G. Jordan Maclay
G. Jordan Maclay | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Casimir effect and quantum vacuum energy research |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics (quantum vacuum, Casimir effect, zero-point energy) |
| Institutions | Quantum Fields LLC; University of Illinois at Chicago |
G. Jordan Maclay is a physicist known for research on the Casimir effect, zero-point (vacuum) energy and quantum vacuum fluctuations, and for speculative proposals concerning the extraction of energy from the vacuum and vacuum-based propulsion. He is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Work
Maclay is the founder of Quantum Fields LLC (St. Charles, Illinois) and has published extensively on the electromagnetic quantum vacuum. His peer-reviewed papers include analyses of zero-point electromagnetic energy and Casimir forces in conducting rectangular cavities (Physical Review A, 2000), "Gedanken experiments with Casimir forces and vacuum energy" (Physical Review A, 2010), and work on Casimir forces in micro-electromechanical systems.
Alongside this mainstream work, Maclay has explored more speculative applications of vacuum energy. With Robert L. Forward he proposed "A Gedanken Spacecraft that Operates Using the Quantum Vacuum" (Foundations of Physics, 2004), examining whether the dynamic Casimir effect could in principle be used for propulsion. It is this interest in extracting usable energy or thrust from the quantum vacuum — a goal not accepted as feasible by the physics mainstream — that led to his inclusion in the dissident-scientist directory under the heading of "new energy."