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Vitural particle cloud as preferred reference?



Particle theory posits that a vacuum is not empty space but is,
rather, filled by a cloud of virtual particles created as
particle-antiparticle pairs. The creation of these virtual particle
pairs violates conservation of energy, but is nevertheless allowed,
because the pair mutually annihilates within a time interval allowed
by the Heisenberg uncertainty relation, delta-E*delta-t <= h-bar.

Now, these virtual particles are created isotropically, i.e., in the
absence of external forces (e.g., electromagnetic fields, gravity
fields, etc.), the virtual particle cloud does not define a preferred
direction in space.

Consider an isotropic cloud of real particles. If we are stationary
relative to the cloud center of mass, the cloud does indeed appear
isotropic. But, if we now move relative to the cloud center of mass,
esp. if we move at a velocity approaching the speed of light, we know,
according to special relativity, that the cloud will appear to us
quite anisotropic.

Question: Does the virtual particle cloud define a preferred frame of
reference? (This preference is similar to that once attributed to the
electromagnetic ether.)

When a vacuum is considered as empty space, there is no way to measure
motion relative to the vacuum. But, if the vacuum is filled with
clouds of virtual particles, can we not determine whether we are
moving relative to this cloud and, therefore, relative to the vacuum?

Glenn A. Carlson, P.E.
St. Charles County Community College
St. Peters, MO
gcarlson@mail.win.org