Vacuum energy is an underlying background energy that exists in space even when the space is devoid of matter (free space). The concept of vacuum energy has been deduced from the concept of virtual particles, which is itself derived from the energy-time uncertainty principle...Vacuum energy can also be thought of in terms of virtual particles (also known as vacuum fluctuations) which are created and destroyed out of the vacuum. These particles are always created out of the vacuum in particle-antiparticle pairs, which shortly annihilate each other and disappear. However, these particles and antiparticles may interact with others before disappearing, a process which can be mapped using Feynman diagrams. (but these virtual particles are not observable) ...the Casimir effect is no certain proof for vacuum energy since it can also be explained without this theory.[4]
Other predictions are harder to verify. Vacuum fluctuations are always created as particle/antiparticle pairs. The creation of these virtual particles near the event horizon of a black hole has been hypothesized by physicist Stephen Hawking to be a mechanism for the eventual "evaporation" of black holes.
Ignore the part about reactive energy in the near field of an antenna being composed of virtual photons. That's all wrong.
Virtual particles are particles that are believed to exist temporarily as fluctuations in the quantum vacuum. They are not observable in the traditional sense, but their effects can be measured.
Virtual particles can cause ripples in the fabric of spacetime, altering the geometry and curvature of space. This is known as the Casimir effect and has been observed in experiments.
Yes, virtual particles can interact with matter through the strong and weak nuclear forces. They are responsible for the decay of unstable particles and can also contribute to the mass of particles through the Higgs mechanism.
Virtual particles can affect the behavior of light, as they can act as intermediaries in electromagnetic interactions. They can also contribute to the polarization and scattering of light.
Scientists study virtual particles through theoretical models and experiments. They use mathematical equations and simulations to understand their behavior and effects on the physical world.