How Do Magnets Work?
The Origin of Magnetic Fields
The Problem
Magnetic fields are found everywhere in the universe: around planets, stars, galaxies, and even in the space between galaxies. But while physics can describe how magnetic fields behave, it still cannot explain how they first came into existence.
Where did the universe's first magnetic fields come from?
We know the dynamo effect can amplify magnetic fields, but it requires an initial “seed” field to work with. Classical electrodynamics assumes the existence of magnetic fields, but doesn’t explain how or why they formed in the first place. Even more puzzling, these fields seem to align and persist over enormous distances—sometimes across entire galaxies and cosmic filaments.
The Gap in Current Physics
Maxwell’s equations describe the evolution of electromagnetic fields, not their origin. Quantum electrodynamics (QED) describes the interactions between fields and particles but does not offer a mechanism for the creation of magnetic fields from an empty vacuum.
Inflation can stretch and dilute any pre-existing fields, but it can’t generate them. And cosmic magnetic fields show coherent directions and structures that remain unexplained by any standard model.
The Proposal: Quantum Vacuum Torque
Quantum Vacuum Torque (QVT) theory proposes that the vacuum is not empty. It is a structured, energetic field with rotational degrees of freedom. When a directed influence acts on this vacuum—such as consciousness or coherent observation—it induces torque. This torque interacts with the spin structure of the quantum vacuum, aligning the virtual particles and fluctuations that constantly arise and vanish due to quantum uncertainty.
This alignment of spin at the smallest scales leads to the creation of a macroscopic magnetic field.
Mathematical Framework
We begin with the basic definition of torque:
tau = dL/dt
Where:
- tau is torque
- L is angular momentum
- dL/dt is the rate of change of angular momentum with time
In the quantum vacuum, each fluctuation at the Planck scale has an angular momentum roughly on the order of:
L_planck = hbar
Where:
- hbar is the reduced Planck constant
If a directional field of torque is applied across a region of vacuum, it breaks rotational symmetry and causes spin alignment in these fluctuations. The sum of their contributions generates a net magnetic moment:
M = sum_over_i (gamma_i * S_i)
Where:
- M is the magnetic moment
- gamma_i is the gyromagnetic ratio of each fluctuation
- S_i is the spin vector of each virtual particle or fluctuation
A magnetic field is then induced from the total magnetic moment using:
B = mu_0 * M
Putting it all together:
B_primordial = mu_0 * sum_over_i (gamma_i * S_i)
Where:
- B_primordial is the primordial magnetic field
- mu_0 is the vacuum permeability
This shows that even without any moving electric charges, magnetic fields can emerge from spin alignment due to vacuum torque.
Explaining Directionality
One of the mysteries is why magnetic fields are aligned over such huge distances.
In QVT, this is explained by the directional nature of the torque applied to the vacuum. If a coherent field—such as a universal observer field or primordial consciousness—acts on the vacuum before inflation, it can induce rotational symmetry breaking across large regions.
The torque vector is given by:
tau_vacuum = r x F_vacuum
Where:
- r is the position vector
- F_vacuum is the force induced by the interaction between consciousness and the vacuum
Because this occurs before cosmic inflation, the alignment of spin becomes embedded in space itself. As the universe expands, this structure remains, leading to the observed coherence of magnetic fields across galaxies and beyond.
Conclusion
This model solves three major issues:
1. It provides a physical mechanism for the generation of magnetic fields directly from the quantum vacuum, without requiring charged particles.
2. It explains how magnetic fields could have a preferred direction, due to torque applied to the vacuum by a coherent external field.
3. It accounts for the preservation of this structure during inflation, explaining why we observe large-scale coherence today.
References
Durrer, R., & Neronov, A. (2013). Cosmological Magnetic Fields: Their Generation, Evolution and Observation. Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, 21(62). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00159-013-0062-7
Widrow, L. M. (2002). Origin of Galactic and Extragalactic Magnetic Fields. Reviews of Modern Physics, 74(3), 775. https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.74.775
Turner, M. S., & Widrow, L. M. (1988). Inflation-produced, large-scale magnetic fields. Phys. Rev. D, 37(10), 2743. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.37.2743
Penrose, R. (1996). On Gravity’s Role in Quantum State Reduction. General Relativity and Gravitation, 28(5), 581–600.
Kanten, C. (2025). Quantum Vacuum Torque Theory: A Unified Field Approach. Soular Science Institute.
