So-called virtual particles aren't particles at all. Some argue that they are merely mathematical figments, and that we need to find a better way to understand particle interactions
is a spike in the underlying Higgs field, for instance, and electrons are spikes in the electromagnetic field.
These fields permeate the entire universe, but we can’t observe them directly. What we see are particles – clear disturbances in a field that persist over time and interact with other, similar disturbances to produce more particles. Virtual particles are more subtle. So subtle, in fact, that although they can be thought of as disturbances in underlying fields, they don’t persist for long – and can’t be directly detected.
This is where things get confusing, because virtual particles do appear to affect the properties and behaviour of other particles in measurable ways. They seem to be emitted and absorbed by real particles when those particles interact, which is why we rely on virtual particles for our understanding of how three of the known fundamental forces – electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces – work.
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