On Tue, Aug 27, 2019 at 10:27 AM Jason Resch <[email protected]> wrote:
> These videos provide a good introduction: > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5rAGfjPSWE > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG52mXN-uWI > > Virtual particles are the basis of all particle interactions in QED, > called the jewel of physics for having made the most accurate predictions > of any physical theory. > The trouble is that virtual particles are internal lines in Feynman diagrams, and the Feynman diagrams are formed as a perturbation expansion. They have to be summed to make contact with physical processes. This puts the status of virtual particles, as ontological entities, into considerable doubt. Ultimately, they are nothing but a calculational device, and quantum amplitudes can be evaluated without ever using Feynman diagrams, so virtual particles need never appear anywhere. Bruce -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/CAFxXSLSGaPsDVuzZY4%3DhyQxveBjwDm-xr9QO-FohLh6M9iPTPQ%40mail.gmail.com.
