I Dark Matter , Dark energy and the Dirac equation

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The Dirac equation indicates that vacuum space is filled with virtual particles that constantly appear and annihilate, suggesting that even "empty space" has energy. There is confusion in the physics community regarding whether the universe is a closed system, particularly in relation to dark energy, which accelerates the expansion of space. This raises questions about potential energy imbalances, as the creation of more space seems to challenge conservation laws. It is clarified that virtual particles are not real and serve primarily as a calculation tool. Ultimately, energy conservation does not hold globally in an expanding universe, regardless of the presence of dark energy.
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TL;DR Summary
Does the exponential addition of added energy at universal scales violate conservation?
The Dirac equation suggest that vacuum space is really quite busy with virtual particles popping in then annihilating each other. Even “empty space” contains energy. I am having difficulty with what some folks in the physics community are saying about the universe not being a closed system at scale. Dark energy is causing the creation of more space and hence it seems there is a massive energy imbalance somewhere or, what’s more likely and is obvious; we know nothing about “dark energy” and folks are hand waving. Sorry if this question has already been addressed.
 
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GaloisGroup said:
TL;DR Summary: Does the exponential addition of added energy at universal scales violate conservation?

The Dirac equation suggest that vacuum space is really quite busy with virtual particles popping in then annihilating each other. Even “empty space” contains energy. I am having difficulty with what some folks in the physics community are saying about the universe not being a closed system at scale. Dark energy is causing the creation of more space and hence it seems there is a massive energy imbalance somewhere or, what’s more likely and is obvious; we know nothing about “dark energy” and folks are hand waving. Sorry if this question has already been addressed.
Can you cite a scholarly reference that motivates and supports these statements?
 
GaloisGroup said:
The Dirac equation suggest that vacuum space is really quite busy with virtual particles popping in then annihilating each other.
Virtual particles, by definition, are not real particles. They are only an aid to calculation.
 
Dark energy does not cause expansion. It causes acceleration of the expansion. But a universe void of dark energy could still expand. Energy is not conserved globally in an expanding universe, whether it has dark energy or not.
 
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recombination_(cosmology) Was a matter density right after the decoupling low enough to consider the vacuum as the actual vacuum, and not the medium through which the light propagates with the speed lower than ##({\epsilon_0\mu_0})^{-1/2}##? I'm asking this in context of the calculation of the observable universe radius, where the time integral of the inverse of the scale factor is multiplied by the constant speed of light ##c##.
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