Vacuum fluctuations could be the origin of the anisotropy of the mass distribution, leading to gravitational waves. Maybe, vacuum fluctuations (Heisenberg) are gravitational waves leading to gravity, and not the contrary (gravity leading to gravitational waves)? Moreover, do all models of gravitational waves use equations underlying the existence of dark energy? Is the search for gravitational waves, model dependent?
Nathalie: There is general agreement about the description of "gravitational waves", but "vacuum fluctuations" have several different interpretations. Gravitational waves are quadrupole waves emitted by massive accelerated objects such as binary stars and collapsing neutron stars. A gravitational wave causes a spherical volume to become an oscillating ellipsoid. A gravitational wave produces offsetting effects which result in no change in total proper volume and no change in the rate of time.
"Vacuum fluctuations" are often equated to virtual particle pair formation and annihilation. However, I am going to address another definition of vacuum fluctuations which fits better with the implications of your question. Spacetime itself appears to be a smooth, empty void on the macroscopic scale. However, on the scale where quantum mechanics dominate, spacetime is a violent place filled with energy. The distance between points cannot be measured more accurately than Planck length (about 10-35 m). This is because small amplitude waves fill space and modulate volume. Similarly the rate of time is being modulated by small amplitude temporal waves so that perfect clocks can speed up and slow down by Planck time (about 10-43 s). It is possible to calculate the energy density of these small amplitude waves and the answer is an astounding 10113 J/m3. This is the famous 10120 discrepancy between the energy density of the universe obtained from general relativity and the vacuum energy density obtained from quantum mechanics. The link below is a preprint of a technical paper to be published in December that goes into much more detain about vacuum fluctuations, zero point energy and how this model of spacetime can be the basic building block of fields and forces.
http://onlyspacetime.com/QM-Foundation.pdf
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