Vacuum Quantum Theory

The different branches of physics—optics, gravitation, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics—each possess highly precise yet mutually independent mathematical frameworks. This work proceeds from a single observation: the core equations of these fields exhibit a striking consistency in mathematical structure. The deflection of light in a gravitational field and refraction in a medium both obey Fermat’s principle; Newtonian gravity and the Coulomb force both follow the inverse-square law; electromagnetic and gravitational waves satisfy wave equations of identical form . This cross-disciplinary consistency in mathematical form suggests a common physical foundation lying behind them.

We hypothesize that this common foundation is a physical entity permeating all of space—the vacuum quantum. Adopting a “reverse-engineering” approach, we start from the exact mathematical forms of known physical laws and infer the properties and parameters that the vacuum quantum must possess. From the known constants of electromagnetism (the speed of light  and the vacuum impedance ) and quantum mechanics (the Planck constant ) , we derive the four fundamental parameters of the vacuum quantum—the coupling strength , the ground-state spacing , the inertial density , and the zero-point fluctuation amplitude .

The central finding of the theory is that gravity and electromagnetism are not two independent forces, but rather different manifestations of the same vacuum quantum network under distinct perturbation modes. Mass pushes quanta apart, altering the spacing, and gives rise to gravity; charge alters the correlation state of the quanta, and gives rise to the electromagnetic force. The conversion coefficients describing the strengths of the two forces—the gravitational conversion coefficient  and the electromagnetic conversion coefficient —are precisely locked together through the vacuum impedance :

At the quantum-mechanical level, the physical origin of the Planck constant is traced to the zero-point vibrational energy scale of the vacuum quantum :

At the thermodynamic level, heat is interpreted as a macroscopic measure of quantum vibrational amplitude, heat conduction as the incoherent diffusion of vibrational energy, and the four laws of thermodynamics acquire a unified microscopic foundation.

The theory’s parameter system exhibits strict self-consistency. Starting from six fundamental parameters (), all macroscopic physical constants——are expressed or related through these parameters. Parameters across different fields are not independent: the  combination constraint obtained from electromagnetism and quantum mechanics is consistent in order of magnitude with the Wien constant  obtained from thermodynamics; the gravitational constant  and the Coulomb constant  are unified within the same conversion-coefficient framework through . This cross-disciplinary parametric self-consistency is something that mere “mathematical substitution” cannot achieve; it points toward a real physical entity.

The theory yields quantitative predictions that can be independently tested by experiment. The most decisive among these is the multi-dimensional test of the Casimir effect: the theory predicts that the Casimir force increases with temperature and increases with an applied external magnetic field—at a laboratory magnetic field of 10 T, using insulating plates, a spot displacement of approximately 20 μm is expected, far exceeding detector resolution. In standard quantum electrodynamics, the temperature (at room temperature) and magnetic field dependence of the Casimir force is essentially undetectable. This exclusivity—“zero effect in standard theory vs. non-zero effect in our theory”—constitutes the basis for a decisive test.

The theoretical framework presented here does not overturn any existing physical laws—the Maxwell equations, Newtonian gravity, the Schrödinger equation, and the four laws of thermodynamics are all retained—but rather provides a common, more fundamental physical foundation for these laws. Whether this foundation is valid must ultimately be decided by experiment.