[This post was inspired by a Wired article (noted below).] Much has been written about our good fortune to live on a water world (with a stabilizing moon) in a goldilocks zone of a solar system with a star in a stable stage [1]. But stellar and planetary conditions are dynamic. Even in ancient times,… Continue reading Living with stellar storms – the moods of our Sun
[“Knot theory” series] Regarding the topology of fundamental particles as spinors, like the electron, I prefer the term knot, rather than kink or twist or vortex [1]. Then I’m curious about ordering the complexity (à la generations) of these knots. And whether such knots are situated in additional dimensions. Wiki: In quantum field theory, the… Continue reading Knotty fields – quantum-topology-knot theory
[“Our Milky Way” series] Years in the works. The announcement had been anticipated for awhile. The big news was released today: First image of Black Hole at the center of our galaxy. Heart of the Milky Way, eh. This is about more than synthesizing an image from photos taken by “telescopes on high mountaintops” positioned… Continue reading A ringed darkness at our Milky Way’s center – EHT images Sagittarius A*
Do so-called antimatter particles play by the same rules as normal matter? Having an opposite charge from the electron, for example, does the positron obey the same laws of physics? Yes, essentially. (Baryon asymmetry is an ongoing topic of research as to any tiny effective difference.) But what happens to atomic dynamics when an electron… Continue reading Hybrid matter-antimatter atoms?
[“Communicating science” series] This post celebrates communicating the cosmos at a scale local to the nearest star, our Sun. Our solar system. A recent Science Alert article acclaims a science communicator and his visualization of the scale of things. In this case, the scale of planets (also Ceres, Pluto, our Moon) and the Sun. Perhaps… Continue reading The scale of things – our solar system
The context “He [Einstein] could construct complex equations, but more important, he knew that math is the language nature uses to describe her wonders.” – Isaacson, Walter. Einstein: His Life and Universe. Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition. • YouTube > The Science Asylum > “Is Math the Language of the Universe?” (published 12-31-2016) (video description)… Continue reading A universe without math?
[“Communicating science” series] [“Quantum foundations” series] [“What the heck” series] I’ve written about entanglement in prior posts and comments. Over a year ago, I also wrote some preliminary notes. A recent issue of The Caltech Weekly (April 14, 2022) prompted this post. In part because of my ongoing search for better, more compelling analogies (for… Continue reading What the heck is quantum entanglement?
[Draft] [“Beyond the Standard Model” series] Background on the “crisis” This Quanta Magazine article (below) has an eye-catching title, but its gist relates to the hierarchy problem, which I discussed in a prior post. That 2017 post (and additionaL commentary) used quotes by physicists – Sean Carroll, Leon Lederman, Fermilab’s Don Lincoln (video) – and… Continue reading Reductionism in quantum physics – a naturalness mire?
[Draft] [Beyond series] 2’s day. So, what’s the evidence that the Standard Model is incomplete? This Symmetry Magazine article cites some examples of why physicists seek something beyond the Standard Model. Is it convincing? • Symmetry Magazine > “Beyond the Standard Model” by Katrina Miller (02/22/2022) – The Standard Model is a quite successful best… Continue reading Beyond the Standard Model – sliver of reality?
[Draft] [RIP series] So, this recent SciTechDaily article (below) about the “Singularity Problem” caught my attention today. Because it’s a reminder of what the much fictionalized / mythologized notion is really about. The need for a deeper understanding of nature. The representational limits (approximate character) of mathematical models. A theory’s domain of applicability. [1] As… Continue reading Singularities RIP?
