The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of electron-positron pair production in the context of static electric fields, specifically addressing the conditions under which this occurs and the implications for energy conservation. Participants explore theoretical aspects and implications of energy sources related to this process.
Participants express differing views on the relationship between electric fields and energy conservation, with no consensus reached on whether the electric field creates particles from nothing or requires energy to maintain its strength during pair production.
Discussion includes assumptions about energy conservation, the nature of electric fields, and the conditions necessary for pair production, which remain unresolved.
But if you need no energy to maintain electrostatic field, in principle, and this field creates positrons and electrons from ''nothingless'' and these positrons have real energy and could annihilate with something releasing gamma rays, wouldn't it mean we received energy from physical vacuum?Simon Bridge said:You can get pair production from a static electric field.
The process is not associated with any additional energy release.
i.e.
http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.4120
For fields so strong that you get pair production you do need energy to maintain them. Otherwise the produced charges will weaken it over time (as electrons go to the positive side and positrons go to the negative side).Stanley514 said:But if you need no energy to maintain electrostatic field
... the field does not make positrons and electrons out of "nothingness" nor out of "physical vacuum". As you point out, if it did, then energy would not be conserved.this field creates positrons and electrons from ''nothingness"