What is a kelvin wave? 10-29-2026 [Siri chat] A Kelvin wave is a massive, slow-moving pulse of warm water that travels across the ocean or along coastlines. These waves are planetary gravity waves that can stretch thousands of miles and are a key part of the El Niño climate cycle. Unlike typical ocean waves, Kelvin… Continue reading What is a Kelvin wave?
Black holes, supernovae, neutron stars, pulsars, oh gee,… radio beasts in a gravitational sea … Radio telescopes have been the workhorses of cosmic sky surveys for a long time. Yet, often eclipsed in public media by the Hubble and Webb space telescopes (using visible and infrared light waves). But radio wave imaging will get more… Continue reading Cosmic ‘bumps in the night’ – DSA advances radio astronomy
We venture once again to the Moon! Let us do so with humility, inspired by the interplay of light & shadow, mankind’s history of rise & fall. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress and “There Ain’t No Such Thing As a Free Lunch!” This article (below) reminds me of the Mathematical universe hypothesis: the physical… Continue reading ‘The world will never fit inside an equation’
A new Quanta Magazine article by Philip Ball was so refreshing that I had to pause working on my other blogs and stories, and follow up on my past posts about wavepackets [1]. So, wavepackets and Wilczek’s Grid continue to be the best way that I’ve found to visualize quantum physics. And move beyond the… Continue reading Quantum physics beyond remembrances – decoherence redux
Introduction My chat with Gemini about photons continued this week. This time I explored its take on visualization of a photon as a wavepacket. A traveling energy bundle, quantum of the electromagnetic field (aka photon field). A model that’s more useful – perhaps even weirder – than the trope of an oh-so-small ball. A chat… Continue reading AIsaysWhat.physics – the take of scrape – wavepacket chat
Introduction Last month I saw an uptick in my Google Web traffic for the question “How big [or large] is a photon?“ I’ve been exploring AI chabot takes on various topics for a while. So, I recently asked Google that question. How was the reply? Well, Google’s AI Overview certainly was better than you’d likely… Continue reading AIsaysWhat.physics – the take of scrape – photon chat
Hold your right hand in front of a mirror. Or, just place your left hand in front of your right with palms facing. Now (in 3D) try to “swap in” (superpose) your left for your right hand. It’s not a replacement, eh. So, chirality. “Chiral” – a word that’s hugely important in physics. (Wiki)The term… Continue reading Chirality – the mirror mismatch
I’ve cited Nick Lucid’s Science Asylum YouTube channel over the years. His latest video is a wonderful take on all the quantum cat clickbait which I’ve noticed lately – another nostalgic set of pieces on Schrödinger’s legendary thought experiment. Much misunderstood [1]. A favorite of fabulists (and mystics). Well, Nick nails the reality. Yet, I… Continue reading Enough cat in a box! – an isolation setup
In quantum field theory, if gravity isn’t a fundamental force, how does it emerge? This article describes a theory of deep quantum electromagnetic interactions. Photon transactions (emission / absorption) populate a relational network of events which structures spacetime. According to the theory, each transaction gives rise to a pair of events in spacetime, effectively stitching… Continue reading Reframing spacetime – a stitch of events or pitch of time
The romance of living in space and space travel skyrocketed as I was growing up. Post WWII. Sputnik, Disney’s Man in Space, NASA’s man on the moon, Star Trek, … classic sci-fi books … Maybe back then millionaires dreamed of retiring in space (as a refuge from the Cold War). Now maybe some billionaires dream… Continue reading Senior health in space – longevity in freefall
