Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Mr. Sparkle

(2,932 posts)
Thu Mar 2, 2023, 09:54 PM Mar 2023

Physicists Use Quantum Mechanics to Pull Energy out of Nothing

For their latest magic trick, physicists have done the quantum equivalent of conjuring energy out of thin air. It’s a feat that seems to fly in the face of physical law and common sense. “You can’t extract energy directly from the vacuum because there’s nothing there to give,” said William Unruh, a theoretical physicist at the University of British Columbia, describing the standard way of thinking. But 15 years ago, Masahiro Hotta, a theoretical physicist at Tohoku University in Japan, proposed that perhaps the vacuum could, in fact, be coaxed into giving something up.

At first, many researchers ignored this work, suspicious that pulling energy from the vacuum was implausible, at best. Those who took a closer look, however, realized that Hotta was suggesting a subtly different quantum stunt. The energy wasn’t free; it had to be unlocked using knowledge purchased with energy in a far-off location. From this perspective, Hotta’s procedure looked less like creation and more like teleportation of energy from one place to another — a strange but less offensive idea.

“That was a real surprise,” said Unruh, who has collaborated with Hotta but has not been involved in energy teleportation research. “It’s a really neat result that he discovered.” Now in the past year, researchers have teleported energy across microscopic distances in two separate quantum devices, vindicating Hotta’s theory. The research leaves little room for doubt that energy teleportation is a genuine quantum phenomenon. “This really does test it,” said Seth Lloyd, a quantum physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was not involved in the research. “You are actually teleporting. You are extracting energy.”

more... https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-use-quantum-mechanics-to-pull-energy-out-of-nothing-20230222/

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Physicists Use Quantum Mechanics to Pull Energy out of Nothing (Original Post) Mr. Sparkle Mar 2023 OP
Wow. K&R n/t ms liberty Mar 2023 #1
double wow quaint Mar 2023 #2
Beam me up, Scotty central scrutinizer Mar 2023 #3
Beat me to it. Those were my exact first words. wnylib Mar 2023 #5
This has me energized. WheelWalker Mar 2023 #4
"I drink your milkshake!", quantum style n/t Silent3 Mar 2023 #6
Somebody may be able to... 2naSalit Mar 2023 #7
Fascinating. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Mar 2023 #8
KNR and bookmarking. For later. niyad Mar 2023 #9
Seems like a race for brilliant scientists to save the world before magats and fascists destroy it housecat Mar 2023 #10
I know a physicist who been writing a paper about this. Duppers Mar 2023 #11
❤️ ✿❧🌿❧✿ ❤️ Lucinda Mar 2023 #18
Omg. Triple wow. :) Thanks, Mr. Sparkle, for a great wonder. Hortensis Mar 2023 #12
This sounds exactly like a 1940s Astounding story... First Speaker Mar 2023 #13
Thank you for the info! Lucinda Mar 2023 #17
One day one of these people is going to discover a means to wink us ALL out of existance. Ferrets are Cool Mar 2023 #14
Wow! Cool. Bookmarking to read with the a.m. coffee. nt crickets Mar 2023 #15
❤️ ✿❧🌿❧✿ ❤️ Lucinda Mar 2023 #16
K n R ! Thanks for posting!... JoeOtterbein Mar 2023 #19

2naSalit

(86,599 posts)
7. Somebody may be able to...
Thu Mar 2, 2023, 11:02 PM
Mar 2023

Test my hypothesis about some interesting concepts. I'm interested in seeing more about this.

Duppers

(28,120 posts)
11. I know a physicist who been writing a paper about this.
Thu Mar 2, 2023, 11:53 PM
Mar 2023

He sent a draft out and continues to polish the paper.

(I'm married to that guy. )

First Speaker

(4,858 posts)
13. This sounds exactly like a 1940s Astounding story...
Fri Mar 3, 2023, 12:09 AM
Mar 2023

...in particular, Heinlein's *Waldo*, which deals almost precisely with this kind of scenario. It's a good story to read, like all Heinlein's Golden Age work...

Ferrets are Cool

(21,106 posts)
14. One day one of these people is going to discover a means to wink us ALL out of existance.
Fri Mar 3, 2023, 12:17 AM
Mar 2023
That that would would ever know that it happened.
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Physicists Use Quantum Me...