Violation of Conservation of Energy?

[Hyperreality]

Violation of Conservation of Energy??

Most of us know that for an observer inside a train traveling at a constant speed, with a light source in the middle of the train traveling towards two detectors fixed at the two ends would observe the order of events quite differently to a stationary observer. This demonstrates the break down of simultaneity. But nevertheless, the "the physical laws still remain the same in all inertial frame of reference".

But it doesn't seems to be the case for virtual particles. Virtual particles are created due to the uncertainty in energy. From my limited knowledge quantum physics, the instance when a virtual particle has appeared, an antiparticle of the virtual particle must also appear to "cancel out" the effect to save the law of conservation of energy. But as we know, from the above, simultaneity does not exist for observers in different frame of reference. So, is the law of conservation of energy violated, or is this a flaw of the law of equivalence, or both altogether?

 

[ZapperZ]

Most of us know that for an observer inside a train traveling at a constant speed, with a light source in the middle of the train traveling towards two detectors fixed at the two ends would observe the order of events quite differently to a stationary observer. This demonstrates the break down of simultaneity. But nevertheless, the "the physical laws still remain the same in all inertial frame of reference".

But it doesn't seems to be the case for virtual particles. Virtual particles are created due to the uncertainty in energy. From my limited knowledge quantum physics, the instance when a virtual particle has appeared, an antiparticle of the virtual particle must also appear to "cancel out" the effect to save the law of conservation of energy. But as we know, from the above, simultaneity does not exist for observers in different frame of reference. So, is the law of conservation of energy violated, or is this a flaw of the law of equivalence, or both altogether?

No. A virtual particle can appear without it's antiparticle. And yes, it DOES violate conservation of energy, but only during a time Delta(t). Thus, the higher the energy or mass the virtual particle has, the shorter its lifetime. It must be reabsorbed within that time as prescribed by the uncertainty principle. The overall "average" of the system still has a conserved energy+mass state.

Zz.

 

[R0man]

The violation of conservation of energy would occur if there is a net increase or decrease in the total energy of a system. In the scenario described, the virtual particles and antiparticles are created and annihilated almost simultaneously, resulting in no net change in energy. Therefore, the law of conservation of energy is not violated in this case.

However, it is true that the concept of simultaneity in quantum mechanics is not well-defined and can lead to some paradoxes. This is where the concept of quantum entanglement comes into play. In quantum entanglement, two particles can be connected in such a way that the state of one affects the state of the other, regardless of the distance between them. This means that the concept of simultaneity is not necessary for the conservation of energy to hold true.

In conclusion, the concept of simultaneity in quantum mechanics may seem to challenge the law of conservation of energy, but when considering the entire system and taking into account quantum entanglement, the law remains valid. So, while it may appear to be a violation of the law, it is simply a different way of understanding and applying it in the quantum world.