Profile
Garret Moddel
professor emeritus of electrical, computer and energy engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Moddel studies devices that convert electromagnetic radiation into electrical signals or power, including fast diodes for collecting sunlight and waste heat. He also investigates proposed ways to extract energy from the quantum vacuum. In their 2019 assessment, he and Olga Dmitriyeva compare these proposals using energy conservation and thermodynamic balance, distinguishing mechanical Casimir cycles from pumping atoms through small cavities. Their assessment describes the initial experiments as inconclusive because the output was below expectations.
Affiliations
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering
Channels
Bibliography
A bibliography listing does not establish authorship. Credits appear under attribution.
Published bibliography entries: 2. Showing 1–2 of 2.
Listed work
patent · 2008
Quantum vacuum energy extraction
- Bernard Haisch(Author)
- Garret Moddel(Author)
Haisch and Moddel’s 2008 patent proposes extracting energy by repeatedly moving gas through Casimir cavities, tiny regions that restrict the electromagnetic waves they can support. In the proposed cycle, atoms release energy as they enter a cavity and regain it from the surrounding vacuum field after leaving. The designs collect the released radiation as heat and use flowing gas, vibrating gas, or changing cavity walls to repeat the cycle. The mechanism assumes a balance between electron radiation and absorption from the vacuum; its extension beyond hydrogen is not theoretically established in the patent. An asymmetric design adds an absorbing layer near the entrance but not the exit, aiming to collect energy locally while replenishing it from the wider surroundings.
Listed work
patent · 2008
Quantum vacuum energy extraction
- Bernard Haisch(Author)
- Garret Moddel(Author)
Haisch and Moddel’s 2008 patent proposes extracting energy by repeatedly moving gas through Casimir cavities, tiny regions that restrict the electromagnetic waves they can support. In the proposed cycle, atoms release energy as they enter a cavity and regain it from the surrounding vacuum field after leaving. The designs collect the released radiation as heat and use flowing gas, vibrating gas, or changing cavity walls to repeat the cycle. The mechanism assumes a balance between electron radiation and absorption from the vacuum; its extension beyond hydrogen is not theoretically established in the patent. An asymmetric design adds an absorbing layer near the entrance but not the exit, aiming to collect energy locally while replenishing it from the wider surroundings.