6 replies to this topic

[A941]

Are we living in a false vacuum?
Could this vacuum colapse, and what would be the result of this event?
Would the physical constants change, and what would happen to us?

would a false vacuum fill out the whole universe or just a few parts of space?

[A941]

No Ideas?

[rwac]

whats a false vacuum ?

[chris w]

whats a false vacuum ?

Way over my head, so I'll just be the messenger:

False vacuum

In quantum field theory, a false vacuum is a metastable sector of space that appears to be a perturbative vacuum, but is unstable due to instanton effects that may tunnel to a lower energy state

The possibility that we are living in a false vacuum has never been a cheering one to contemplate. Vacuum decay is the ultimate ecological catastrophe; in the new vacuum there are new constants of nature; after vacuum decay, not only is life as we know it impossible, so is chemistry as we know it. However, one could always draw stoic comfort from the possibility that perhaps in the course of time the new vacuum would sustain, if not life as we know it, at least some structures capable of knowing joy. This possibility has now been eliminated.

[A941]

Thanks for copieing a piece of text i allready knew.

[xEva]

I have a better question to consider, answering to which will certainly elucidate the question you're asking. What is space? I.e. what defines its dimensions, what decides on the number of those dimensions.. or, what is it a false or true vacuum occupy? How about this one: How the space is formed? You see, the structure and properties of space determine what can be found in it. So, answering to this question will answer all the rest.

Ah?

[shifter]

Thanks for copying a piece of text I DIDN'T know

whats a false vacuum ?

Way over my head, so I'll just be the messenger:

False vacuum

In quantum field theory, a false vacuum is a metastable sector of space that appears to be a perturbative vacuum, but is unstable due to instanton effects that may tunnel to a lower energy state

The possibility that we are living in a false vacuum has never been a cheering one to contemplate. Vacuum decay is the ultimate ecological catastrophe; in the new vacuum there are new constants of nature; after vacuum decay, not only is life as we know it impossible, so is chemistry as we know it. However, one could always draw stoic comfort from the possibility that perhaps in the course of time the new vacuum would sustain, if not life as we know it, at least some structures capable of knowing joy. This possibility has now been eliminated.