RE: Actual Warp Drive Theory (was Re: Light may break its own spe edlimit) [OT]

[OT]

It has been a while since I followed particle physics, so I will waste a
little bandwidth and ask:

I have heard photons described as "free electrons". Has physics
predicted an
anti-photon? If so, since light is energy (or at least energy
expressed),
what is the result of a photon/anti-photon collision? Nothing
(annihilation
without side-effect), Non-EM radiation? Matter? Other?

-----
Brian Bell
bkb@beol.net   
-----

> -----Original Message-----
> From: agoodall@canada.com [SMTP:agoodall@canada.com]
> Sent: Monday, July 24, 2000 10:13 AM
> To:	gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
> Subject:	Re: Actual Warp Drive Theory (was Re: Light may break
its
> own speedlimit)
> 
> On Fri, 21 July 2000, Jerry Han wrote:
> 
> > Now the problem is, what the heck is 'negative energy'?   (8-)
> 
> Negative energy is, essentially, what it sounds like. Beam negative
energy
> at a cup of water and it gets cold, not hot. 
> 
> Apparently it's predicted by quantum mechanics. A total vacuum has a
net
> energy state of zero. However, quantum mechanics dictates that
particles
> pop in and out of existence even in a vacuum, so that means that at
some
> given moment there is energy even in a vacuum. To come to a net state
of
> zero, there has to be negative energy. It also features in Hawking's
> dissolving black hole theory.
> 
> The article explains it in more detail (although I had to take some of
it
> as "okay, umm... take your word for it"). They have apparently
produced
> negative energy in the lab, but only small amounts for very short
periods
> of time.
> 
> I'm not sure how you'd create negative energy. They talk about
"squeezing"
> quantum states, but no one has figured out how to separate negative
and
> positive energy without using positive energy (which would then
eliminate
> the negative energy state). So, it's all still very much conjecture.
But
> the possibility was quite interesting. 
> 
> Allan Goodall - agoodall@canada.com
> __________________________________________________________
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