This conceptual critique challenges the ontological assumption of spontaneous vacuum fluctuations and unprompted particle transformations in quantum field theory (QFT). A single postulate is advanced: neither the vacuum nor an isolated elementary particle fluctuates, decays, or transforms in the absence of real physical interaction with another particle. The argument proceeds by: identifying logical and empirical inconsistencies in the standard fluctuation picture, exposing frame-dependence in vacuum energy regularization that violates Lorentz invariance, distinguishing empirically robust Feynman path integral (FPI) results from non-FPI-based extrapolations, applying reductio ad absurdum to key claimed consequences of vacuum fluctuations. The goal is not to construct an alternative model, but to demonstrate that the prevailing ontological commitments lead to internal contradictions and unnecessary complexity.
Zoltán Vrencian (2026) studied this question.