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H. E. Puthoff

Publications and source records attributed to H. E. Puthoff.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2010

Engineering the Zero-Point Field and Polarizable Vacuum For Interstellar Flight

A theme that has come to the fore in advanced planning for long-range space exploration is the concept of "propellantless propulsion" or "field propulsion." One version of this concept involves the projected possibility that empty space itself (the quantum vacuum, or space-time metric) might be manipulated so as to provide energy/thrust for future space vehicles. Although such a proposal has a certain science-fiction quality about it, modern theory describes the vacuum as a polarizable medium that sustains energetic quantum fluctuations. Thus the possibility that matter/vacuum interactions might be engineered for space-flight applications is not a priori ruled out, although certain constraints need to be acknowledged. The structure and implications of such a far-reaching hypothesis are considered herein.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2010

Engineering the Zero-Point Field and Polarizable Vacuum For Interstellar Flight

A theme that has come to the fore in advanced planning for long-range space exploration is the concept of "propellantless propulsion" or "field propulsion." One version of this concept involves the projected possibility that empty space itself (the quantum vacuum, or space-time metric) might be manipulated so as to provide energy/thrust for future space vehicles. Although such a proposal has a certain science-fiction quality about it, modern theory describes the vacuum as a polarizable medium that sustains energetic quantum fluctuations. Thus the possibility that matter/vacuum interactions might be engineered for space-flight applications is not a priori ruled out, although certain constraints need to be acknowledged. The structure and implications of such a far-reaching hypothesis are considered herein.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2010

Electromagnetic Potentials Basis for Energy Density and Power Flux

It is well understood that various alternatives are available within EM theory for the definitions of energy density, momentum transfer, EM stress-energy tensor, and so forth. Although the various options are all compatible with the basic equations of electrodynamics (e.g., Maxwell's equations, Lorentz force law, gauge invariance), nonetheless certain alternative formulations lend themselves to being seen as preferable to others with regard to the transparency of their application to physical problems of interest. Here we argue for the transparency of an option based on use of the EM potentials alone.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2009

Linearized Turbulent Fluid Flow as an Analog Model for Linearized General Relativity (Gravitoelectromagnetism)

In the spirit of analog models of and for general relativity, we explore the isomorphism between the equations of linearized turbulent fluid flow and those of the linearized form of GR, gravitoelectromagnetism. The correspondence between the truncated Reynolds system for turbulent fluid flow and the Maxwell-like gravitoelectromagnetic equations for weak-field GR is shown to provide yet another example of the relationship between the representation of fluctuations in background media and curved spacetime formulations.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2006

Casimir vacuum energy and the semiclassical electron

In 1953 Casimir proposed a semiclassical model for the electron based on the concept that net inward radiation pressure from the electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations fields (as in the Casimir effect, generally) might play the role of Poincare stresses, compensating outward coulomb pressure to yield a stable configuration at small dimensions. Given that in scattering experiments the electron appears point-like, critical to the success of the proposed model is demonstration that the self-energy corresponding to the divergent coulomb field does not contribute to the electron mass. Here we develop a self-consistent, vacuum-fluctuation-based model that satisfies this requirement and thereby resolves the issue of what would otherwise appear to be an incompatibility between a point-like electron and finite mass.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2004

Charge confinement by Casimir forces

Laboratory observation of high-density filamentation or clustering of electronic charge suggests that under certain conditions strong coulomb repulsion can be overcome by cohesive forces as yet imprecisely defined. Following an earlier suggestion by Casimir, we investigate here the possibility that Casimir forces can lead to charge clustering of the type observed, and conclude that such forces may play a role in the generation of robust high-charge-density effects.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2001

Polarizable-Vacuum (PV) representation of general relativity

Standard pedagogy treats topics in general relativity (GR) in terms of tensor formulations in curved space-time. Although mathematically straightforward, the curved space-time approach can seem abstruse to beginning students due to the degree of mathematical sophistication required. As a heuristic tool to provide insight into what is meant by a curved metric, we present a polarizable-vacuum (PV) representation of GR derived from a model by Dicke and related to the "TH-epsilon-mu" formalism used in comparative studies of gravitational theories.

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↗