Re: Dies the Magnet

Wasn't it Jacey Bedford who wrote:
In message <30b9f677-f2de-44cf-823c-bb051229d0e2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Mad Bad Rabbit <madbadrabbit@xxxxxxxxx> writes
According to a 1991 paper, "The Environmental impact of vacuum
decay" (abstract at: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1991AmJPh..59...25C
), it is possible that the electromagnetic force could spontaneously
break into separate short-range electric and magnetic forces.
According to the authors, this would not destroy the universe or blow
up the Sun or anything, but it would mean several bad things for
modern civilization:

1) Photon now has mass and moves slightly slower than c.
2) No more radio, microwaves, or other EM waves below a few hundred
GHz.
3) No magnetic or electric fields beyond 1 cm or so.

Assuming such a phase transaction occurred, though, what would happen
to the potential energy stored in electric and magnetic fields when
they vanished? Would it all be released as photons?


Err... A Question from a science numbskull:

Without its magnetic fields isn't the whole planet pretty well buggered for various reasons of solar bombardment? Or am I completely arse about face? Just recalling something I read recently, but I may have got it wrong.

I think it might be a bit worse than that. Life might continue, but any multicellular life form that relies on electric field effects for the passing of nerve signals may well die. Our lungs wouldn't get messages telling them to breathe. New multicellular creatures could evolve that use entirely chemical nerve signals, which would be a bit slower.

--
Mike Williams
Gentleman of Leisure
.

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: Dies the Magnet
    ... decay" (abstract at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1991AmJPh..59...25C ... it is possible that the electromagnetic force could spontaneously ... Photon now has mass and moves slightly slower than c. ... No magnetic or electric fields beyond 1 cm or so. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.science)