Vacuum fluctuations refer to the temporary changes in the amount of energy in a point in space, arising from the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics. These fluctuations mean that even in a vacuum, which is thought to be empty, pairs of virtual particles and antiparticles can spontaneously form and annihilate, leading to observable effects like the Casimir effect. Understanding vacuum fluctuations highlights the limitations of classical physics and the necessity for quantum field theory to fully explain the behavior of particles in such contexts.
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