\n<\/p>\n
Empty space is nothing but. According to the weird rules of quantum mechanics, it\u2019s actually filled with an endless amount of energy, known appropriately enough as vacuum energy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Quantum mechanics is super weird. One of the lessons of the quantum is that particles, like electrons and photons and neutrinos and whatnot, aren\u2019t what they seem to be. Instead, each of the particles that we see in nature is actually just a piece of a much larger, grander entity. These grander entitles are known as quantum fields, and the fields soak every bit of space and time, all throughout the universe.<\/p>\n There is a quantum field for every kind of particle: one field for the electrons, one for the photons, and so on. These fields are invisible to us, but they make up the fundamental building blocks of existence. They are constantly vibrating and buzzing. When the fields vibrate with enough energy, particles appear. When the fields die down, the particles disappear. (Another way to look at this is to say what we call a \u201cparticle\u201d is really a localized vibration of a quantum field). When two particles interact, it\u2019s really just two pieces of quantum fields interacting with each other.<\/p>\n So if you think about all the particles that make up your body, all the electrons and protons and neutrons, those particles are just local vibrations of entities that span the entire cosmos. Neat.<\/p>\n \n