Re: virtual particles preferred frame?

[John Denker <jsd@MONMOUTH.COM>]

At 05:03 PM 11/5/99 -0600, Glenn A. Carlson wrote:
> Charge density zero?  Yes. Mass density zero?  No.  Particles and
> antiparticles have positive mass.

Right.

> A spherical (isotropic) distribution of *real* particles, as observed
> by one stationary with respect to the particles' center of mass, will
> be contracted (anisotropic) along the direction of relative motion, as
> observed by one moving with respect to the particles' center of mass.

Right.

> Why would it be different for a distribution of virtual particles?

Because they have zero total energy.  They've got negative kinetic energy
which just cancels their rest-mass energy.  Zero total energy in one frame
looks exactly like zero total energy in another frame. (Nitpickers note:
this assumes both frames are freely-falling frames, or close enough thereto
that I don't need to worry about quantum gravity effects).

========

In case you're wondering whether it is nutty to have negative kinetic
energy:  well, no, it's not.  If you think in terms of P squared over 2 M,
then you conclude there must be imaginary momentum, which is also not as
nutty as you might think.  It explains why the virtual particles don't
propagate very far.  They're like the evanescent wave on the outside of the
aquarium at the place where the light was totally internally reflected.  If
you put your thumb on the glass at that point you can absorb the virtual
light and destroy the total internal reflection.  It's also analogous to
the dying wave in a waveguide beyond cutoff.

Actually, waveguides are an amazingly good model system for "getting the
feel" of certain aspects of elementary particle behavior.  The cutoff
frequency corresponds to the mass.

But as the saying goes, learning proceeds from the known to the unknown, so
if the students have no clue about waveguides this doesn't help much.....

______________________________________________________________
copyright (C) 1999 John S. Denker             jsd@monmouth.com