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Concept

zero-point energy

The minimum energy a quantum mechanical system possesses even at absolute zero temperature. Because the uncertainty principle forbids any oscillator from simultaneously having zero displacement and zero momentum, every quantum mode carries a residual energy of ½ħω. This floor cannot be removed; it fills every quantum field at every point in space. Its physical consequences include the Casimir effect, the Lamb shift in atomic spectra, and the spontaneous emission of photons by excited atoms.

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