Physicists Detect Friction-Like Force in Vacuum

One of the most important fundamentals of modern physics is the study of a perfect vacuum system. A perfect vacuum is a place where there is no existence of any kind of matter, therefore, it can possess no friction as well. When an object is travelling through vacuum space then there is no kind of force is exerted on it.

But beside of that conventional theory, a group of U.K physicists has discovered that when a decaying atom is going through a complete vacuum space then there is a force like friction is exerted on it. This phenomenon caught many scientists off guard. They opted for different types of calculations and most of those calculations failed. But now its look like that the physicists are able to come up with a proper solution. Interestingly, this particular solution looks must easier than it was expected to be.

Matthias Sonleitner from University, of Glasgow, has formed up a team in order to study the characteristic behaviour of a decaying atom travelling through a vacuum space. Practically, it is really difficult to create an ideal vacuum space because there is always a possibility that a small piece of an atom is present in the vacuum place and it can easily change the whole equation.

When considering a vacuum place, if the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is applied on it then it can be easily said that the number of particles present in that place is uncertain. At any moment of time, particles can appear and disappear on a random basis. Therefore, physicists think that if there is the certain amount of particle is present in the vacuum place then it can generate a small amount of electric force. This electric force can be responsible for the friction-like the force which was discovered on the decaying atom.