Martinez, Jean-Philippe (2024) Virtuality in modern physics in the 1920s and 1930s: Meaning(s) of an emerging notion. Perspectives on Science, 32 (3). pp. 350-371. ISSN 1063-6145

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Abstract

This article discusses the meaning of the notion of virtuality in modern physics. To this end, it develops considerations on the introduction and establishment in nuclear physics of two independent concepts at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s: that of the virtual state, used in the context of neutron scattering studies, and that of the virtual transition, useful for the theoretical understanding of strong nuclear forces, which forms the basis of what are now called virtual particles. Their comparative analysis highlights the theoretical nature of virtual entities and processes in modern physics. It also shows how the virtual has been associated with various purely physical attributes, leading to a form of polysemy of the term, from the beginning of the application of these concepts.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Martinez, Jean-Philippe 0000-0003-4497-1127
Subjects:	General Issues > Explanation General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Depositing User:	Unnamed user with email m.zichert@tu-berlin.de
Date Deposited:	17 Mar 2026 12:25
Last Modified:	17 Mar 2026 12:25
Item ID:	28648
Journal or Publication Title:	Perspectives on Science
Publisher:	MIT Press
Official URL:	https://direct.mit.edu/posc/article-abstract/doi/1...
DOI or Unique Handle:	10.1162/posc_a_00610
Subjects:	General Issues > Explanation General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Date:	2024
Page Range:	pp. 350-371
Volume:	32
Number:	3
ISSN:	1063-6145
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28648

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• Virtuality in modern physics in the 1920s and 1930s: Meaning(s) of an emerging notion. (deposited 02 Feb 2024 09:17)
  • Virtuality in modern physics in the 1920s and 1930s: Meaning(s) of an emerging notion. (deposited 17 Mar 2026 12:25) [Currently Displayed]

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