Can virtual particles still be created in a vacuum where the temperature is absolute zero?

Yes. Temperature is a measure of the relative motion between many atoms. It is not defined for single atoms, nor does it make much sense for even small numbers of atoms. It is a statistical measure of the kinetic energy of large ensemble of atoms such as what you would find in a gas. If we cooled a gas to absolute zero ( technically impossible although in Penning Traps, atoms can be cooled to effective temperatures of nanoKelvins) we would soon reach a condition where, without any external energy applied, the atoms would still be in motion due to their interactions with the virtual particles in the physical vacuum. Even in a crystal lattice, the atoms jiggle about their lattice sites in an uncontrollable manner. Absolute zero is, therefore, not a physically attainable state for an ensemble of atoms for which temperature is still a good statistical measure of their kinetic energy. There would always be an irreducible internal energy of the gas due to its interaction with the physical vacuum. There is no known way to shield or eliminate this quantum mechanical effect since it is not controlled by any known macroscopic phenomenon.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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