Advances in the Proposed Electromagnetic Zero­Point Field Theory of Inertia

Bernhard Haisch
Solar & Astrophysics Laboratory, Lockheed Martin
3251 Hanover St., Palo Alto, CA 94304
E­mail: haisch@starspot.com

Alfonso Rueda
Dept. of Electrical Engineering and
Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
California State Univ., Long Beach, CA 90840
E­mail: arueda@csulb.edu

H. E. Puthoff
Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin
4030 Braker Lane, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759
E­mail: puthoff@aol.com

Invited presentation at 34th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit July 13--15, 1998, Cleveland, Ohio

AIAA paper 98­3143

ABSTRACT

A NASA­funded 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 zero­point field (ZPF) of the quantum vacuum. In this ZPF­inertia theory, mass is postulated to be not an intrinsic property of matter but rather a kind of electromagnetic drag force (which temporarily is a place holder for a more general quantum vacuum reaction effect) 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) 1 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) 2 . 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) 3 is shown to be logically impossible. On the other hand, the linked ZPF­inertia and ZPF­gravity 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, especially with respect to spacecraft propulsion and future interstellar travel capability. A key question is whether the proposed ZPF­matter interactions generating the phenomenon of mass might involve one or more resonances. This is presently under investigation.

[Sarfatti comment: How are we to picture the electrons and quarks? Their electric charges have mass e^2/a (c=1) if they have size a. Is this bare mass dressed by ZPF?]

INTRODUCTION

In an article in New Scientist science writer Robert Matthews (1995) 4 summarizes the predictions of various scientists: ``Many researchers see the vacuum as a central ingredient of 21st century physics.'' The reason for this is that, despite its name, the vacuum is in fact far from empty. Create a perfect vacuum, devoid of all matter and containing not a single (stable) particle, and that region of seemingly empty space will actually be a seething quantum sea of activity. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle allows subatomic particles to flicker in and out of existence. Similar quantum processes apply to electromagnetic fields, and that is the origin of the electromagnetic zero­point field (ZPF). The entire Universe is filled with a quantum sea of electromagnetic zero­point energy whose properties are the basis of Matthew's predictive statement.

In 1994 we published an analysis which proposed that the most fundamental property of matter --- inertia --- could be explained as an electromagnetic force traceable to the ZPF (Haisch, Rueda and Puthoff 1994; HRP 1 ). The exploratory approach we used had two weaknesses: (1) the mathematical development was quite complex, and (2) the calculations were dependent upon a simplified model to represent the interactions between material objects and the ZPF. But in spite of these two limitations, our analysis yielded a remarkable and unexpected result: that Newton's equation of motion, f = ma, regarded since 1687 as a postulate of physics, could be derived from Maxwell's laws of electrodynamics as applied to the ZPF. The implication is that inertia is not an innate property of matter, rather it is an electromagnetically­derived force. If this proves to be true, the potential exists for revolutionary technologies since the manipulation of electromagnetic phenomena is the basis of most modern technology.

[Sarfatti: Is this an attempt to reverse-engineer a crashed UFO as in Colonel Corso's story? NASA's Paul Hill wrote a book that suggests this sort of approach. Al Holt part of this NASA BPP team (see below) has a long history as a UFO researcher. So this is not so wild a thought as it might superficially appear. ]
The Breakthrough Propulsion Physics website is http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/bpp/

Thanks in part to a NASA research grant, we have made progress in strengthening the basis of the ZPF­ inertia hypothesis. We have been able to rederive the ZPF­inertia connection in a way that is mathematically much more straightforward, that is not dependent upon the original simplified matter­ZPF interaction model, and that --- importantly --- proves to be relativistic (Rueda & Haisch 1998a 5 , 1998b 6 ). This increases our confidence considerably in the validity of the ZPF­inertia hypothesis.

We suggest that a change in paradigm regarding our conception of matter is not far off. If inertia proves to be an electromagnetic force arising from interactions between quarks and electrons and the ZPF, this will do away with the concept of inertial mass as a fundamental property of matter. The principle of equivalence then implies that gravitational mass will need to undergo an analogous reinterpretation. A foundation for this was laid already 30 years ago by Sakharov (1968) 2 .

Lastly, the Einstein E = mc^2 relationship between mass and energy will also be cast in a different light. As it now stands this formula seems to state that one kind of ``thing,'' namely energy, can mysteriously be transformed into a totally different kind of ``thing,'' namely mass: : : and vice versa. It is proposed instead that the E = mc 2 relationship is a statement about the kinetic energy that the ZPF fluctuations induce on the quarks and electrons constituting matter (Puthoff 1989a 7 ). We are used to interpreting this concentration of energy associated with material objects as mass, but in fact this is more a matter of bookkeeping than physics. Indeed the concept of mass itself in all its guises (inertial, gravitational and as relativistic rest mass) appears to be a bookkeeping convenience. All we ever experience is the presence of a certain amount of energy or the presence of certain forces. We traditionally account for these energies and forces in terms of mass, but that appears now to be unnecessary. Interactions of the ZPF with quarks and electrons are what physically underlie all these apparent manifestations of mass. This opens new possibilities.

Only fifty years ago the concept of space travel was regarded by most, including scientists (who should have known better), as science fiction: this in spite of the fact that the basic knowledge was already in place. Details and technicalities, of course, were lacking, but the chief handicap was --- more than anything --- a mindset that such things simply had to be impossible. Similar prejudices had been at work fifty years prior to that regarding flight. We have come to a new millenium and the first glimmerings of how to go about finding a way to achieve interstellar travel have started to appear on the horizon. A very modest --- in terms of cost --- but intellectually ambitious program has been established by NASA: The Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program (BPP). The rationale is stated as follows: a NASA is embarking on a new, small program called Breakthrough Propulsion Physics to seek the ultimate breakthroughs in space transportation:

(1) Propelling a vehicle without propellant mass,

[Sarfatti: This is how NASA's Paul Hill (deceased now) thinks that alien flying saucers work.]

(2) attaining the maximum transit speeds physically possible, and

(3) creating new energy production methods to power such devices.

Because such goals are beyond the accumulated scientific knowledge to date, further advances in science are sought, specifically advances that focus on propulsion issues. Because such goals are presumably far from fruition, a special emphasis of this program is to demonstrate that near­term, credible, and measurable progress can be made.

[Sarfatti: Nice trick if you can do it. Of course, if, in fact, these guys have access to captured alien spacecraft then it will be possible - only then as far as near term IMHO.]

This program, managed by Marc Millis of Lewis Research Center (LeRC) represents the combined efforts of individuals from various NASA centers, other government labs, universities and industry. This program is supported by the Space Transportation Research Of­ fice of the Advanced Space Transportation Program managed by Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The first NASA BPP workshop was held in August 1997 to survey the territory and assess emerging physics concepts. Several invited presentations discussed the ZPF vacuum fluctuations, and this area of research was given a high priority in a ranking process carried out as part of the meeting (Millis 1998 8 and references therein). In addition to the proposed ZPF­inertia and ZPF­gravitation hypotheses, the possibility of extracting energy and of generating forces from the vacuum fluctuations were discussed. It has been shown that extracting energy from the vacuum does not violate the laws of thermodynamics (Cole and Puthoff 1993) 9 .

As for ZPF­related forces, the recent measurement of the Casimir force by Lamoreaux (1997) 10 are in agreement with theoretical predictions. Real, macroscopic forces can be attributed to certain configurations of the ZPF, such as in a Casimir cavity. We are proposing that inertia too is a Casimir­like acceleration­dependent drag force."

To be continued.