The Dirac Sea as a probabilistic plenum
A conceptual genealogy of the vacuum in quantum field theory from the concept of Ether
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/endoxa.56.2025.34135Keywords:
Sea of Dirac, Quantum Void, Ether, Paul Dirac, PlenumAbstract
How the concept of quantum void has historically developed? This text presents a genealogy of the concept of quantum void through the historical variations of the theory of the ether in order to understand the concept of the Sea of Dirac as a probabilistic plenum, conecting the concept of ether to the quantum void full of virtual particles of Paul Dirac that propelled the quantum field theory. Keeping this cosmic omnipresence permits to distinguish the quantum void from the common concept of nothingness, explaining how the current quantum fields preclude an absolut void. This text historically treats the desmaterialization of the ether until the 20th century, relates the Dirac's Sea to the concept of ether emphasizing its relevance in the development of the quantum field theory, and explains how this "filled" conception of the void is today validated by the ETH experiment (2019) that directly detected void fluctuations.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Jordi Vivaldi
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