Related papers: The Question Whether an Energy Gap Does Exist in H…
We consider possible tests of the Einstein Equivalence Principle for physical systems in which quantum-mechanical vacuum energies cannot be neglected. Specific tests include a search for the manifestation of non-metric effects in Lamb-shift…
We calculate the electron mobility for a quantum Lorentz model, which provides a realistic description of electrons in Helium gas, to second order in the gas density. We show that this provides sufficient theoretical information to allow…
The prediction that black holes radiate due to quantum effects is often considered one of the most secure in quantum field theory in curved space-time. Yet this prediction rests on two dubious assumptions: that ordinary physics may be…
The search for a theory of quantum gravity is the most fundamental problem in all of theoretical physics, but there are as yet no experimental results at all to guide this endeavor. What seems to be needed is a pragmatic way to test if…
A formula to calculate the quantum fluctuations of energy in small subsystems of a hot and relativistic gas is derived. We find an increase in fluctuations for subsystems of small sizes, but we agrees with the energy fluctuations in the…
In this letter, we investigate the validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics of the universe bounded by the event horizon in the holographic dark energy model. The universe is chosen to be homogeneous and isotropic and the…
The evolution of low- and intermediate mass stars at the onset and during core helium burning is reviewed. Particular emphasis is laid on structural differences, which may allow to identify a star's nature and evolutionary phase in spite of…
If quantum friction existed [J.B. Pendry, New J. Phys. 12, 033028 (2010)] an unlimited amount of useful energy could be extracted from the quantum vacuum and Lifshitz theory would fail. Both are unlikely to be true.
Current experiments investigating radiation reaction employ high energy electron beams together with tightly focused laser pulses in order to reach the quantum regime, as expressed through the quantum nonlinearity parameter $\chi$. Such…
A recent result, relating the (irreversible) work performed on a system during a non-quasistatic process, to the Helmholtz free energy difference between two equilibrium states of the system, is discussed. A proof of this result is given…
The mysterious `dark energy' needed to explain the current observations, poses a serious confrontation between fundamental physics and cosmology. The present crisis may be an outcome of the (so far untested) prediction of the general theory…
Liquid-gas phase transition in statistical mechanics is a long-standing dilemma not yet well explained. In this paper we propose a novel approach to this dilemma, by: 1). Putting forth a new space homogeneity assumption. 2). Giving a new…
The results of numerical experiments on chaotic ('turbulent') dynamics of the second sound in helium II are presented and discussed based on a very simple model proposed and theoretically studied recently by Khalatnikov and Kroyter. Using a…
The results of the experimental searches for Higgs particles at LEP, using the data collected at centre-of-mass energies up to 189 GeV, are reviewed and the prospects for the near future outlined.
The properties of hydrogen-helium mixtures at high pressure are crucial to address important questions about the interior of Giant planets e.g. whether Jupiter has a rocky core and did it emerge via core accretion? Using path integral Monte…
A critical look is taken at the calculation of the Casimir effect. The boundary conditions play an important role and should be imposed in a physical way. An acceptable result for the vacuum energy is only obtained when different…
Studying the energy partioning published in nucl-th/0406056v2 we show that the presented results do not fulfill the sum rule due to energy conservation. The observed fluctuations of the energy conservation test point to a numerical problem.…
Calculating liquid energy and heat capacity in general form is an open problem in condensed matter physics. We develop a recent approach to liquids from the solid state by accounting for the contribution of anharmonicity and thermal…
Topics concerning dark energy and the accelerating expansion of universe are briefly reported. Arguments about the quantum fluctuations of vacuum are examined in order to decide if the Casimir force really is a laboratory evidence of dark…
It has, quite recently, become fashionable to study a certain class of holographic-inspired models for the dark energy. These investigations have, indeed, managed to make some significant advances towards explaining the empirical data.…