quantum · intermediate
Zero-point Energy
The lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical system can have, which remains nonzero even at absolute zero temperature, in contrast to classical physics, where a system at its lowest energy state would be expected to be completely motionless. Zero-point energy arises directly from the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, since a particle confined to a definite region cannot have exactly zero momentum, and it has measurable physical consequences, such as the Casimir effect between closely spaced conducting plates.