zero-point energy

[ zeer-oh-point ]

noun

, Physics.

1. energy in a substance at the temperature of absolute zero.

zero-point energy

1. The irreducible minimum energy possessed by a physical system, as of a substance at a temperature of absolute zero. The zero point energy of a vacuum is not zero due to vacuum fluctuations .
2. See Note at absolute zero

Word History and Origins

Origin of zero-point energy¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Perhaps the weirdest of all is caused by a zero in the equations of quantum mechanics: the zero-point energy.

From Literature

Since the vacuum everywhere in the universe is seething with a quantum foam of virtual particles, the fabric of the universe is filled with infinite zero-point energy.

From Literature

In the 1980s physicists suggested that the zero-point energy in the early universe was greater than it is today.

From Literature

But the vacuum of the first few moments is a false vacuum; its zero-point energy is unnaturally large.

From Literature

The higher energy state of the zero-point energy makes it inherently unstable, and very quickly—in less than a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a second—the false vacuum would collapse, reverting to the true vacuum, with its everyday zero-point energy that we observe in our universe.

From Literature