1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 554: Positive and negative energy! Virtual particle pairs! Black hole capture! From virtual to real! Endless shock!

After listening to the virtual particle theory proposed by Ridgway, the rabbi was shocked.

But he is worthy of being Sommerfeld's favorite postdoctoral fellow, with a very flexible mind.

He soon discovered the problem.

"Professor, suppose your quantum vacuum fluctuation conjecture is correct."

"But it still doesn't mean that a vacuum can create something out of nothing."

"The 'matter' in the void creation should refer to real matter, and virtual particles do not meet the definition of matter."

"In addition, virtual particles will eventually annihilate each other and turn into energy. From a macroscopic perspective, it is still equivalent to nothing."

"Therefore, I think your view on void creation is slightly inappropriate."

Wow!
When everyone heard this, they started talking about it.

The rabbi’s doubts make sense.

According to Professor Bruce, virtual particles are like ghosts wandering in the void.

But illusions remain illusions and cannot become real.

It is just like no matter how delicious an apple is imagined to be, humans cannot taste it.

How can this kind of apple be considered a creation?
Li Qiwei heard this and smiled slightly, saying:

"Young people nowadays are very courageous."

“There are very few people who dare to question me like this.”

Everyone smiled knowingly.

Sometimes, a great meeting requires bold young people like the rabbi.

After all, it is impossible for bigwigs like Planck to keep asking questions like children.

The rabbi is their physical substitute.

"But I am relieved."

“A theory can only be improved if it is subjected to various questions.”

"So, everyone here can question boldly."

The rabbi was immediately in awe. He was impressed by Professor Bruce's broad-mindedness.

At this time, Li Qiwei continued:

"There is currently no strict definition of the term matter in the physics community."

"An apple is matter. The various atoms and molecules that make up the apple are also matter. The electrons and nuclei inside the atoms are also matter."

"The color reflected by the apple enters the eye in the form of electromagnetic waves, which are also matter."

“These are materials that humans can see, touch and feel.”

"But two magnets attract each other because of the magnetic field. Is the magnetic field a substance?"

"Of course!"

"Magnetic fields, electric fields and other fields are also objective realities in physics, and they also belong to matter."

"But obviously we can't see, touch or feel them."

"So, it is obviously wrong to think that only particles like electrons can be considered matter."

"Here, I simply give a definition of matter."

“Any objective existence that has mass, occupies space, has energy, or can interact is matter.”

"For example, an electron has mass and takes up space, so it is matter."

"Although photons have no mass and do not occupy space, they can transfer energy and interact with electrons, so they are also matter."

"Fields are similar to photons in that they also participate in interactions and are therefore also considered matter."

"Based on this definition, we can look back at virtual particles."

"Although virtual particles have no mass and do not occupy space, they carry energy, which means they are also matter."

"It's just that the existence of this substance is rather peculiar, and it cannot be directly observed."

"We can detect the influence of virtual particles only when they participate in quantum effects, but we cannot detect the virtual particles themselves."

"It's like a magnetic field within a range. When there is no matter entering it, we can't detect it."

"But once we have a magnet in there, we can study the properties of the magnetic field based on how the magnet attracts or repels us."

"The same is true for virtual particles."

"By the way, the soul has neither mass nor energy, nor does it occupy space or interact, so it is not matter."

"So, I think my definition is rigorous and objective."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

Under this definition, virtual particles should indeed be counted as matter.

Because virtual particles appear based on the uncertainty principle.

The energy in the time-energy uncertainty relationship is real energy and belongs to the category of matter.

But how can particles that are clearly imaginary carry real energy?

The magic of quantum mechanics leaves many people dizzy.

"I really don't know what's wrong with Professor Bruce's brain. The concept of virtual particles is too difficult to understand."

“It’s obviously an illusion, but it can produce real effects.”

“It’s really unbelievable.”

After listening to this, the rabbi nodded.

In any case, even if virtual particles are not matter, they must be some kind of [physical existence] or [physical mechanism].

Just like the concept of temperature, although it is only the result of particle movement, it does exist.

Therefore, virtual particles can at least prove that his third layer of vacuum is not a real vacuum.

But this conjecture is too shocking.

The rabbi felt that he needed to think about it further and see what the big guys in the front row had to say.

Li Qiwei looked at the confused and shocked expressions of the crowd and felt emotional.

The concept of virtual particles appeared a little too early.

In real history, the concept of virtual particles did not come into being until the emergence of quantum field theory.

Quantum field theory holds that the vacuum of the universe is filled with various fields.

The so-called particles are just excited states of the corresponding fields.

Electrons are excited states of the electron field, and photons are excited states of the electromagnetic field.

The interaction between certain particles is achieved through virtual particles.

For example, when two electrons approach each other, they will repel each other because they have the same charge.

This repulsive force is the electromagnetic force (Coulomb force).

But how do electrons repel each other? What is the microscopic mechanism?
According to quantum field theory, when two electrons approach each other, it is actually two excited electron fields approaching each other.

When they get close enough, they overlap.

At this time, the electron field will cause some kind of [disturbance] in another field, namely the electromagnetic field.

This disturbance causes the two electron fields to move away from each other.

From a macroscopic perspective, repulsive forces are generated between electrons, causing them to move away from each other.

Okay, now comes the point.

The "electron field causing electromagnetic field disturbance" mentioned above is not a disturbance in the real sense, such as the vibration caused by shaking a chair.

This perturbation is actually a mathematical method and technique, and it is very difficult to calculate.

However, if we imagine this mathematical disturbance as a particle in the physical sense, the calculation becomes very simple.

This kind of particle is a virtual particle.

Obviously, virtual particles are not real particles, but a kind of [disturbance phenomenon].

For two electrons, the electromagnetic field disturbance they cause is virtual photons.

With the concept of virtual particles, it is very convenient for physicists to study the interactions between particles.

For example, two electrons produce electromagnetic interaction by exchanging virtual photons.

At this point, some people may have questions.

"Hey, didn't you say that virtual particles are just disturbances in the mathematical sense? Then how did they become matter in the physical sense?"

You can understand it this way.

Although virtual particles are mathematical concepts, the processes they describe are real physical processes.

Moreover, this process involves changes in energy, the creation and annihilation of particles.

These are all real substances.

So, from this perspective, there is nothing wrong with saying that virtual particles are matter.

In later generations, many people will misunderstand virtual particles.

Either they think it is an illusory existence, without any physical meaning, or even that it does not exist at all.

Either we assume that it is a real particle but it cannot be detected, or that it exists for too short a time.

Both of these statements are inaccurate.

Virtual particles are fundamentally different from real particles.

With the continuous development of quantum mechanics, physicists at that time were actually doubting the concept of vacuum.

Many people have reached a consensus that vacuum is not empty, and have proposed various theories.

The most famous of these is Dirac's "Dirac Sea".

This theory holds that the vacuum is a sea of ​​electrons filled with negative energy.

When a negative electron absorbs energy and becomes a positive electron, the hole left behind becomes a positron.

Of course, this theory was later proven to be flawed.

However, it embodies the characteristic that vacuum is not empty.

At this point, quantum field theory had not yet emerged.

Of course, it is impossible for Ridgway to explain the concept of virtual particles in such depth.

He could only regard it as a conjecture and hypothesis.

It is equivalent to skipping the stage of disturbance phenomenon and directly treating the disturbance as a virtual particle.

There's nothing wrong with that.

In real history, Mendel, the Pea King, discovered the laws of heredity even before the concept of genes appeared.

He is even more like a time traveler than Li Qiwei.

Moreover, through the derivation of the uncertainty principle and bold assumptions, the concept of virtual particles can indeed be proposed in advance.

This may even in turn provide inspiration for the establishment of quantum field theory.

At this moment, Li Qiwei smiled slightly and thought to himself:
"In that case, I'll add more fuel to the fire!"

To everyone's shock, he continued:
"Of course, the above explanation may not be able to completely convince our rabbi."

"After all, virtual particles become real matter only under the definition I gave."

"This looks like cheating."

"Dr. Rabi might say: Professor Bruce, don't talk so much. Your virtual particles are just hypothetical anyway."

"Even if it is some kind of physical existence, what's the use if it can't affect the real universe?"

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

The rabbi blushed and quickly explained, "Professor, I absolutely do not have such an idea."

Li Qiwei smiled at him, but his next words shocked everyone.

"But that's okay."

"Based on virtual particles, I have another conjecture."

"I think that virtual particles can be transformed into real particles under certain circumstances."

"From virtual to real!"

boom!
The scene, which was cheerful just a moment ago, was suddenly filled with people gasping for breath.

Everyone's eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.

This conjecture is horrifying!

Everyone was talking about it.

"Can virtual particles actually become real particles?"

"Wouldn't that break the dimension?"

"Can I really see the second dimension of Meimei?"

"This is incredible!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Planck, Einstein and other great men were also shocked.

They were just immersed in the amazement of the concept of virtual particles.

For bigwigs like them, theoretical innovation is far more important than right or wrong.

Obviously, the concepts of quantum vacuum fluctuations and virtual particles proposed by Bruce completely overturned physicists' understanding of matter.

They need to re-examine the definition of physical existence. This is a major issue that affects the foundation of physics.

And now, Bruce actually said that virtual particles can become real particles, which is a bit shocking.

The connotation it represents is unimaginable.

Break the void!

Even with their state of mind, they couldn't help but be shocked.

Heisenberg, Pauli and others looked extremely excited.

Professor Bruce's wild ideas make quantum mechanics show its true mysterious face.

These young geniuses easily accepted the concept of virtual particles.

No matter how magical this concept is, it is always a conjecture within the framework of quantum mechanics.

And it was derived by Professor Bruce through the uncertainty principle.

Heisenberg has absolute confidence!
The rabbi's expression was more excited than anyone else's.

He felt that the best thing he had ever done in his life was to attend this speech.

He can brag to others later: After my questioning, Professor Bruce put forward a shocking theory.

Li Chengdao touched Li Chengde with his arm.

He wanted to verify the other party's intuition again.

"Second brother, do you think father's idea is possible?"

Li Chengde thought for a while, then said in a boastful tone:

"of course can!"

"My father once proposed the theory of the Tai Chi Yin Yang diagram."

"If you plug that theory in, the male fish is the real particle, and the female fish is the virtual particle."

“The cathode is the yang.”

"As long as we can find a way to change the state of Yin, that will be all that matters."

"For example, if you fill a virtual particle with energy, it will become a real particle."

After listening to this, Li Chengdao remained silent.

Precisely because his second brother's theory was so outrageous, he felt that it might make some sense.

Li Chengdao sighed:
"Young Master Li is a genius in the field of physics!"

At this moment, under the shocked gaze of everyone, Li Qiwei continued:

"If you had listened carefully just now, you would have noticed a detail."

"I said that the vacuum will produce virtual particles because of the phenomenon of quantum vacuum fluctuations."

"But note that I'm talking about a pair of virtual particles, not just one virtual particle."

“That’s a huge difference.”

"Because even the phenomenon of vacuum quantum fluctuations must comply with the law of conservation of energy!"

"If only one virtual particle is created, then the energy of this virtual particle is not conserved."

"The energy generated by the uncertainty of the vacuum is concentrated on this one virtual particle."

"Even though it's a virtual particle, the energy effect is real."

"So, this is clearly not right."

"But if two virtual particles form a pair, then the law of conservation of energy can be followed."

"Suppose one of the virtual particles has positive energy and the other has negative energy."

"In this way, the total energy of the two virtual particles sums to zero."

“It satisfies both the uncertainty principle and the law of conservation of energy.”

“This is also the reason why, even though quantum fluctuations are happening all the time in our universe, no energy appears out of thin air.”

"But there are always unexpected things."

"If quantum fluctuations happen to occur around a black hole, a pair of virtual particles will be produced."

"The virtual particles with negative energy are attracted by the gravity of the black hole and fall into it."

"The negative energy of this virtual particle exactly cancels out the positive energy of the black hole."

"Then in order to maintain balance, the other virtual particle must become a real particle and move away from the black hole at a very high speed."

"Otherwise it cannot be annihilated, and the law of conservation of energy would not be followed."

"And the energy of this virtual particle that becomes a real particle comes from the black hole."

"In other words, because a black hole produces real particles, it may slowly evaporate itself."

"This is how virtual particles become real particles."

quiet!
Deathly silence!

The entire venue seemed to have been paused.

The heated discussion just now disappeared, replaced by endless shock!

"Oh my God!"

"What's this theory?"

"When one of the virtual particles, positive and negative, is captured by a black hole, the other becomes a real particle."

"It sounds like a fairy tale!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Everyone was shocked!

No one expected that such an incredible theory could be derived based on the uncertainty principle.

From virtual to real!

Horror!
Moreover, Professor Bruce even combined black holes and quantum mechanics together.

Black holes are a derivation of general relativity, and virtual particles are a derivation of quantum mechanics.

In the description of the vacuum, the two of them actually have a mysterious connection.

What a coincidence!
“I feel like all this is designed.”

"Professor Bruce has an amazing imagination."

“I have nothing but admiration!”

"."

At this moment, everyone was completely immersed in the shock of the transition from virtual to real.

The rabbi was stunned by what he heard.

He felt that the physics he was studying was different from the physics taught by Bruce.

“Maybe I learned fake physics.”

It’s too shocking!

It's such a wild imagination.

The rabbi even thought that Professor Bruce might be an alien.

Otherwise, how could one come up with such a method?
For a moment, the rabbi was stunned.

Whether it is the virtual particles themselves or the virtual particles becoming real particles, it shows that the vacuum is far from as simple as it seems on the surface.

His third level of vacuum is just a vacuum from the perspective of ordinary people.

The rabbi was filled with emotion.

People who hold the first level of vacuum view are ordinary people in his eyes.

But in Professor Bruce's eyes, am I not just an ordinary person even though I hold the third level view of vacuum?
Rabi is a postdoctoral fellow. In the eyes of ordinary people, he is a true scientist and scholar.

But in the field of physics, his understanding of physics has not even reached the threshold of glimpsing Professor Bruce.

Heisenberg was as excited as a child at this moment.

He has been fascinated by Professor Bruce's theory.

He supports it unconditionally!

"Must support!"

“The uncertainty principle has been proven.”

"Then the theory born from it must be correct!"

Schrödinger showed a bitter smile on his face.

He thought that his creation of wave mechanics was the pinnacle of inspiration and imagination.

But compared with Professor Bruce, there is a huge gap.

He even had a delusion.

“I hope Professor Bruce can complete the remaining problems in wave mechanics.”

“It’s a bit painful to watch Heisenberg’s matrix mechanics shine.”

Schrödinger has recently been trying to remedy the problem that wave mechanics cannot explain the spin of the electron.

But he made little progress.

So, he hopes that Professor Bruce can make a breakthrough.

At this moment, Li Chengdao's heart was shocked beyond words.

"My goodness!"

"Second brother is right again!"

"The black hole replenishes the virtual particles with energy, turning them into real particles."

“This is amazing!”

He grabbed Li Chengde's hand and said excitedly:

"Second brother, you must study physics!"

"If you don't study physics, it will be a huge loss to the physics community."

"In the future, you may be able to surpass your father!"

Li Chengde chuckled.

"Brother, please stop making fun of me."

"It's not like you don't know my grades."

Li Chengdao took a deep breath and gradually calmed down.

He was very fortunate to travel to Europe with his second brother and learn from his father.

Li Qiwei looked at everyone's shocked expressions and smiled slightly.

The process of virtual particles changing from virtual to real that he just mentioned has another famous name: Hawking radiation.

In real history, Hawking proposed this conjecture when studying black holes.

Although it has not been proven until now, it has important theoretical research value.

But in this life, only Bruce is radiated.

"Xiao Huo, Grandpa Li is doing this for your own good. Otherwise, you might go to the island and do bad things in the future."

At this moment, Li Qiwei's explanation of the vacuum being not empty completely overturned everyone's imagination.

Quantum vacuum fluctuations, virtual particles, and the transformation from virtual to real.

Three major concepts, progressive layer by layer.

For big names like Einstein, what they care about most is quantum vacuum fluctuations.

In their view, the transition from the imaginary to the real is too abstract a conjecture.

After all, even black holes have not been discovered yet.

Although stellar evolution models prove the possibility of the existence of black holes.

But so far, the astronomical community has not discovered this strange celestial body.

Of its various properties nothing is known.

Not to mention the interactions between black holes and virtual particles.

It far exceeds the current knowledge of physics.

But quantum vacuum fluctuations are different.

Its physical theoretical foundation is very solid and comes from the derivation of the uncertainty principle.

Although it is still a conjecture, it is much more reliable than the transformation of virtual particles by black holes.

Brilliant physicists can even temporarily study the phenomenon of quantum vacuum fluctuations.

As for the concept of virtual particles, it is rather peculiar.

It is a companion to quantum vacuum fluctuations and is a virtual particle proposed to describe the fluctuation phenomenon.

Although Bruce confidently stated that virtual particles are physical entities, this statement is still debatable.

In short, these conjectures reflect that the existing concept of vacuum is definitely inappropriate.

Maybe, the vacuum is not really empty!
Just when everyone thought that Professor Bruce's theory had ended, Planck suddenly asked another question.

“Where does the energy come from?”

(End of this chapter)