The discussion revolves around the nature of virtual particles, their interactions, and their implications for concepts such as vacuum energy and the cosmological constant. Participants explore whether virtual particles can interact with each other, the validity of their existence, and their role in phenomena like black hole evaporation and cosmic expansion.
Participants express multiple competing views regarding the reality and interaction of virtual particles, with no consensus reached on their implications or existence. Disagreement persists over the interpretation of vacuum energy and its relationship to cosmic phenomena.
Participants note that the language surrounding virtual particles can be misleading, particularly in popular science, and that understanding their role requires careful consideration of quantum field theory. The discussion highlights the complexities and unresolved aspects of virtual particles and vacuum energy.
friend said:Of course they're not defined as observables, since they are virtual. I think the problem is that virtual particles are not defined, even for the brief moment they might appear, to have a specific location in time and space. So things like trajectory are not applied to them. But perhaps the probability of virtual particles interacting is calculable. Isn't that what we are doing inside complicated Feynman diagrams?