There are some rarified (typically mathematical) arguments that random processes – given an infinite scope & time – will “almost surely” produce any specific artifact spontaneously – a complex thing in its entirety, rather than its components. Such claims strike me as mythic (at best). Yet, naturally, the meaning and emergence (evolution) of consciousness (conscious… Continue reading Boltzmann brain RIP?
[Draft] The beckoning frontier … the adventure … “not in my lifetime, you say … or for generations” … and live like what? … well, maybe I’ll pass on that Golden Ticket … Faster-than-light travel (FTL) is a common plot device in science fiction, with a long history in books, short stories, drama series, and… Continue reading The romance of FTL, a stark reality
How dark is the universe? Optically – for visible light. Far away from star light and reflected dust. Here’s an interesting perspective on electromagnetic (EM) cosmic energy density – just for optical wavelengths. And without any clarification of fuzzy bounds for a galaxy’s reach. The entire electromagnetic spectrum is another story. • Live Science >… Continue reading How dark is the universe – optically?
Here’s a possible story which helps demystify quantum field theory. A personal visualization, which stays within the bounds of spacetime and avoids needless paradoxes. There are two key concepts to my sketch: the Grid and a quantum’s tail. This post lays out the second idea, namely, a quantum’s tail.
Here’s a possible story which helps demystify quantum field theory. A personal visualization, which stays within the bounds of spacetime and avoids needless paradoxes. There are two key concepts to my sketch: the Grid and a quantum’s tail. This post lays out the first idea, namely, the Grid.
To address selected topical questions, there’s a new Lectures menu section. Drafts of two lectures are now available. The “Thinking like a …” series The “Say what?” series
This post is about my ongoing physics research project. To tell a story (perhaps literally) which conceptually unpacks quantum field theory. That is, to develop a framework which: visualizes Wilczek’s Grid (discussed in other posts) and demystifies the historical tropes of quantum mechanics.
[Preliminary 11-11-2023] [“Quantum foundations” series] Table of contents Context This post was inspired by Don Lincoln’s latest YouTube video (below). Insights from quantum field theory (QFT) have helped me better understand strange aspects of quantum theory [1]. In particular, leaving behind notions of point particles and wave-particle duality, and just going with fields and wavepackets in… Continue reading Wavepackets and uncertainty principle
Thinking of the latest announcements for Nobel prizes: physics, chemistry, peace … Can the mind-boggling, awe-inspiring scale of the universe improve the odds of our collective survival? An expanding overview effect? “I believe our future depends powerfully on how well we understand this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the… Continue reading Island universe RIP – impact of awe-inspiring scales?
[“Quantum foundations” series – QFT charge inversion] As discussed elsewhere (e.g., in “QFT – How many fields are there?” and comments), in the Standard Model, “there is one field for each kind of particle.” So, consider the positron – the “negative-energy solution” of the Dirac equation. It’s likely that electrons and positrons (anti-electrons) are localized… Continue reading Does antimatter ‘fall’ the same as matter? – QFT and CPT symmetry
