Quantum Fluctuations: Virtual Photon in Feynman Diagrams

NATURE.M
Messages
298
Reaction score
0
Contrary to a classical vacuum, particles tend to pop into and out of existence in a quantum vacuum. When analyzing a Feynman diagram (such as Moller scattering), is the virtual photon that mediates the electromagnetic interaction considered to be a quantum fluctuation? (Any feedback will be helpful).
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Loosely speaking, it's the loops in Feynman diagrams that represent "quantum fluctuations." For example, a photon line can be interrupted by an electron loop:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Vacuum_polarization.svg

This diagram can be interpreted as a propagating photon interacting with an electron-positron pair that briefly pops out of the vacuum and then disappears again.
 
okay thanks that clarifies it.
 
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
If we release an electron around a positively charged sphere, the initial state of electron is a linear combination of Hydrogen-like states. According to quantum mechanics, evolution of time would not change this initial state because the potential is time independent. However, classically we expect the electron to collide with the sphere. So, it seems that the quantum and classics predict different behaviours!
According to recent podcast between Jacob Barandes and Sean Carroll, Barandes claims that putting a sensitive qubit near one of the slits of a double slit interference experiment is sufficient to break the interference pattern. Here are his words from the official transcript: Is that true? Caveats I see: The qubit is a quantum object, so if the particle was in a superposition of up and down, the qubit can be in a superposition too. Measuring the qubit in an orthogonal direction might...

Similar threads

Replies
10
Views
4K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
15
Views
4K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
2K
Back
Top