Are Virtual Particles A New Layer of Reality?

Let me tell you a story about virtual particles. It may or may not be true.

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Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
Written by Graeme Gossell and Matt O'Dowd
Graphics by Luke Maroldi
Assistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike Petrow

Sometimes our mathematical hacks point to strange new aspects of reality. For example Max Planck used a quantization trick to figure out the spectrum of light emitted by hot objects. The quantization part of his math trick was meant to disappear in the final form of equation, but it remained - it proved fundamental. That math hack turned out to represent the very real quantum nature of the photon. This insight let to the discovery of all quantum physics. A more recent mathematical hack is the virtual particle. They started out as a trick to make impossible calculations in quantum field theory possible. Possible, at least, for the sort of people who can do quantum field theory. So will virtual particles also prove to represent a new underlying aspect of reality? We’re going to go pretty deep in this one - but it will bring us to a better understanding of the quantum nature of reality, so stick with me.

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سلطان الخليفي

[JasonBrightIndeed]

After a lot of these videos I'm starting to think that the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is the main antagonist in the series

[invin]

Watching Space Time sober: "What?! That hurts my brain!" Watching Space Time slightly inebriated: "Well of course. That makes sense."

[ougintoga]

I feel like a character in a video game trying to understand how the game was programmed

[atft]

QFT in a nutshell: The only things that really exist are quantum fields. Real particles are perturbations of those fields. Virtual particles represent potential perturbations of those fields. Virtual particles are useful to model interaction between real particles.

[Toddawaddles]

Sitting back and taking in that THIS is where we are when it comes to physics modeling is absolutely insane. What a time to be alive.

[dmullinsTWM]

Matt, you and this channel are perfect together. As a layman and largely uneducated regarding these topics, PBS Spacetime has really made me appreciate both the wonderous nature of our universe and the many great people that have worked so hard to gain and share the knowledge. You guys are just amazing!

[thejesuschrist]

Your videos always make me question reality. I love it! Thanks!

[davecool]

“But even that description is way too physical, and Australian.” 😂😂

[Axodus]

This is why I love the internet, I can come to learn things about the quantum field and virtual particles whereas if the internet didn't exist I'd probably be reading literature.

[Toddis]

Its the simulation making the program more efficient, this way the computer doesn't have to render particles when they aren't being observed, freeing up those cycles for things that are.

[andreascj]

"Try increasing your screen resolution ..." Best comment today.

[mosemusica]

If the math of virtual particles accurately describes scientific observation, it seems they are quite real to me even if they aren't used in other types of QFT. Maybe there is another layer here that we have yet to understand that these virtual particles are signaling. I love the ideas of David Bohm and his implicate order - I wonder how this concept of virtual particles relates with that?

[wangtoriojackson]

They asked me what I know about Virtual Particle Physics, and I told them a have a virtual degree in Particle Physics!

[plasmacrab_]

I seriously can't find it possible for people to actually understand this, let alone discover it... yet I keep watching. This channel is amazing.

[trulucy]

I found you two weeks ago PBS Space Time and this channel is great. Very, very interesting subjects. Some things I’ve wondered about and some I didn’t know I should wonder about but I have learned so much even when I don’t understand it all. Thanks!

[nehajbabbar]

Okay PBS spacetime blows my mind yet again

[TheFlipside]

I'm genuinely proud of myself for successfully following the whole video

[andrewmartin]

layperson: Do they exist?
scientists: Kind of, but probably not while we aren’t looking at them.

[Tacticslion]

9:10 - "I'm SO EXCITED to be a particle!"
9:20 - "Meh."

[wesleycook]

Love the burn on the end of the video!! Great delivery! Love to watch all the way to the end to see what crazy comment you answer!