While scientists across the world are still working on trying to understand vacuum or dark energy, but this branch of physics apparently has been in practice since the last 2,000 years in ancient Kamrupa or Pragjyotishpur. It is a pity that we have not been able to take such work out to the world and claim our place in history. ************************************************************* Kamrupa scientists mastered vacuum energy 2,000 yrs back SIVASISH THAKUR GUWAHATI, Sept 8 – Dark energy or vacuum energy – which holds the key to establishing the origin and expansion of the universe – might still be at its nascent stage of study, but this branch of physics apparently attained maturity in ancient Kamrupa or Pragjyotishpur, close to 2,000 years back. Researchers studying the evolution of the concept of dark energy in ancient Kamrupa say that the progress made in this sphere of science is corroborated by the scientific experiments done on the application of the principles of vacuum energy. The concept is steeped in certain religious traditions as well, such as the worship of the dark and empty sanctum sanctorum in Shakti shrines like Kamakhya and Ugratara. “That ancient Kamrupa or Pragjyotishpur was a centre for science studies is a fact. We have evidence that ‘Kamrupi Physics’ had indeed made strides in the application of vacuum energy. One such instance relates to ‘reverse flames’ (flames burning downwards) in an oil lamp which was in practice in ancient Kamrupa,” researcher Ashok Sarma says. Sarma, together with sculptor Anup Hazarika, who is a descendent from a family of Kamrupi Physics practitioners, has applied principles of vacuum energy to develop a lamp that burns with its flame hanging downwards. “Our experiment is based on creation of energy with the help of vacuum space. The whole world is now searching for dark energy or vacuum energy. Whatever their findings are so far, they have got their part, but our research asserts that whenever any energy, like heat energy, is kept near a specified volume of vacuum space, then they generate energy in the vacuum space and it acts as a repulsive force against what causes it,” Sarma explains. Interestingly, Sarma says, the vacuum energy thus created is not a conversion of the heat energy which causes it. “Therefore, it will be difficult to say that the ‘Law of conservation of energy’ holds good in this case,” Sarma adds. Explaining further, Sarma says, “We have noticed that the vacuum space is composed of some other matter unknown to us and the behaviour of the vacuum energy is different from other types of energy we have heard of so far. In the lamp whose flame moves downward instead of rising upward, the oil tank is kept in the middle portion, the vacuum tube is kept just over the oil tank, while the chimney is kept just below the oil tank.” Generally, the flame rises upward due to the buoyancy force of the atmosphere. In this case, the effect of gravitational force on the flame is too less as compared to the buoyancy force. “Therefore, we create the vacuum energy which neutralizes the buoyancy force and the flame moves downward,” he adds. The lamp was designed by the late Lombodar Hazarika, father of Anup Hazarika. “My father made this lamp on the basis of Kamrupi Physics, which has its own laws. Following our research for the past few years, we have reached some conclusions. Kamrupi Physics, incidentally, is based on the concept of zero – a concept developed in ancient Kamrup thousands of years back as established by a stone inscription dating back to second century AD, discovered in Golaghat,” Hazarika says. It is only at the end of the last century that astronomers discovered the startling fact that the expansion of the universe is not slowing down, as all our previous understanding of gravity had predicted. “Rather the expansion is speeding up. Nothing in conventional physics can explain such a result. It means that either the universe is made up of around 70 per cent ‘dark energy’ (something that has a sort of anti-gravity) or our theory of gravity is flawed,” Sarma says, quoting from recent research work done at the University of Copenhagen’s Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute. While scientists believe that the concept of vacuum energy will ultimately unravel the mystery as to what the universe is made of, it is fascinating to know that Kamrupi Physics could well be the forerunner of this scientific study.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 06:07:06 +0000
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