If the Coulomb field between charged particles in an insulator is equivalent to a cloud of virtual photons which may dissociate to virtual electron - positron pairs, a chain reaction of electron - positron annihilations through the insulator is equivalent to a direct current not hindered by ohmic resistance.

Zusammungfassung. Wenn das Coulombfeld zwischen geladenen Partikeln in einem Isolator einer Wolke virtuelle Photonen gleichwertig ist, und wenn sich virtuelle Photonen zu virtuellen Elektron - Positron Paaren vervandeln können, dann ist eine Kettenreaktion von Elektron - Positron - Annihilationen durch den Isolator möglich, welches zu einem Strom gleichwertig ist, der vom Ohmischen widerstand nicht behindert wird.

An insulator with infinite ohmic resistance does not allow a direct current due to conduction electrons to pass. Nevertheless, a direct current through an insulator can be expected if the Coulomb interactions between the nuclei and electrons of the insulator are equivalent to a cloud of virtual photons, and if a virtual photon may dissociate to a virtual electron - positron pair.

If the number of virtual photons per is of the order , where Z is the number of protons per in the insulator and is the fine structure constant, and if a virtual photon has a probability to dissociate to a virtual electron - positron pair, then for protons per , the insulator would contain of the order virtual electron - positron pairs per , i.e. the volume seems to be filled with a gas of virtual electron - positron pairs.

If such an insulator is in between a positive anode and a negative cathode, the virtual electrons are attracted to the positive anode and the virtual positrons to the negative cathode. (Inside a good conductor with no electric field, no such polarization can be obtained.)

Therefore, a conduction electron which is halted at the cathode side of the insulator can be annihilated by a virtual positron. Its associated virtual electron partner nearer to the anode is then free to be annihilated by a virtual positron, and so on through the insulator, and finally a free electron appears at the anode side of the insulator. Hence, electric charge may be transported through the insulator not by conduction electrons but by a chain reaction of successive electron - positron annihilations not hindered by ohmic resistance.

Transport of electric charge without transport of conduction electrons not hindered by ohmic resistance is superconduction. A chain reaction of annihilations which finally give a free electron at the anode conserves energy in the total process.

An external magnetic or electric field may disturb the orientation of the virtual electron - positron pairs and the chain reaction, and thus destroy the superconductivity.

Since the effect described above is possible only in extremely good insulators and not in conductors, it may remind one of the high- superconduction in ceramics first seen by Bednorz and Müller [1].

For a vacuum, which is a good insulator, the only source of virtual electron - positron pairs is vacuum fluctuations allowed by Heisenberg's uncertainty relation. Leakage or discharge through a vacuum due to such electron - positron pairs is not inconceivable. Vice versa, observation of leakage or discharge through a vacuum is consistent with the concept of virtual electron - positron pairs in a vacuum.

References

[1] Bednorz J G and Müller K A 1986 Z. Phys. B 64 189