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| ZP OWER C ORPORATION PAGE OF 352 Z ERO P OINT E NERGY Washington University, St. Louis. Again, the technological requirements appear out of reach for the foreseeable future, perhaps awaiting new techniques for cohering the ZPE vacuum fluctuations in order to meet the energy-density requirements. Conclusions We began this discussion with the question "Can the vacuum be engineered for spaceflight applications" The answer is "In principle, yes" However, engineering-wise it is clear that there is along way to go. Given the cliche "a journey of 1000 miles begins with the first steps" it is also clear that we can take those first steps now in the laboratory. Given that Casimir and related effects indicate the possibility of tapping the enormous residual energy in the vacuum-fluctuation ZPE, and the demonstration in cavity QED that portions of the ZPE spectrum can be manipulated to produce macroscopic technological effects such as the inhibition of spontaneous emission of excited states in quantum systems, it would appear that the first steps along this path are visible. This, combined with newly-emerging concepts of the relationship of gravity, inertia and warp drive to properties of the vacuum as a manipulable medium, indicate yet further reaches of possible technological development, although requiring yet unforeseen breakthroughs with regard to the possibility of engineering vacuum fluctuations to produce desired results. Where does this leave us As we peer into the heavens from the depth of our gravity well, hoping for some "magic" solution that will launch our spacefarers first to the planets and then to the stars, we are reminded of Arthur C. Clarke's phrase that highly-advanced technology is essentially indistinguishable from magic. Fortunately, such magic appears to be waiting in the wings of our deepening understanding of the quantum vacuum in which we live. References 1. Lee, TD. (1988) Particle Physics and Introduction to Field Theory, Harwood Academic, London. 2. Feynman, RP, and Hibbs, AR. (1965) Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals, McGraw-Hill, New York. 3. Forward, R.L. (1984) "Extracting electrical energy from the vacuum by cohesion of charged foliated conductors, Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 1700-1702. 4. Casimir, H.G.B. (1948) "On the attraction between two perfectly conducting plates, Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. van Weten., Vol. 51, No. 7, pp. 793-796. |