A Fluid With Negative Mass?!

Still trying to envisage something that weighs less than nothing.

HAL.

The theory of "dark matter", the idea that presumed "gravity" forces are responsible for the inherent stability of both macro and micro matter, is I think simply a misconception. The idea is that many bits of matter show a stability that cannot be accounted for by the assumed gravity of known masses. In other words, the gravity forces of known and measured matter are not enough to account for the demonstrated stability of much of the known universe. 

The concept is predicated on the idea that "gravity" is a primary force that affects all matter in proportion to the mass of known objects. This based on the idea that "gravity" emanates from the relative mass of larger objects. The above article posted by Swamp suggests that "dark matter" is an invisible fluid that accounts for all the unaccounted "stability" in known matter. So, what they propose is the presence of a "massive" fluid that accounts for these forces. Well, this type of a theory, despite all the hyperbolic statements made about it, is nothing new at all. This proposal is simply a new semantic construct - a renaming of the ancient Aristotlean concept of the "ether" as a "fluid dark matter". This semantic construct cleverly allows us to maintain all the present scientific theories (including the, I believe, mistaken concept "dark matter" itself) with just a new redefining of the etheric field. 

Cool? Sort of. But what are they talking about but yet another semantic variation of the quantum field, morphogenetic field, matrix (famously misinterpreted and mangled by the popular film "The Matrix"), or the "zero point energy" field? And what are any of these but another redefining of the ancient concept of the Ether, which science long ago rejected, but somehow keeps popping up again and again in some bizarre example of epistemic whack-a-mole?

Here is an old paper by scientist Hal Puthoff that puts this whole concept in perspective:

www.keelynet.com/gravity/putnasa.htm

Here are some relevant passages: 

"It was the advent of modern quantum theory, however, that established the quantum vacuum, so-called empty space, as a very active place, with particles arising and disappearing, a virtual plasma, and fields continuously fluctuating about their zero baseline values. The energy associated with such processes is called zero-point energy (ZPE), reflecting the fact that such activity remains even at absolute zero." (aka "mysterious dark fluid", either, quantum matrix, etc.)

"At its most fundamental level, we now recognize that the quantum vacuum is an enormous reservoir of untapped energy, with energy densities conservatively estimated by Feynman and others to be on the order of nuclear energy densities or greater. Therefore, the question is, can the ZPE be "mined" for practical use? If so, it would constitute a virtually ubiquitous energy supply, a veritable "Holy Grail" energy source for space propulsion.
As utopian as such a possibility may seem, physicist Robert Forward at Hughes Research Laboratories demonstrated proof-of-principle in a paper published in 1984, "Extracting Electrical Energy from the Vacuum by Cohesion of Charged Foliated Conductors."
Forward's approach exploited a phenomenon called the Casimir Effect, an attractive quantum force between closely-spaced metal plates, named for its discoverer, H. G. B. Casimir of Philips Laboratories in the Netherlands.
The Casimir force, recently measured with high accuracy by S. K. Lamoreaux at the University of Washington, derives from partial shielding of the interior region of the plates from the background zero-point fluctuations of the vacuum electromagnetic field.
As shown by Los Alamos theorist Milonni and his colleagues, this shielding results in the plates being pushed together by the unbalanced ZPE radiation pressures.... "

And what are "ZPE radiation pressures" but another name for the "new" "dark matter fluid"?

The difference that I see implicit in Puthoff's interpretation is that he suggests that gravity is not a primary force at all, but a result of the shielding affect of large masses resulting in local fluctuations of the "zero point energy field" (The Casimir Effect stated above). If we look at it this way, "dark matter" is simply a mistaken concept trying to account for a primary gravity force when, in fact, gravity is not a primary force at all but a secondary effect caused by local fluctuations in the quantum field caused by the shielding affect of large masses. Perhaps i have misinterpreted what Puthoff and others are saying, but this is my limited understanding of the implications of his ideas. 

Zero point energy, quantum matrix, "dark matter fluid field" - they are all various names for roughly the same thing. With "ether" by any other name, I do not think that even Aristotle would recognize this concept as "new". But wrap it up in a new conceptual package and everybody gets all giddy about it. The good news, to me, is that science (only after rejecting such concepts as silly superstitions for centuries) is finally arriving at the point where all of those "New Age" concepts (that are in fact ancient!) are now being borne out once again by the "cutting edge" of science! It kind of makes me wonder who is being superstitious now?

Just sayin'....

Bonehead