Vacuum (laboratory)

A user has requested that an administrator delete this page forthwith.

I plan to rename Vacuum (science) to this name once it is deleted.

See also pages that link to this page.

Milton Beychok 23:54, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

This article is about the empty volume of space. For other uses of the term vacuum, please see vacuum (disambiguation).

In common usage and in the scientific laboratory, the term vacuum refers to a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, having a gaseous pressure that is much less than atmospheric.

Proposed deletion and subsequent action

The page vacuum (laboratory) is exactly what this low pressure definition describes. On the other hand, vacuum (laboratory) is redundant as vacuum (partial) means the same thing, and may be clearer. The designation vacuum (science) could mean:

• Vacuum (classical) [r]: The term classical vacuum as used in classical electromagnetism and in the definition of the SI units refers to an ideal reference medium devoid of all particles, with ideal properties. These ideal properties include: independence from field strengths, direction, frequency, or polarization, and from temperature. ^[e]
• Vacuum (quantum electrodynamic) [r]: The term quantum electrodynamic vacuum, or QED vacuum, refers to the ground state of the electromagnetic field, which is subject to fluctuations about a dormant zero average-field condition. ^[e]
• Vacuum (partial) [r]: A realizable vacuum with a gaseous pressure that is much less than atmospheric. ^[e]

Therefore, it should be used as a general designation for all of the above, and not restricted to a narrower meaning. John R. Brews 13:36, 5 January 2011 (UTC)