Are Virtual Quanta Nothing but Formal Tools?

Valente, Mário Bacelar

doi:10.1080/02698595.2011.552417

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Y por último, a diferencia del caso de las partículas virtuales, nada prohíbe que los fonones apa-rezcan en los estados de entrada o salida de procesos de scatering (de hecho eso es lo que se hace en el experimento de Shinen -1963 -). En consecuencia, independientemente a que algunos autores abogan a favor de la existencia de las partículas virtuales (Valente 2011, Jaeger 2019) mientras que otros la niegan (Redhead 1988, Fox 2008, lo que queremos destacar es que por las razones mencionadas se hace necesario considerar el estatus ontológico de los fonones desde una categorización diferente.…”

Section: Por Lo Tanto Existen Pero ¿Cómo Existen?unclassified

Acerca del estatuto ontológico de los fonones

Accorinti

Fortín

2020

Principia

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A los cristales se los describe como a una red de átomos que puede vibrar alrededor de su posición de equilibrio. Sin embargo, el hecho de que la energía de estas ondas esté cuantificada sugiere una analogía con el campo electromagnético. En analogía con el fotón se define al fonón. Generalmente se concibe al fonón como a una cuasi-partícula, es decir, como a un instrumento matemático útil en los cálculos pero sin una existencia propia. En este trabajo estudiamos el estatuto ontológico del fonón y argumentaremos en favor de la idea de considerarlo como una partícula real.

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Section: Por Lo Tanto Existen Pero ¿Cómo Existen?unclassified

Acerca del estatuto ontológico de los fonones

Accorinti

Fortín

2020

Principia

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“…It might be objected, that there are cases in which a single diagram alone dominates the cross-section (see e.g. Valente (2011)). As noted by Kuhlmann (2010, p. 128) it is common talk to call higher order contributions 'corrections' to the 'main process' which is given by the leading order term.…”

Section: The Argument From Superpositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Suppose that somebody is not convinced by the above argument from superposition. For example Mario Bacelar Valente (2011) argues in favor of virtual particles being more than a "formal tool". He considers cases which are dominated by single diagrams and tries to exploit the fact that the S matrix expansion is only asymptotic, i.e.…”

Section: The Argument From "Topological Equivalence"mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the interpretation of Feynman diagrams, or, did the LHC experiments observe H → γγ?

Passon

2019

Euro Jnl Phil Sci

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According to the received view Feynman diagrams are a bookkeeping device in complex perturbative calculations. Thus, they do not provide a representation or model of the underlying physical process. This view is in apparent tension with scientific practice in high energy physics, which analyses its data in terms of "channels". For example the Higgs discovery was based on the observation of the decay H → γγ -a process which can be easily represented by the corresponding Feynman diagrams. I take issue with this tension and show that on closer analysis the story of the Higgs discovery should be told differently.

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“…Even though virtual particles have been and continue to be widely used in descriptions, explanations, and predictions of fundamental physical phenomena at subatomic scales, the reality of the virtual particles as distinguished from free particles has been the subject of an ongoing debate leaning toward their dismissal-cf. [1] Section 3 and [2,3] for summaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Virtual Particles Less Real?

Jaeger

2019

Entropy

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The question of whether virtual quantum particles exist is considered here in light of previous critical analysis and under the assumption that there are particles in the world as described by quantum field theory. The relationship of the classification of particles to quantum-field-theoretic calculations and the diagrammatic aids that are often used in them is clarified. It is pointed out that the distinction between virtual particles and others and, therefore, judgments regarding their reality have been made on basis of these methods rather than on their physical characteristics. As such, it has obscured the question of their existence. It is here argued that the most influential arguments against the existence of virtual particles but not other particles fail because they either are arguments against the existence of particles in general rather than virtual particles per se, or are dependent on the imposition of classical intuitions on quantum systems, or are simply beside the point. Several reasons are then provided for considering virtual particles real, such as their descriptive, explanatory, and predictive value, and a clearer characterization of virtuality—one in terms of intermediate states—that also applies beyond perturbation theory is provided. It is also pointed out that in the role of force mediators, they serve to preclude action-at-a-distance between interacting particles. For these reasons, it is concluded that virtual particles are as real as other quantum particles.

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Are Virtual Quanta Nothing but Formal Tools?

Cited by 12 publications

References 19 publications

Acerca del estatuto ontológico de los fonones

Acerca del estatuto ontológico de los fonones

On the interpretation of Feynman diagrams, or, did the LHC experiments observe H → γγ?

Are Virtual Particles Less Real?

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