Related papers: The Weight of Vacuum Fluctuations
The cosmological constant problem is reviewed and a possible quantum gravity resolution is proposed. A space satellite E\"otv\"os experiment for zero-point vacuum energy is proposed to see whether Casimir vacuum energy falls in a…
We re-consider the idea that quantum fluctuations might reflect the existence of an 'objective randomness', i.e. a basic property of the vacuum state which is independent of any experimental accuracy of the observations or limited knowledge…
We consider implications of the microscopic dynamics of spacetime for the evolution of cosmological models. We argue that quantum geometry effects may lead to stochastic fluctuations of the gravitational constant, which is thus considered…
Power spectra always play an important role in the theory of inflation. In particular, the ability to reproduce the galaxy matter power spectrum and the CMB temperature angular power spectrum coefficients to high accuracy is often…
The problem of cosmological constant and vacuum energy is usually thought of as the subject of general relativity. However, the vacuum energy is important for the Universe even in the absence of gravity, i.e. in the case when the Newton…
According to several authors, gravity might be a long-wavelength phenomenon emerging in some 'hydrodynamic limit' from the same physical, flat-space vacuum viewed as a form of superfluid medium. In this framework, light might propagate in…
Quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field in empty space seem not to produce observable effects over the motion of a charged test particle. However, when a change in the background vacuum state is implemented, as for instance…
In contrast to the phenomenon of nullification of the cosmological constant in the equilibrium vacuum, which is the general property of any quantum vacuum, there are many options in modifying the Einstein equation to allow the cosmological…
We abandon the interpretation that time is a global parameter in quantum mechanics, replace it by a quantum dynamical variable playing the role of time. This operational re-interpretation of time provides a solution to the cosmological…
It has recently been suggested that exotic quantum gravity effects could lead to large vacuum fluctuations, potentially observable with realistic detectors. Experiments are currently being built to search for these signals. Here we analyze…
When a two level system (TLS) is coupled to an electromagnetic resonator, its transition frequency changes in response to the quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, a phenomenon known as the Lamb shift. Remarkably, by…
Gravity and general relativity are considered as an Effective Field Theory at low energies and macroscopic distances. The effective action of the conformal anomaly of light or massless quantum fields has significant effects on macroscopic…
Real world quantum systems are open to perpetual influence from the wider environment. Quantum gravitational fluctuations provide a most fundamental source of the environmental influence through their universal interactions with all forms…
We analyze the size and evolution of quantum fluctuations of cosmologically relevant geometric observables, in the context of the effective relational cosmological dynamics of GFT models of quantum gravity. We consider the fluctuations of…
We argue that it is a fluctuational underpinning of the Quantum vacuum which on the one hand gives a stochastic character to the conservation laws, and on the other is required for explaining the recently observed acceleration of the…
This paper is a continuation of a study of the properties and applications of quantum stress tensor fluctuations. Here we treat the vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic energy-momentum flux operator which as been averaged in space and…
One of the most ubiquitous features of quantum theories is the existence of zero-point fluctuations in their ground states. For massive quantum fields, these fluctuations decouple from infrared observables in ordinary field theories.…
By enhancing electron position fluctuations, equilibrium electromagnetic radiation modifies the potential for an electron in a Hydrogen atom. This can have significant effects for weakly bound states and especially at finite temperature.…
Power spectra play an important role in the theory of inflation, and their ability to reproduce current observational data to high accuracy is often considered a triumph of inflation, largely because of a lack of credible alternatives. In…
Quantum gravity is quite elusive at the experimental level; thus a lot of interest has been raised by recent searches for quantum gravity effects in the propagation of light from distant sources, like gamma ray bursters and active galactic…