As the universe expands ... space is "created". What happends to the density
of vacuum energy?
As space grows, will there also become more vacuum(energy)?

Floris

"F. Kuik" wrote in message ...
As the universe expands ... space is "created".

OK.. "expanded" is probably a better word.


What happends to the density
of vacuum energy?
As space grows, will there also become more vacuum(energy)?

Not necessarily. A deficit here means that energy per volume
decreases, which incidentally is the second law of thermodynamics.

Cheers - luke

As the universe expands ... space is "created".

OK.. "expanded" is probably a better word.


Its a way of looking at it. When you first had like A liters of space ...
you now have A liters of space. Space didn't get bigger... right?


What happends to the density
of vacuum energy?
As space grows, will there also become more vacuum(energy)?

Not necessarily.

So it could happen?:P

A deficit here means that energy per volume
decreases, which incidentally is the second law of thermodynamics.


So how is this vaccuum energy defined? I mean .. you would say that..for
example... if there is "more" space... more quantum fluctuations should
happen... right? ...

Cheers - luke

Prosit

"F. Kuik" wrote in message ...
As the universe expands ... space is "created".

OK.. "expanded" is probably a better word.


Its a way of looking at it. When you first had like A liters of space ...
you now have A liters of space. Space didn't get bigger... right?


Good questions! It depends how you define space of course.. usually
we use electromagnetic properties to do so. The mathematician will
tell you that there are the same number of 'points' in one liter as in
a hundred, i.e. any 3D continuous volume has equal measure. I prefer
to think of it as the properties of space have changed, rather than
"space has been created". When you say "here's a cubic meter of
space" you really mean "light will take such and such a time to go
from this point to that".


What happends to the density
of vacuum energy?
As space grows, will there also become more vacuum(energy)?

Not necessarily.

So it could happen?:P


Possibly, although that would certainly be big news if measured! We
don't know much about "dark energy" or "dark matter", suggesting that
maybe some kind of spontaneous generation could be possible.. it has
certainly been theorized in steady state models of the universe.

A deficit here means that energy per volume
decreases, which incidentally is the second law of thermodynamics.


So how is this vaccuum energy defined? I mean .. you would say that..for
example... if there is "more" space... more quantum fluctuations should
happen... right? ...


Zero point energy.. if you use a kinetic model of space-time there is
a "temperature" in a vacuum, which determines the speed of light among
other things. This could change over time. If you mean this kind of
quantum fluctuation than the answer is NO.. more space -- slower
light -- less vacuum energy.

I think in the current models the expansion is adiabatic and not
driven, people expect the energy density to drop in a "heat death" or
"entropy death", possibly speeded up by a "big rip". Of course
statistically we can expect current models to be wrong

THanks - luke