Comment on How Much More Can We Learn About the Universe?parentComments−snowwrestler10yI believe the Casimir Effect is usually taken as proof that virtual particles physically exist.−cygx10yNo, it's generally taken as a proof of vacuum energy. However, it's arguably just the van der Waals force in disguise.−snowwrestler10yWe don't disagree. The theory is that vacuum energy creates virtual particles, which are what interact with the plates in the Casimir experiment.
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I believe the Casimir Effect is usually taken as proof that virtual particles physically exist.
No, it's generally taken as a proof of vacuum energy. However, it's arguably just the van der Waals force in disguise.
We don't disagree. The theory is that vacuum energy creates virtual particles, which are what interact with the plates in the Casimir experiment.