Exploring a proposed origin of inertia, from fundamental questions to practical laboratory work.
Developed by Dr Mike McCulloch, Quantized Inertia (QI) connects questions about motion and the quantum vacuum with possible applications in propulsion. Dr Richard Arundal worked with McCulloch on experimental apparatus and capacitor testing as part of the research described in his PhD.
Explore the Research & Reading ↘Inertia is the resistance of an object to a change in its motion. QI, also written Quantised Inertia and previously known as MiHsC, proposes an explanation involving Unruh radiation: a predicted effect in which an accelerating observer perceives the vacuum as a thermal radiation field.
In McCulloch’s proposal, acceleration-related and cosmological horizons restrict the radiation available to an object. An imbalance is proposed to produce resistance to acceleration. At very low accelerations, the model predicts departures from the usual inertial response.
Read the Foundational Argument ↗McCulloch has applied QI to galaxy rotation and other low-acceleration systems, seeking to account for observations using visible matter. A separate line of work explores whether engineered boundaries or electrical systems could produce measurable forces.
QI remains a contested proposal. Its derivation has been challenged, and proposed propulsion effects require reproducible measurements and careful exclusion of conventional forces. The reading below brings together the original arguments, experimental work and critical analysis.
Read a Critical Analysis ↗Richard’s contribution focused on engineering and testing: supporting apparatus development, manually constructing experimental capacitors and carrying out physical tests with Dr Mike McCulloch. This work connected an exploratory physics question with the practical demands of building and evaluating equipment.
A university research record credits Richard Arundal, Mike McCulloch and Jasper Graham-Jones for the 2022 P1 X150 experiment recording.
Explore the Experiment Record ↗The dissertation uses the capacitor work as a second, exploratory manufacturing case for OOMSAT. It considers how a modular mission-planning tool could accommodate a different product and manufacturing sequence in a hypothetical orbital facility.
The thesis discusses measured balance responses and the need for further work on repeatability, scalability and environmental effects. The manufacturing case explores system architecture; it does not establish a flight-ready propulsion technology.
Read the Dissertation ↗A selected collection of theoretical papers, experimental research and critical perspectives. Start with the dissertation and its references, or explore the wider literature. Source types distinguish journal papers, a preprint and an experiment recording.
Sources reviewed on 12 October 2026. This is a curated reading collection, not a systematic review.
Develops the proposal that an asymmetry in horizon-limited Unruh radiation could produce inertia. A starting point for the physical assumptions behind QI.
Theory · Dissertation & Its References
Author manuscript on arXiv; published in EPL, 101, 59001. Cited in the dissertation bibliography, p. 170.
Compares QI predictions with galaxy rotation data using visible matter. Presents the author’s case for an alternative explanation of galactic dynamics; the comparison is not proof of the proposed mechanism.
Astrophysics · Dissertation & Its References
Author manuscript on arXiv; published in Astrophysics and Space Science. Cited in the dissertation bibliography, p. 170.
Proposes a QI interpretation of reported capacitor forces. Relevant to the capacitor research discussed in Richard’s thesis; this theoretical preprint does not provide independent experimental confirmation.
Experimental Work · Dissertation & Its References
Author-uploaded preprint on ResearchGate. Cited in the dissertation bibliography, p. 170.
Describes Richard’s apparatus development, capacitor construction and testing, and the exploratory application of OOMSAT to capacitor manufacture. The thesis identifies further work needed on repeatability and environmental effects.
Experimental Work · Dissertation & Its References
University repository and full dissertation. See sections 1.5, 15.3 and 15.4.
A public record of the collaborative experimental work, with a link to the experiment recording. A useful companion to the dissertation’s account of practical testing.
Experimental Work · Further Reading
University research record linking to video. Published 21 October 2022; listed as a digital research output.
Explores a related derivation connecting inertia, information loss and horizons. Useful for following how the theoretical argument developed beyond the earlier radiation-pressure formulation.
Theory · Further Reading
University repository record; published in Modern Physics Letters A.
Examines QI’s mathematical derivation and identifies problems in its original formulation. Provides a critical counterpoint to the foundational papers and an alternative calculation of the radiation spectrum.
Critical Analysis · Further Reading
Open manuscript on arXiv; related journal article in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Reports no net thrust within measurement resolution for the laser-resonator configurations tested, including QI-inspired concepts. These optical tests are distinct from the capacitor experiments described in Richard’s dissertation.
Experimental Work · Further Reading
Open-access CEAS Space Journal article. Published online April 2021; volume 14 (2022), pp. 45–62.
Interprets Jupiter-mass binary systems in terms of QI’s proposed minimum acceleration and suggests a spectroscopic test. A recent extension of the astrophysical argument, with predictions that require further testing.
Astrophysics · Further Reading
University record and open published paper. Published 26 December 2025 in Astronomy, volume 5, issue 1 (2026).
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