the expansion of space

[xxMIKExx]

Hi all. Recently, I read somewhere that a vacuum is not exactly empty space, but that it is full of matter and anti-matter particles. These particles are constantly interacting and colliding with each other, which annihilates both particles. After the annihilation process, more matter and anti-matter particles are created.
Because of the constant destruction and creation process, if 2 objects are placed into a vacuum, facing each other, they will slowly start to move towards each other.
What I'm thinking is, the reason the 2 objects move towards each other (as opposed to away from) is because the distance from the edge of the vacuum chamber and each object is greater than the distance between each object. This will allow more interactions between particles to occur "behind" each object and so push them towards each other. If the distance between the objects was greater than the distance to the edge of the chamber, then they would move away from each other.
If this is happening in a lab, then it will be happening throughout the Universe but on a much more massive scale.
Would it be possible for this procces to drive the expansion of space? I believe it could and could even explain why galaxies colide when they are supposed to be moving away from each other.
I've been thinkin about this for a while now but I'm struggling to put it into words, for that I appologise

 

[origin]

Here is a simple explanation of the Casimir Effect to which you are refering.

 

[xxMIKExx]

Thankyou for the link. I couldn't remember the name of the experiment so I wasn't sure where to look. I will read into the Casimir Effect some more. Thanks again

 

[SJQ]

As the universe expands, does the vacuum energy in each cubic unit of space decrease? I.E., at the creation instant, was the total energy in the universe fixed, and is now being dispersed over an increasing volume?

Or does the universal expansion somehow create enough vacuum energy to maintain a constant energy per unit volume, including the newly-expanded space?

 

[Captain_Salty]

Here is a simple explanation of the Casimir Effect to which you are refering.

That article mentions the problem of infinte vacuum energy not being observed. I heard somewhere else that we should also observe gamma rays coming from everywhere as the matter/anti-matter particles annihalate each other, but we don't. :?

 

[yevaud]

By definition, "Virtual" in this regard means particle pairs appear and cancel in a period of time far too brief for us to actually see it occur. It can be measured indirectly though, which was partially the point behind Casimir's experiment.

The reason we don't see a constant Gamma Ray flux arriving from everywhere is due to what's know as a CP (Charge-Parity) Violation, in which there is a slight advantage for the production of matter versus anti-matter...which is why we don't see accumulations of anti-matter everywhere. They don't exist.

Hope that clarifies matters.