Quantum fluctuation

In quantum physics, a quantum fluctuation is the temporary change in the amount of energy in a point in space, arising from Werner Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle.

According to one formulation of the principle, energy and time can be related by the relation

<math>\Delta e \Delta t \approx {h \over 2 \pi}</math>

That means that conservation of energy can be violated but only for small times. This allows the creation of particle-antiparticle pairs of virtual particles. The effects of this particles are measurable, for example, in the effective charge of the electron, different from its "naked" charge.

Quantum fluctuations may have been very important in the origin of the structure of the universe: according to the model of inflation the ones that existed when inflation began were amplified and formed the seed of all current observed structure.