right up
there with the most incredible discoveries of the millennium,” she continued.
“Most cosmologists agree that dark matter and dark energy make up ninety-five
percent of the universe. The parts we can detect, the hundreds of billions of
galaxies filled with hundreds of billions of stars and planets, represent only five percent of the total. Five
percent!”
“Do scientists have any idea
what dark energy is?”
“Two theories are most popular.
The first is that it’s a manifestation of something called zero point energy.
Long story, but quantum physics has shown there is an energy field that exists
everywhere, including the vacuum of space, called the zero point field. The
energy produced is too fleeting for us to tap, but it’s there. The problem with
this one is that the zero point field has been calculated as being nearly infinite.
Dark energy’s affect on the universe is incomprehensibly immense, but if the
zero point field were responsible, some scientists believe it would be even
stronger.”
“And the second theory?” said
Blake, appearing to be genuinely fascinated.
“Well, there are four
fundamental forces in nature that we know of. Electromagnetism, which everyone
knows about. The weak nuclear force, which makes possible the fusion that
powers the sun. And the strong nuclear force, which basically holds the nuclei
of atoms together.”
“I’ll take your word
for it,” said Blake dryly.
Jenna winced. “I’m
going into too much unneeded detail, aren’t I?” she said. “Sorry. Nathan can
make this stuff a lot more interesting than I can.”
“No, no,” said Blake.
“You’re doing great. Please go on.”
“Okay. I was going to
say that gravity can be considered the fourth fundamental force, although it is
something like a trillion trillion times weaker than any of the others.”
“Gravity is the weakest force?”
“Yeah. I was surprised
when Nathan first explained this to me, but it’s obvious. We tend to think it’s
all powerful because we live on a massive ball of matter, and in a universe
filled with enormous quantities of gravity-producing stars and planets. But if
you think about it, a one-ounce magnet can lift a paperclip from the ground.
Despite the fact that the gravity produced by the entire Earth is trying to hold it down. Six thousand trillion tons
of mass being counteracted by a tiny magnet.”
“That’s how much the
Earth weighs?”
Jenna nodded.
“Wow. That must have
been some scale.”
Jenna smiled. “So let
me get back to your question. The second theory is that dark energy is a fifth type of fundamental force. One
that was previously unknown. One physicists have dubbed q uintessence , a
force that exists throughout the universe in something called the quintessence
field. I’m not sure how this is different from the zero point field, but it is
all-pervasive as well.”
“So the quint in quintessence means five, right?
Like quintuplets?”
“Yes. Actually, modern physicists
stole the word from the ancient Greeks. The ancients didn’t know about the four
fundamental forces we know about, of course. But they believed that everything
was made up of a combination of four types of elements, four types of matter: earth,
air, fire, and water. And this belief was widespread in a number of different
cultures. But the ancients often included a fifth element, which they believed
filled the universe beyond Earth. They called this element quintessence. Also
called ether in ancient Greece, and akasha in India.”
“And in modern English,
of course,” said Blake, “ quintessence ,
and quintessential , means the most
perfect example of something. The most pure and essential essence.”
“Exactly,” said Jenna. She
was coming to appreciate that Aaron Blake was far more than just a bad-ass
commando. Like Nathan, he didn’t feel the need to flaunt his depth and
intelligence, but it was there.
“Very interesting stuff,” said
Blake.
“Thanks. But I’m
there with the most incredible discoveries of the millennium,” she continued.
“Most cosmologists agree that dark matter and dark energy make up ninety-five
percent of the universe. The parts we can detect, the hundreds of billions of
galaxies filled with hundreds of billions of stars and planets, represent only five percent of the total. Five
percent!”
“Do scientists have any idea
what dark energy is?”
“Two theories are most popular.
The first is that it’s a manifestation of something called zero point energy.
Long story, but quantum physics has shown there is an energy field that exists
everywhere, including the vacuum of space, called the zero point field. The
energy produced is too fleeting for us to tap, but it’s there. The problem with
this one is that the zero point field has been calculated as being nearly infinite.
Dark energy’s affect on the universe is incomprehensibly immense, but if the
zero point field were responsible, some scientists believe it would be even
stronger.”
“And the second theory?” said
Blake, appearing to be genuinely fascinated.
“Well, there are four
fundamental forces in nature that we know of. Electromagnetism, which everyone
knows about. The weak nuclear force, which makes possible the fusion that
powers the sun. And the strong nuclear force, which basically holds the nuclei
of atoms together.”
“I’ll take your word
for it,” said Blake dryly.
Jenna winced. “I’m
going into too much unneeded detail, aren’t I?” she said. “Sorry. Nathan can
make this stuff a lot more interesting than I can.”
“No, no,” said Blake.
“You’re doing great. Please go on.”
“Okay. I was going to
say that gravity can be considered the fourth fundamental force, although it is
something like a trillion trillion times weaker than any of the others.”
“Gravity is the weakest force?”
“Yeah. I was surprised
when Nathan first explained this to me, but it’s obvious. We tend to think it’s
all powerful because we live on a massive ball of matter, and in a universe
filled with enormous quantities of gravity-producing stars and planets. But if
you think about it, a one-ounce magnet can lift a paperclip from the ground.
Despite the fact that the gravity produced by the entire Earth is trying to hold it down. Six thousand trillion tons
of mass being counteracted by a tiny magnet.”
“That’s how much the
Earth weighs?”
Jenna nodded.
“Wow. That must have
been some scale.”
Jenna smiled. “So let
me get back to your question. The second theory is that dark energy is a fifth type of fundamental force. One
that was previously unknown. One physicists have dubbed q uintessence , a
force that exists throughout the universe in something called the quintessence
field. I’m not sure how this is different from the zero point field, but it is
all-pervasive as well.”
“So the quint in quintessence means five, right?
Like quintuplets?”
“Yes. Actually, modern physicists
stole the word from the ancient Greeks. The ancients didn’t know about the four
fundamental forces we know about, of course. But they believed that everything
was made up of a combination of four types of elements, four types of matter: earth,
air, fire, and water. And this belief was widespread in a number of different
cultures. But the ancients often included a fifth element, which they believed
filled the universe beyond Earth. They called this element quintessence. Also
called ether in ancient Greece, and akasha in India.”
“And in modern English,
of course,” said Blake, “ quintessence ,
and quintessential , means the most
perfect example of something. The most pure and essential essence.”
“Exactly,” said Jenna. She
was coming to appreciate that Aaron Blake was far more than just a bad-ass
commando. Like Nathan, he didn’t feel the need to flaunt his depth and
intelligence, but it was there.
“Very interesting stuff,” said
Blake.
“Thanks. But I’m
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