Researchers at the University of Southampton have made a breakthrough in wave theory, successfully testing and validating a 50-year-old hypothesis known as the Zel’dovich effect. This discovery paves the way for advancements in various fields, from renewable energy to quantum physics.
Demystifying the Zel’dovich Effect
In the model — waves with angular momentum that would tend to be absorbed by a rotating object are instead amplified by it, provided the spin is fast enough.
In this landmark experiment, the researchers used an aluminum cylinder as the rotating object and electromagnetic waves as the power source. When the cylinder was rotated at a specific angular velocity, however, the waves experienced a ‘rotational Doppler shift,’ which changed its frequency and increased it by enough to amplify the wave rather than absorb it.
This phenomenon is similar to the well-studied Doppler effect (description) where sound or light wave frequencies appear to differ when the source and receiver are in relative motion. For the Zel’dovich effect, turning this around inside a cylinder gives rise to an analogous shift in the angular frequency of waves.
Effects on Energy and Quantum Mechanics
The advancement of the Zel’dovich effect with electromagnetic waves offers many new opportunities for a variety of disciplines.
These findings could help electrical engineers optimise induction generators which power a large proportion of wind turbines. Engineers could use an understanding of the Zel’dovich effect to improve the efficiency and energy output of these renewable energy systems.
What’s more, the effect could have serious implications for quantum physics, scientists at the research lab are convinced. If we looked at the Zel’dovich effect in a quantum world, with waves being created from something like the cylinder amplifying the quantum vacuum, we would be able to look back billions and billions of years into what our universe really is.
Professor Hendrik Ulbricht, who oversaw the research project, said: “It has been a pleasure to see the results published now, and I am really grateful for the great team that worked with me. It’s good that our setup is relatively straightforward, and during the whole COVID-shit I had at least 1 project so set up this experiment and take first data. That is a step closer to detecting the action at an even more fundamental level — in that case, where the waves were created by the cylinder amplifying quantum vacuum fluctuations.
Conclusion
The University of Southampton researchers’ confirmation is “a big deal” in wave theory, Ando said. This not only helps scientists understand physics but also could lead to innovations in fields such as renewable energy and quantum physics. By the time we are living, the scientific community will explore further of it moulding us new ways of viewing the universe and how to use those forces.
