While they are real, the name is a little misleading. Virtual particles are not quite the same kind of disturbance in a field as full-blown, bona-fide, certifie

While they are real, the name is a little misleading. Virtual particles are not quite the same kind of disturbance in a field as full-blown, bona-fide, certified particles. They're two different kind of object that come out of the equations, and they happily interract or turn into each other sometimes. But Virtual Particle doesn't mean they're not real, and also doesn't mean they're particles :) Disclaimer: I'm ignorant, and this is my summary of Matt Strassler off the top of my head. Mistakes are mine. Source: https://profmattstrassler.com/2011/10/10/virtual-particles-not-particles-at-all/ https://profmattstrassler.com/2011/10/10/virtual-particles-n...