comment: lots of goofy posts in this thread; Drakkith's seem on target.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0716795647/?tag=pfamazon01-20
However during inflation the space between these virtual particles is streched so rapidly they are unable to find each other to re anhilate and hence they are turned into real particles.
This explanation does give some good insights.
Here is a closely related one I saved from another discussion in these forums:
There is not a definite line differentiating virtual particles from real particles — the equations of physics just describe particles (which includes both equally). The amplitude that a virtual particle exists interferes with the amplitude for its non-existence; whereas for a real particle the cases of existence and non-existence cease to be coherent with each other and do not interfere any more. In the quantum field theory view, "real particles" are viewed as being detectable excitations of underlying quantum fields
Moving, on and back to the OP:
Is there any theory offering an explination as to the origin of all matter? I'm not talking about the big bang, but where the matter which went bang originiated from.
To restate my question more clearly:
Where did the material/energy which went "bang" in the big bang come from?
No one knows with reasonable certainty what started the big bang, nor cyclic bangs if they exist, for that matter. It is extremely unlikely that any matter was at the start of any bangs...somehow radiation/energy was created...likely space and perhaps time too. Perhaps a random statistical quantum fluctuation started our universe, perhaps something else. All our models start just AFTER such a start.
One good discussion about particles/matter in these forums is here:
What is a particle:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=386051
and another:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=590798
There are three ways one can 'produce' particles: accelerate yourself, accelerate spacetime, or accelerate a cosmological horizon!
One of our resident experts made this observation which I like because it also provides insights:
Matter is that which has localized mass-energy, while spacetime does not.
A particle or matter is a quanta of a quantum field...a concentration of energy,momentum,etc. Regarding the big bang, it is possible quantum fluctuations in the inflationary vacuum become quanta [particles] at super horizon scales. Particle production via changing gravitational fields and expansion is believed a real phenomenon. It seems that expansion of geometry itself, especially inflation, can produce matter.
We're familiar with other theoretical cases where geometric circumstances create real (not virtual) particles , like Hawking radiation at a BH horizon and Unruh radiation caused by an accelerating observer. With the Unruh effect, it is theorized that two adjacent observers, one inertial and one accelerating will measure different temperatures and make different counts of particles. In other discussions in these forums, there are theories that at the Hubble radius the accelerating Hubble Horizon is sufficient for the production of particles.
A distinction between particles and mass would be that a particle might be massless, like the photon, while others would have mass, like an electron or W boson. The difference is that a certain scalar field is sufficient to break symmetry in some cases via a 'false vacuum' transition: It is theorized that is the Higgs field which is part of the Standard Model of PArticle Physics and is powered by a vacuum energy.
According to Wikipedia, Nobody understands the precise nature of the Higgs mechanism either but there are mathematical models. MarkM gives a description in Post #12, here:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=621236