Quantum fluctuations: particles appear out of nowhere at lightning speed

However, strong predictions for the applications are needed, and with the Schwinger effect one detail has so far remained open: How fast do particles form? This fundamental question, Diez, Alcover and Colvorst write in their publication, has on the one hand how we interpret time on a quantitative scale at all, and on the other hand it could affect all areas of research dealing with birth. of quasiparticles.

For their theoretical calculations, the three physicists developed a simplified model with reduced dimensions, which made it easier for them to determine the moment the two charges separated. In addition to the virtual and real particles in the usual theoretical descriptions, they have introduced a third type of particle: elementary particles, which are destined, in a sense, to become real particles. This helped sort out junk signals arising from other quantum fluctuations or from fluctuations in the electric field itself. Elementary particles are rapidly accelerated in the strong field and soon reflect off as a clear signal – as a real particle.

In this way, Diez, Alcover and Colvorst calculated a time scale on which the electron and positron materialize. Due to the extremely strong electric fields, time is correspondingly very small and is in the range of trillionths of a billionth of a second. This seems like a very minimal practice, but it is above all: a tangible expectation. Now it remains to be seen if it can be confirmed in the laboratory at some point in experiments using high-energy lasers.