This seems to come up on the forums quite often and few people seem to understand what vacuum energy is. Don't ask me where I read this from, but I remember it from somewhere... Also, please don't quote me, as I may have the details incorrect (all from memory).
Theoretically, in all regions of space there are a near infinite (but still finite) number of pairs of particles and anti-particles that are constantly being generated and destroyed (via colliding with each other). If I remember correctly, the energy that they produce when destroying each other is channeled directly into the creation of the next pair, ad infinitum. It happens constantly. This is vacuum energy (AKA Zero Point Energy).
You can extract usable energy from these particles by somehow separating the two at the moment of creation. This would require a HUGE force differential in the very tiny spaces (smaller than an atom) that these particles are separated by. Black holes can be this powerful. It has been theorized that black holes that directly produce gamma rays are doing this by absorbing one of the particles and letting the other get deflected in it's gravity.
In relation to Project Arcturus, extracting vacuum energy from our own universe allows us to use one half of the pair as a power source and the other becomes the "unpredictable particles" that breached containment as hard radiation (gamma rays?). Arcturus may have even been using some of the second half as an energy producer, but was unable to contain all of it, due to their unpredictable nature.
In relation to ZPMs, this process should be the same, except you're containing the radiation inside a tiny universe. This is a safety measure. When a ZPM is said to reach maximum entropy, I'm guessing this means all of the particle pairs in the mini-verse have been separated and thus, no more usable particles will be created.
Since any universe contains a limited number of these particle pairs, eventually it can run out. However, size is important. The larger the universe, the more vacuum energy can be extracted from it. Thus, tiny little ZPM runs out eventually, while normal size universe keeps going and going and going...
Edit: I think I read that in a Stephen Hawking book, but I'm not sure.
Theoretically, in all regions of space there are a near infinite (but still finite) number of pairs of particles and anti-particles that are constantly being generated and destroyed (via colliding with each other). If I remember correctly, the energy that they produce when destroying each other is channeled directly into the creation of the next pair, ad infinitum. It happens constantly. This is vacuum energy (AKA Zero Point Energy).
You can extract usable energy from these particles by somehow separating the two at the moment of creation. This would require a HUGE force differential in the very tiny spaces (smaller than an atom) that these particles are separated by. Black holes can be this powerful. It has been theorized that black holes that directly produce gamma rays are doing this by absorbing one of the particles and letting the other get deflected in it's gravity.
In relation to Project Arcturus, extracting vacuum energy from our own universe allows us to use one half of the pair as a power source and the other becomes the "unpredictable particles" that breached containment as hard radiation (gamma rays?). Arcturus may have even been using some of the second half as an energy producer, but was unable to contain all of it, due to their unpredictable nature.
In relation to ZPMs, this process should be the same, except you're containing the radiation inside a tiny universe. This is a safety measure. When a ZPM is said to reach maximum entropy, I'm guessing this means all of the particle pairs in the mini-verse have been separated and thus, no more usable particles will be created.
Since any universe contains a limited number of these particle pairs, eventually it can run out. However, size is important. The larger the universe, the more vacuum energy can be extracted from it. Thus, tiny little ZPM runs out eventually, while normal size universe keeps going and going and going...
Edit: I think I read that in a Stephen Hawking book, but I'm not sure.
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