> One of the key insights of #quantummechanics is that absolute #nothingness, a concept already discussed by Greek philosophers, is nowhere to be found in reality. Quite to the contrary, #QuantumFieldTheory has shown that seemingly empty space is filled by #fluctuations of #light and #matter fields, leading to a continuous #popping into existence and disappearance of #photons as well as massive #particles. In the founding days of quantum mechanics, these consequences of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle were often not taken too seriously. However, modern physics is increasingly discovering how our universe is shaped by fluctuations of physical fields, which not only lead to tiny shifts of spectral lines of atoms, but moreover may cause the evaporation of black holes, and are ultimately responsible for the large-scale #structure of our #universe, formed during the inflationary period following the big bang.
Understanding #vacuum fluctuations in #space
https://phys.org/news/2020-08-vacuum-fluctuations-space.html
