Exploring Virtual Particles: Black Holes, Energy, and Creation/Annihilation

In summary, virtual particles can only have a certain amount of energy, and negative energy particles cannot escape from a black hole.
  • #1
Rothiemurchus
203
1
Why can't a negative energy virtual particle escape from a black hole?
Could two sets of virtual particles arise from the same point in space simultaneously? And would they have to annihilate simultaneously?
And how does a rapidly oscillating gravitational field affect virtual particle
creation and annihilation?
What is the greatest energy a virtual particle can possibly have?
 
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  • #2
Why can't a negative energy virtual particle escape from a black hole?
Look up Hawking radiation.
Could two sets of virtual particles arise from the same point in space simultaneously? And would they have to annihilate simultaneously?
Two sets? If you mean two pairs, then I suppose it's possible, and their existence would be largely independent.
What is the greatest energy a virtual particle can possibly have?
Currently there is no upper bound on their energies. It's possible that in a quantum theory of gravity there would be a cutoff at the Planck scale, but that's all hypothetical.

My turn: are these unrelated questions going somewhere?
 
  • #3
Could two sets of virtual particles arise from the same point in space simultaneously? And would they have to annihilate simultaneously?

Hmm... I seem to remember from a course on the standard model of particle physics that this is indeed possible - however its much more unlikley than the case of just one particle pair being formed. I think (and can only hope that someone wise will read this and correct it) that when you try to calculate the probalility of an event ocuring you have to take into account all of these less and less likely routes by which an event could occur?
 
  • #4
Zefram C:
My turn: are these unrelated questions going somewhere?

Rothie M:
I would like to know, if quarks and an electron,in the early universe, separated by the Planck distance -10^-35 m - still absorb and emit virtual photons ,as they do at larger distances, in the current universe.
Loop quantum gravity theorists say that Einstein's laws were still valid at the Planck scale,so were other laws too?
 
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  • #5
When particles are separated by a distance comparable to the Planck distance, they can hear each other, so they keep talking about how stupid humans are. The laughing that results from those conversations is so strong, it tears them apart by a factor of several order of magnitudes. That is the reason particles are so sad. They cannot help talking about our stupidity, and it makes them lonely.

What I'm wrong !? How do you know ? Particles refuse to talk to us anyway.
 
  • #6
Them soundwaves from those particles talking, were they doppler shifted by the Big Bang?
 
  • #7
kind of relating to the subject, how do you calculate how much energy a virtual particle can borrow?, if that makes any sence...
 

1. What are virtual particles?

Virtual particles are subatomic particles that spontaneously appear and disappear in a vacuum due to the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics. They are not detectable by traditional means and their existence is only inferred through their effects on measurable particles.

2. How are virtual particles related to black holes?

Virtual particles play a crucial role in black holes by contributing to their Hawking radiation. As a black hole absorbs particles, it also emits virtual particles, causing it to slowly lose mass and eventually evaporate.

3. Can virtual particles be created or destroyed?

Virtual particles are constantly being created and annihilated in the vacuum due to the fluctuations in energy. However, they cannot be created or destroyed in a permanent manner, as they always return to the vacuum after a short amount of time.

4. What is the connection between virtual particles and energy?

Virtual particles are manifestations of energy in the vacuum and their constant fluctuations contribute to the overall energy of the universe. In the context of black holes, virtual particles play a role in the transfer of energy and ultimately the eventual evaporation of the black hole.

5. How does the concept of virtual particles relate to the creation and annihilation of matter?

The creation and annihilation of virtual particles is a process that occurs constantly in the universe, and it is thought to be one of the mechanisms for the creation and annihilation of matter. In particle accelerators, virtual particles can become real and contribute to the formation of new particles, providing a way for matter to be created and destroyed in a controlled setting.

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