this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023
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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It's the energy of the quantum fields that permeate space. They're less "particles" per se, and more just the random jiggles in the quantum fields that aren't coherent enough to be a full-on normal particle of that field, so the ripple starts and then dies out.

https://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/virtual-particles-what-are-they/