ON FUNDAMENTAL FORCES AND SPACE PERMITTIVITY.
Commenting on my post about the nature of space, a friend observed – even if it could be empty outside of matter and fundamental forces between matter, it is a volume where matter, energy and forces spread, it is also good to investigate space permittivity. This is my response.
Space is described in two ways: 1) Akasha (आकाशः – आ समन्तात् काश्यन्ते दीप्यन्ते) – the infinite absolute space (अमूर्तकालः) – the background in which we see everything including the universe, and 2) Antariksha (अन्तरिक्षम् – अन्तरा क्षान्तं भवति – अन्तर्मध्ये ऋक्षाणि नक्षत्राणि यस्य तत्) – the interval between objects, which is finite and measurable space (मूर्तकालः).
There is nothing as empty (शून्यम्) in the universe. It is full inside and outside (पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते। पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते॥). Empty is a relative term. If you say a cup is empty, it means, it is full of air. Nowhere it is empty. If you take out something from somewhere, it remains full. Imagine inside sea, you take out one jar of water. The water level remains same, even if your jar is full. Or the space inside a pot. If the pot is broken, the space inside it neither goes anywhere nor remains as separate. The space remains unaffected.
What is the content of space? Permittivity is the ability of a substance to store electrical energy in an electric field. Space allows everything to be stored in it. Hence, “the value of the absolute dielectric permittivity of classical vacuum” is meaningless. It can be any value. The “electric constant, or the distributed capacitance of the vacuum” is a wrong description. The constant refers to something different. For that we must understand the nature of electromagnetic interaction and differentiate it from electromagnetic radiation.
Strong interaction (Antaryama – अन्तर्यामः) is confined within the nucleus (हृद्य – आत्मस्पृत्). For this reason, the atomic number and mass numbers are used based on nucleons: protons and neutrons – to determine elements and isotopes. It determines the nature of the object (स्वरूपः). If the cherries are red, it is due to the nature of the strong interaction between its constituent protons and neutrons that absorb some radiation and permit others to go out to give it a red color.
On the contrary, weak interaction behaves differently. Modern concept of weak interaction as radioactive disintegration is faulty. Alpha decay (Yatayama – यातयामः) is totally a different phenomenon than beta decay (Bahiryama – बहिर्यामः). In alpha decay, the nucleus of the atom becomes degenerate (लक्षच्युतो गतरसो) to split into different elements.
Beta decay (Bahiryama – बहिर्यामः) part of weak interaction is the interaction of the nucleus with the different orbitals (पृष्ठ्यः) – behavior of one or two electrons near the atomic nucleus or of a system of nuclei as in a molecule (बहिरन्तस्तलस्पर्शी). It is not inherent to the object or element, but is only imposed (औपाघिकः) from outside. It is characterized by the absence of one of the following two factors: it is not inherent (अन्वित) to the element – the element can remain without the electron as ion. Also, it doesn’t remain with the element perpetually till the element remains as such (यावत्कालस्थायी). In the macro world, it could be compared to a white cloth being turned red by applying color to it. It was inherently not red. Our sense organs act with the external world in the principle of weak interaction.
But electromagnetic interaction (उपयामः) stand on a different footing. It is limited to the interaction only of the external orbitals without affecting nucleus (पृष्ठस्पृश्युपयामः). It is like we wear different clothes. It covers our exterior, but is not an inherent part of us nor does it affect our body except protecting from heat or cold. But just like a red flower kept near a crystal makes the crystal look red, it affects the objects secondarily (उपाश्रितः). Hence, it spreads in confined space (within a medium) till it comes to equilibrium (we put more or less cloth based on its hot or cold).
Fields (क्षेत्रम्) are of two types only (क्षि॒ क्ष॒ये and क्षि॒ निवासग॒त्योः – क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारं सह विकारिण महदादिनं उक्तम्). The space as we know it (measurable space), is always a field with some density – however small it may be. Electromagnetic radiation moves through the field infinitely till it is absorbed by something. But electromagnetic interaction is limited to the specific limited area. We have seen electricity flowing only if there is a conductor. The other type of field is the conscious field, which is beyond density fluctuations.
A field is an area, upon entering which, we experience some force. The universe is full of electromagnetic force (अग्निसोमात्मकं जगत्). Without this, nothing can exist. All objects have charge in different proportions. In our limited space, we use or experience the charge differently based on the objects around us. But in outer space, there is a uniform field. It has uniform density, where electromagnetic forces move uniformly. That is called the permittivity of space.
I will explain gravity separately.
