COMMENT ON ZERO-POINT FLUCTUATIONS AND THE COSMOLOGICAL CONSTANT - REPLY

Michel has attempted to dismiss the concept of a vacuum electromagneti c zero-point field (ZPF) as a ''computational trick.'' He criticizes t he work of several researchers, and specifically the Rueda, Haisch, & Cole proposal that, ''the ZPF may have something to do with cosmic voi ds'' and their reference to ''various other publications suggesting st ill other physical applications.'' We interpret the latter as referrin g principally to our proposition that the ZPF underlies the origin of inertia. If that concept proves to be true-and a new relativistic deri vation increases our confidence-its implications would solve one of Mi chel's major concerns: the cosmological constant problem. In this repl y we thus seek to balance the perspective presented to the astrophysic al community by Michel.