Could very low energy virtual particles last a very long time?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the behavior of virtual particle-antiparticle pairs as described by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. It establishes that the duration of existence, \(\Delta t\), of these pairs is inversely proportional to their energy fluctuation, \(\Delta E\), defined by the equation \(\Delta t \approx h / \Delta E\). The conversation raises critical questions about whether there is a lower limit to \(\Delta E\), particularly concerning neutrino mass, and explores the implications of very low energy pairs, such as photons, potentially existing for extended periods, possibly billions of years.

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johne1618
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By looking at layman's books on physics I have picked up the idea that "virtual" particle-antiparticle pairs continually pop out of the vacuum and then back into it again.

Apparently according to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle the time that the particle pair can exist, \Delta t, is given by

\Delta t \approx h / \Delta E

where \Delta E is the energy of the particle pair.

Is there any lower limit to \Delta E like the neutrino mass? Or could the particle pair be a pair of photons with any energy?

Could \Delta t be billions of years if the particle-pair has a very very low energy ?
 
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\Delta E can be interpreted as the deviation from a proper particle energy&momentum. Particles which are very close to the properties of "real" particles can last a very long time. For pairs of particle+antiparticle with a rest mass, this quantity has to be quite large, which makes these pairs short-living.
 

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