative to Mach's principle. Preliminary analysis of the momentum flux of the classical zero-point radiation impinging on accelerated objects as viewed by an inertial observer suggests that the resistance to acceleration attributed to inertia may be at least in part a force of opposition originating in the vacuum. This analysis avoids the ad hoc modeling of particle-field interaction dynamics used previously to derive a similar result. This present approach is not dependent upon what happens at the particle point, but on how an external observer assesses the kinematical characteristics of the zero-point radiation impinging on the accelerated object. A relativistic form of the equation of motion results from the present analysis. Its covariant form yields a simple result that may be interpreted as a contribution to inertial mass. Our approach is related by the principle of equivalence to Sakharov's conjecture of a connection between Einstein action and the vacuum. The argument presented may thus be construed as a descendant of Sakharov's conjecture by which we attempt to attribute a mass-giving property to the electromagnetic component -- and possibly other components-- of the vacuum. In this view the physical momentum of an object is related to the radiative momentum flux of the vacuum instantaneously contained in the characteristic proper volume of the object. The interaction process between the accelerated object and the vacuum (akin to absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation) appears to generate a physical resistance (reaction force) to acceleration suggestive of what has been historically known as inertia.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv1998

Inertia as reaction of the vacuum to accelerated motion

It was proposed by Haisch, Rueda and Puthoff (Phys. Rev. A, 49, 678, 1994) that the inertia of matter could be interpreted at least in part as a reaction force originating in interactions between the electromagnetic zero-point field (ZPF) and the elementary charged consitutents (quarks and electrons) of matter. Within the limited context of that analysis, it appeared that Newton's equation of motion, f=ma, could be inferred from Maxwell's equations as applied to the ZPF, i.e. the stochastic electrodynamics (SED) version of the quantum vacuum. We report on a new approach which avoids the ad hoc particle-field interaction model (Planck oscillator) of that analysis, as well as its concomitant formulational complexity. Instead, it is shown that a non-zero ZPF momentum flux arises naturally in accelerating coordinate frames from the standard relativistic transformations of electromagnetic fields. Scattering of this ZPF momentum flux by an object will yield a reaction force that may be interpreted as a contribution to the object's inertia. This new formulation is properly covariant yielding the relativistic equation of motion. Our approach is related by the principle of equivalence to Sakharov's conjecture of a connection between Einstein action and the vacuum. If correct, this concept would substitute for Mach's principle and imply that no further mass-giving Higgs-type fields may be required to explain the inertia of material objects, although extensions to include the zero-point fields of the other fundamental interactions may be necessary for a complete theory of inertia.

physics.gen-ph↗