In a May 5, 2017, article Space.com‘s Spaceman1 discusses why there’s much ado about the Higgs boson. Let’s be perfectly honest. The Higgs boson and its role in the universe are not the easiest things to explain. It doesn’t help that the Higgs has the horrible nickname of “the God Particle” and is often described as being… Continue reading Not so deific particle
My meditation on our common sense, everyday experience of physics and the 10^n and 10^-n reality was facilitated by MSNBC this morning — there was a segment with Neil deGrasse Tyson promoting his latest book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. A brief Q&A offered some additional context and memorable quotes. For example, Galileo’s famous quote that “The… Continue reading “Star man” as rock star
In reading Louisa Gilder’s book The Age of Entanglement, I was reminded of Bohr’s correspondence principle1 (originally analogy principle and also referred to as “Bohr’s magic wand”). I hadn’t thought about it much lately. Other than a few times in Lederman’s book Quantum Physics for Poets, the term wasn’t referenced in the other physics books… Continue reading Correspondence principle RIP
After reading Chad Orzel’s article “How Do You Create Quantum Entanglement?” I discovered this 2011 TEDx 18′ video in which physicist Leo Kouwenhoven talks about what his lab at Delft University of Technology is actually building on the basis of spooky quantum superposition and entanglement. “Spooky” physics – Leo Kouwenhoven ( TEDxDelft) – uploaded on Nov 28, 2011. What… Continue reading Quantum transport
As I continue to ponder the mind boggling character of quantum physics (the 10^-n reality), this National Geographic article provides a new perspective on exploration at the other end of the cosmic scale (the 10^n reality): New Planet Discoveries Signal a Shift in the Hunt for Alien Life (by Nadia Drake on April 27, 2017). With ever more intriguing worlds found… Continue reading Exoplanet POV
Have you ever counted the number of things that you own which use lasers?1 One of the best know devices emerging from our understanding of quantum physics is the laser. Remember the meaning of the acronym? Laser pointers are cool, eh. We rely on lasers for communications, entertainment, health & safety, defense, retail services, manufacturing,… Continue reading How to create entangled photon pairs
Earth Day April 22, 2017 The March for Science is the first step of a global movement to defend the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments. Here’s the page for locations in California. And the page for the Los Angeles event: MARCH FOR SCIENCE LOS ANGELES CELEBRATES THE CRUCIAL ROLES SCIENCE PLAYS… Continue reading March for science
Fermilab has an amazing presence on the Web. One of their sites is Fermilab at work. There’s a YouTube channel as well. There’s a splendid 10.5 minute video by Dr. Don Lincoln on “Why is the Weak Force weak?” Excellent graphics (including Feynman diagrams) and well presented. Published on Apr 14, 2017 The subatomic world… Continue reading Why is the Weak Force weak?
In the chapter “Beyond this horizon,” Sean Carroll discusses two related problems involving properties of empty space. Before discussing the vacuum energy problem, he profiles the so-called hierarchy problem in the cosmic energy scale. It’s about the effects of virtual particles. The energy scale that characterizes the weak interactions (the Higgs field value, 246 GeV)… Continue reading Sisyphean hierarchy
In previous posts, I’ve discussed how important nature’s symmetries are to modern physics. So critical, in fact, that Nobel laureate PW Anderson wrote in his widely read 1972 article More is Different that “it is only slightly overstating the case to say that physics is the study of symmetry.” “It is increasingly clear that the… Continue reading Symmetry → conservation laws
