Eli5: What elements are virtual particles made of?

Question

As the title says. Virtual particles are to my understanding “particles that come into existence at random with their anti-version, they collide and eliminate one another”.

Are these particles made of something?

In: 6

Answer 1

Virtual particles are the result of how quantum fields present themselves. Really it is probably most accurate to say virtual particles are just made of math. They are a model that accurately describes the subatomic world but you can never directly measure them.