What is the Zero-Point Energy?
The zero-point energy is a small amount of energy that exists throughout all space. It is also known as the vacuum energy. Put differently, the zero-point energy is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have, otherwise known as the energy of the ground state. The term and concept has been co-opted by pseudoscientific advocates of free energy in recent decades, but it was originally proposed by Albert Einstein and Otto Stern in 1913. The quantum mechanical system that corresponds to the zero-point energy is called the zero-point field. The existence of the zero-point energy has been confirmed experimentally, in what is called the Casimir experiment. The Casimir experiment consists of placing two uncharged metallic plates very closely together in a vacuum. Sensitive equipment reveals that there is a slight attraction — or sometimes, repulsion, depending on the arrangement — between the two, even in the complete absence of any other force. This can be
