Quantum electrodynamics Superpositions Virtual Commentary

Hans Bethe, Julian Schwinger, Shin'ichirō Tomonaga, Freeman Dyson, Richard Feynman quantum mechanics

Quantum electrodynamics

Electrically charged particles move, interact, emit and absorb photons, create force fields, act like waves, act like particles, within certain probabilities consistent with special relativity. Now these behaviors can be described, formulated, renormalized, quantified with extreme precision, and illustrated with Feynman diagrams.

Superpositions

Every alternative happens at once, every state superimposed in time, so to calculate the probability of an electron moving from here to there, one would need to consider all paths including intermediate events, which is impractical; however, virtual particles in closed loops return particles to their real states, so we can cut the Gordian knot. Increasingly complicated calculations eventually increasingly diminish in importance.

Virtual

Does any virtual particle escape to become actual? Hopes come true; dreams awaken; silliness persists. Many agree God has a sense of humor, like a zen potter who deliberately adds a flaw. Fun to tease these things out.