[iainmerrick]

Thanks, that helps, I think...!

Would it be roughly correct to say that virtual particles by definition always vanish (mutually annihilate, etc, whatever) before the measured outcome of an experiment, therefore they definitely cannot be directly observed? But they're an integral part of the model, therefore if the model is correct, they really do have a real physical existence (in some complex quantum sense)?

[Koshkin]

I do not believe so. Generally speaking, mathematical models often include what I call "scaffolding," which is something that, while being part of the model, does not represent anything real. (Different models are likely have different scaffolding, and some future theory might do away with virtual particles as a mechanism of interaction.)