Re: Virtual Particle confusion

From: Ranando King (rk_at_magictouchcorp.com)
Date: 02/24/05 

Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 09:17:05 -0600

Nice of you to offer 2 cents when I'm looking for a dollar. lol

Please do elaborate on your statements and how you think it is that I've
drawn the wrong conclusions.

R.

"PD" <pdraper@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1109185817.866390.219810@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Ranando King wrote:
> > The more I study about virtual particles, them more they confuse me.
> Each
> > individual virtual particle has a mass different from its non-virtual
> > equivalent,
>
> ...possibly, but not required...
>
> > exists for a duration of time shorter than 1 Planck time unit,
>
> ...no, not at all. It can exist for much longer times than that...
>
> > are supposed to mediate interactions between non-virtual particles,
>
> ...between fermions, virtual or not...
>
> > and
> > still are required to not violate conservation of energy.
>
> ...yes...
>
> > How is that
> > possible?
> >
> > If a virtual particle exists for a duration of time shorter than 1
> Planck
> > time unit, then how can it ever be said to exist in the first place?
> 1
> > Planck time unit is supposed to be the smallest unit of time that has
> any
> > meaning, so if something has an existance shorter than that duration,
> it
> > cannot be said to exist in any meaningful fashion!
>
> False premise. Virtual particles don't have a cap on their lifetime.
>
> >
> > If a virtual particle is supposed to mediate force fields between
> particles,
> > then virtual particles must travel with super-luminal speed, possibly
> > infinite speed.
>
> Not at all! What gives you that impression? Indeed, disturbances in a
> field propagate at speeds limited by c.
>
> > That requires that all virtual particles have negative mass,
> > but according to QED, electron cores have negative mass and virtual
> > particles positive mass.
>
> Muddied up...
>
> > That means that virtual particles cannot possibly
> > move fast enough to be carriers of the various force fields of a
> non-virtual
> > particle!
> >
> > If virtual particles cannot violate conservation of energy, then they
> cannot
> > exist for longer than 1 Planck time unit.
>
> That's wrong, too, and that's not what Heisenberg's uncertainty
> principle says.
>
> > I've already mentioned the
> > problems with that, but suppose that wasn't a problem in itself. If
> they
> > exist for a duration of time shorter than 1/2 of 1 Planck time, then
> they
> > are negligable an will appear to simply not exist. Otherwise, for
> longer
> > lifetimes or overlaping lifetimes, they will appear to be in
> perpetual
> > existance. If an electron creating these particles is itself at rest,
> the
> > only energy it has to use in creating these virtual particles is its
> own
> > mass. But given that the fields of electrons are always present, then
> > electrons should blink out of existance fairly quickly when not being
> > supplied with more energy due to the constant creation of these
> virtual
> > particles.
> >
> > How is any of this supposed to represent a "good" theory?
> >
> > R.
>
> Well, first you have to understand clearly what the theory says.
>
> PD
>

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