Last night I watched a program in which Michio Kaku explained the wave-point nature of matter as observed in the double slit experiment by equating it with the Multiverse theory. Although I believe in the potential state of the vacuum field, I would however not use the observed results in the Double Slit Experiment as the proof for a Multiverse.
I intuitively believe that what is observed in the outcome of the double slit experiement is the interaction between matter and the underlying vacuum field a.k.a. the zero energy field. I do not have the mathematical skills or talents to theorize upon it myself, that what we are seeing is the result of propagating waves in the underlying vacuum wave field, but I found an interesting theory by Haisch and Rueda.
The final logical explanation for the equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass is that they share a common origin. And this is what Haisch and Rueda think. Both kinds of mass, they claim, arise from interactions of the electric charges of matter with the quantum vacuum. But, whereas Haisch and Rueda’s idea of the origin of inertial mass is well developed, their idea of the origin of gravitational mass is far more speculative.
Basically, the two physicists believe, charges in a chunk of matter distort, or “polarise”, the quantum vacuum in their immediate vicinity. In other words, they attract virtual particles with opposite electrical charges and repel virtual particles with similar electrical charges. This distortion of the vacuum in turn interacts with the charges in another chunk of matter. By this roundabout means, a force of attraction arises between the two chunks. “The mechanism is so tortuous it might explain why gravity is so much weaker than the other fundamental forces of nature,” says Haisch. “One mass does not pull directly on another mass but only through the intermediary of the quantum vacuum.”
Haisch and Rueda’s description may appear puzzling if you know anything about Einstein’s theory of gravity. After all, general relativity “explains” gravity perfectly in terms of the warpage of higher dimensional space-time by matter. At first glance, this “geometrical” picture does not appear to be at all compatible with the picture of Haisch and Rueda.
However, Haisch points out that the warpage of space described by Einstein’s theory is actually not directly measurable. Instead, astronomers infer it from the bending of the paths of light rays passing through space. If the light from a distant star passes close to the Sun on its way to the Earth, for instance, its path is bent by the warped space close to the Sun. “If matter distorts, or ‘polarises’, the quantum vacuum, this changes its ability to bend light, or its ‘refractive index’,” says Haisch. “The vacuum then bends the path of light just like a piece of glass does.”
Haisch conjectures that the change of refractive index of the vacuum caused by the presence of matter has exactly the same effect on the paths of light rays as the warpage of space which in Einstein’s theory is caused by the presence of matter. In this way, all the mathematics of general relativity remains intact since space-time, though unwarped, looks exactly as if it is warped! “I strongly suspect that the vacuum-inertia theory can be made consistent with general relativity and the warping of space-time,” says Rueda. “But it is still too early to be certain.”
In their latest work, Rueda and Haisch even explain why inertial mass and gravitational mass are the same. And it turns out to be remarkably straightforward. If you accelerate through the quantum vacuum, the vacuum resists your motion, which is why you have inertia. However, if you are held fixed in a gravitational field, it is the quantum vacuum that accelerates past you. “But this immediately shows that the ‘mass’ associated with inertia and the ‘mass’ associated with weight must be equal because the two situations are the same,” says Haisch. “Accelerating through the quantum vacuum or having the quantum vacuum accelerate past you are the same process. Hence Einstein’s principle of equivalence is neatly explained.”
Perhaps the most mind-blowing consequence of gravitational and inertial mass owing their existence to the vacuum is the possibility of modifying both through modifying the vacuum. If a way could be found to change the vacuum in the right way, it might be possible to nullify mass, making an inertia-less drive that could accelerate a spaceship from a standstill to the speed of light - the cosmic speed limit - in the blink of an eye! Source
Or the construct of spacetime would cease to exist, now that is thinking outside of the box of spacetime.
The Double Slit Experiment still leaves a lot of space for speculation, especially with regard to our interaction with the vacuum field, that our conscious observation of the trajectory of the particle removes the noise, the interference pattern in the vacuum field.
