[“Models of the quantum vacuum” series] A theoretical physicist walks into a bar. The bartender says, “What can I get you?” The physicist says, “Nothing.” The bartender gives the physicist an empty glass. The physicist says, “Thanks, that’s plenty!” Physicists take emptiness quite seriously. So-called empty space is an important area of study and research.… Continue reading Empty dumpty
Here’s my take on gauge symmetry after reading about the concept (some references are listed below). There are mathematical frameworks for space, and in physics there are equations of motion for space. A mathematical framework deals with geometric and numeric objects. In everyday life we basically equate these objects with a Euclidean space using the… Continue reading Symmetry → connection field → force of nature
In reading about vibrations in fields and wave functions and wave packets, some words that start with ‘e’ occurred a lot: eigenvalue, eigenvector, eigenfunction, eigenvalue equation, eigenequation [1]. I needed to refresh my understanding of the mathematical models for macroscopic and microscopic systems [2]. Everyday we are surrounded by things that vibrate when excited. Some… Continue reading Eigen what?
Over the weekend, I started reading Sean Carroll’s The Particle at the End of the Universe. Well written [1]. At times his colloquial description of a concept prompted me to: (1) wonder if he was referring to a particular technical phenomenon; and (2) explore the specialized, technical background of that concept. In either case, quite… Continue reading Vocabulary at the end of the verse
So, here’s the thing. If I roll with Quantum Field Theory (QFT), how do I reconcile my macroscopic and microscopic views of things. Simple things. Like looking at a tiny candle across the room? “P vision” Imagine if we could see individual photons (without being overwhelmed by visual “noise” in very low light). Where might… Continue reading Beyond frog vision
I studied thermodynamics as an undergrad. Online resources really help refresh my understanding; so, here’s a summary of my notes about entropy. Hopefully these agree with how the term is used in physics. Statements Equation: S = k ln Ω [Wiki] “The second law of thermodynamics states that an isolated system’s entropy never decreases. Such… Continue reading More about entropy — reality vibrates
Happy Pi Day! When you’re trying to solve any interesting problem (a problem about almost anything) — a problem with lots of interplay between different things, it’s important to know what’s important and not, what makes a big effect on the result and not. And just how precise the result needs to be anyway (at… Continue reading Effective theory
Physics was a requirement for the first two years when I was an undergrad. That introduced me to The Feynman Lectures on Physics, three heavy red volumes (© 1963, 1964, 1965). The preface in each volume had a picture of Feynman playing the bongo drums. And then the early morning physics labs. Two of the… Continue reading Reality is fields
I watched some online video interviews recently which discussed the question of dialog between science and religion. Do science and religion need to speak to each other? From a practical perspective, I was puzzled at first. There’s always been an interplay. Has the character of that dialectic changed in the last 50 – 100 years?… Continue reading Garbage in, garbage out
Lately in reading about modern physics and watching video interviews on contemporary cosmology, the number 10^100 (ten to the power of 100) kept coming up. Well, I found out probably why. Googol (not Google) is a large number: “In decimal notation, it is written as the digit 1 followed by one hundred 0s.” A googol has… Continue reading Googol, googolplex
