virtual particle

collocation in English

meaningsofvirtualandparticle

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withparticle.
virtual
adjective
uk
/ˈvɜː.tʃu.əl/us
/ˈvɝː.tʃu.əl/
almost a particular thing ...
See more atvirtual
particle
noun
uk
/ˈpɑː.tɪ.kəl/us
/ˈpɑːr.t̬ə.kəl/
a word or a part of a word that has a grammatical purpose but often has little or ...
See more atparticle

(Definition ofvirtualandparticlefrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofvirtual particle

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
So, we come to the conclusion that virtual particles cannot spontaneously emerge from the vacuum, becoming real and observable, without violating energy conservation.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Particles which appear with their anti-particles straight out of the vacuum, before disappearing again in accordance with the time-energy uncertainty principle, are called virtual particles.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Thevirtualparticletransfers momentum from one particle to the other.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
As a result of there being fewer virtual particles between the two mirrors, the surrounding vacuum exerts a greater pressure from the outside and pushes the mirrors together.
From theCambridge English Corpus
These virtual particles travel slower than the speed of light, and so the effective speed of the photons with a parallel polarization is reduced.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Nevertheless, every so often, avirtualparticlepair will spontaneously appear that straddles the event horizon of the black hole.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Thevirtualparticlepairs will always have opposite momenta, in order to preserve momentum, and in addition, anti-correlated spin.
From theCambridge English Corpus
To see how, we first remind ourselves that virtual particles are always appearing and disappearing, and that the characteristic difference between thevirtualparticlepairs is typically very small.
From theCambridge English Corpus
All this, together, implies that the decay of the gluino can only go through avirtualparticle, a high-mass squark.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
The longer thevirtualparticleexists, the closer its characteristics come to those of ordinary particles.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
The mean decay time depends on the mass of the intermediatevirtualparticle, and in this case can be very long.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Avirtualparticlethat exists for an arbitrarily long time is simply an ordinary particle.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
The pion (as avirtualparticle) is the primary force carrier for the nuclear force in atomic nuclei.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
However, the longer avirtualparticleexists, the more closely it adheres to the mass-shell relation.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Avirtualparticleis in a virtual state where the probability amplitude is not conserved.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
This could result in avirtualparticlecrossing a large gap faster-than-light.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Interpreted as an amplitude for particle motion, this translates to thevirtualparticletraveling faster than light.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Virtual particles appear and disappear in accordance with the uncertainty principle.
From theCambridge English Corpus
As we know, the best vacuum we can form is still a seething mass of virtual particles of many different wavelengths.
From theCambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Want to learn more?
Go to the definition ofvirtual
Go to the definition ofparticle
See other collocations withparticle