Would virtual particles popping in and out be causing gravitational waves? Probably need quantum gravity for that, but maybe there is some theories.
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Are vacuum fluctuations really happening all the time? – Ghoster Dec 28 '22 at 00:35
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Gravitational waves carry energy. (See Feynman’s sticky bead argument.) If what you suggest were true, we could extract energy from the vacuum. – Ghoster Dec 28 '22 at 00:39
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Is there a natural law that prohibits that? – Euphorbium Dec 28 '22 at 00:51
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“Thou shalt not mess with the vacuum energy of the universe” – Euphorbium Dec 28 '22 at 00:59
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Wikipedia: “The ability to harness zero-point energy for useful work is considered pseudoscience by the scientific community at large.” – Ghoster Dec 28 '22 at 01:25
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1The real issue is that virtual particles are not “popping in and out”. The vacuum state is a stationary state. The entire premise of your question is false. – Ghoster Dec 28 '22 at 01:28
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What about Hawking radiation then? Seems like they have to pop in and out for it to work? – Euphorbium Dec 28 '22 at 01:36
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No, but comments are not the place to have an extended discussion. – Ghoster Dec 28 '22 at 01:39
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1Please read Yes, Stephen Hawking Lied To Us All About How Black Holes Decay for a popular account of why your image of Hawking radiation is wrong. I’m going to stop now. – Ghoster Dec 28 '22 at 01:42
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"virtual particles popping in and out " . The loops you are thinking of , are always connected to real particle interactions or decays, in the Feynman diagrams for calculations. There must always be an input of energy for the creation of real particles. IIn Hawking radiation the energy comes from the black hole, and that is why its mass reduction happesn. – anna v Dec 28 '22 at 05:25
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Gravitational waves would be made of real gravitons, not virtual ones, just as electromagnetic waves are made of real photons.
Eric Smith
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