Properties of the quantum vacuum calculated from its structure

Abstract

Physicists have speculated about the properties of the quantum vacuum for at least 85 years; however, only recently have they understood the quantum vacuum sufficiently well to begin making testable predictions. Specifically, using Maxwell's equations to describe the interaction of the electromagnetic field with charged lepton - antilepton vacuum fluctuations, it has been possible to calculate the permittivity of the vacuum, the speed of light in the vacuum, and the fine structure constant. Physicists are now also beginning to successfully address problems in cosmology based on properties of the quantum vacuum. The terms ``vacuum catastrophe'' and ``old cosmological problem'' refer, respectively, to the predictions that the vacuum energy density and the cosmological constant are both approximately 120 orders of magnitude larger than the observed values. Using properties of the quantum vacuum and well-established physics, it is possible to demonstrate that the huge vacuum energy cannot transfer energy to normal matter; accordingly, vacuum energy contributes neither to the observed energy density of the universe nor to the cosmological constant, which plays a central role in the accelerating expansion of the universe.