>In fact that's worse than useless, in that
it perpetuates the popscience myth that photons are forever popping into existence like magic, spontaneously, like worms from mud.
Sadly this myth is there in the photon Wikipedia article too. It isn't true. Hydrogen atoms don't twinkle, and magnets don't shine. Because as anna said virtual particles only exist in the mathematics of the model. So, who can tell me what a real photon is? Or refer me to some kind of authoritative informative definition that is accepted and trusted by particle physicists? I say all this because I think it's of param…