Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) believed that the Earth's electrical charges could create a limitless power supply. In 1892, he said, "Ere many generations pass, our machinery will be driven by power obtainable at any point in the universe". Some say that zero-point energy, also known as vacuum energy or ground state energy, is one idea that could help with the world's energy crisis.
Zero-point energy is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical system can have. Even at absolute zero, atoms and molecules still have some vibrational motion, and the empty space of a vacuum also has these properties. Quantum field theory suggests that the universe is made up of continuous fluctuating fields, including matter fields and force fields, and all of these fields have zero-point energy. Some systems can detect the existence of this energy, which has led to a reintroduction of aether in physics.
Zero-point energy (ZPE) is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical system may have. Unlike in classical mechanics, quantum systems constantly fluctuate in their lowest energy state as described by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.[1] Therefore, even at absolute zero, atoms and molecules retain some vibrational motion. Apart from atoms and molecules, the empty space of the vacuum also has these properties. According to quantum field theory, the universe can be thought of not as isolated particles but continuous fluctuating fields: matter fields, whose quanta are fermions (i.e., leptons and quarks), and force fields, whose quanta are bosons (e.g., photons and gluons). All these fields have zero-point energy.[2] These fluctuating zero-point fields lead to a kind of reintroduction of an aether in physics[1][3] since some systems can detect the existence of this energy. However, this aether cannot be thought of as a physical medium if it is to be Lorentz invariant such that there is no contradiction with Einstein's theory of special relativity.
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