Question on virtual particles

[David Gould]

Do virtual particles come into existence with velocity or do they appear stationary and then accelerate up to a velocity? 

I am not trying to be funny or silly or anything - I would like to know.

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

I'm pretty sure that they start with some velocity. However, this increased energy would reduce their lifetimes.

 

[ocean]

Yes, they do start with velocity.

 

[sulphur]

Energy is required for anything to have velocity.How much energy does the Star in our solar system give. off?Idon't know but the aurora australis can be pretty spectacular way down south.So what particles from the sun can be identified ?I am alittle out of touch but neutrinos were tried to be traced in apool of heavy water under ground. I don't know the result.

 

[sulphur]

Energy is required for anything to have velocity.How much energy does the Star in our solar system give. off?Idon't know but the aurora australis can be pretty spectacular way down south.So what particles from the sun can be identified ?I am alittle out of touch but neutrinos were tried to be traced in apool of heavy water under ground. I don't know the result.

 

[Morat]

  I'm not sure "velocity" is exactly the right word for it.

 

[ardipithecus]

Do virtual particles come into existence with velocity or do they appear stationary and then accelerate up to a velocity? 

Everything has a velocity.  How can something not have a velocity?

1) 0 is a velocity

2) Space and time are not absolute.  The velocity of anything depends of your frame of reference.  Thus even if we don't call zero a velocity, it will have a nonzero velocity from some other frame of reference.

 

 

 

[sulphur]

my mistake should have said acceleration. sorry

 

[David Gould]

Originally posted by ardipithecus
Everything has a velocity.  How can something not have a velocity?

1) 0 is a velocity

2) Space and time are not absolute.  The velocity of anything depends of your frame of reference.  Thus even if we don't call zero a velocity, it will have a nonzero velocity from some other frame of reference.

 

 

Okay - a non zero velocity.

Yes, you are right. The have a velocity relative to the rest of the universe, I guess.

Okay. But what if the rest of the universe was not there? Virtual particles usually appear in pairs.

Do they appear stationary, relative to each other, and then accelerate away from each other due to magnetic charge repulsion or do they appear already moving away from each other?

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Originally posted by David Gould
Okay - a non zero velocity.

Yes, you are right. The have a velocity relative to the rest of the universe, I guess.

Okay. But what if the rest of the universe was not there? Virtual particles usually appear in pairs.

Do they appear stationary, relative to each other, and then accelerate away from each other due to magnetic charge repulsion or do they appear already moving away from each other?

They can't have the same charge because of charge conservation.

 

[David Gould]

Originally posted by fragmentsofdreams
They can't have the same charge because of charge conservation.

Okay. That seems to indicate that they have to already have velocity - if they did not, they would annihilate each other instantly.

Cool. Thanks.

 

[sulphur]

LET me get this staight.Is this part of the steady state theory as proposed by Hoyle where there is a continuos creation of hydrogen particles to maintain a constant mass/energy ratio?

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Originally posted by sulphur
LET me get this staight.Is this part of the steady state theory as proposed by Hoyle where there is a continuos creation of hydrogen particles to maintain a constant mass/energy ratio?

No, virtual particles are particles that come into existence for a very short time as a result of energy uncertainty.

 

[Morat]

  They don't last very long. Heck, for the most part, you could consider them simply an imaginary construction used to do certain physics problems. *grin* Virtual particles do more, in physics,  than just appear and disappear.

   However, they're quite real. Briefly. As the Casimir effect shows.

   Sometimes they stick around. If one is swallowed by a black hole, the other becomes a "real" particle...and the black hole loses a bit of energy to pay for it. The scales always balance, in the end.

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Originally posted by Morat
  They don't last very long. Heck, for the most part, you could consider them simply an imaginary construction used to do certain physics problems. *grin* Virtual particles do more, in physics,  than just appear and disappear.

   However, they're quite real. Briefly. As the Casimir effect shows.

   Sometimes they stick around. If one is swallowed by a black hole, the other becomes a "real" particle...and the black hole loses a bit of energy to pay for it. The scales always balance, in the end.

Nature's a stingy lender.