Polarization of Vacuum Fluctuations: Source of the Vacuum Permittivity and Speed of Light

摘要

There are two types of fluctuations in the quantum vacuum: type 1 vacuum fluctuations are on shell and can interact with matter in specific, limited ways that have observable consequences; type 2 vacuum fluctuations are off shell and cannot interact with matter. A photon will polarize a type 1, bound, charged lepton-antilepton vacuum fluctuation in much the same manner that it would polarize a dielectric, suggesting the method used here for calculating the permittivity epsilon(0) congruent to (6 mu(0)/pi)(8e(2)/(h) over bar )2=9.10x10(-12) C/(Vm). The calculated value for epsilon(0) is 2.7% more than the accepted value. The permittivity of the vacuum, in turn, determines the speed c of light in the vacuum. Since the vacuum is at rest with respect to every inertial frame of reference, c is the same in every inertial reference frame.