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Physics

L&FP, 65f: It’s all tangled up — quantum entanglement (vs how we tend to talk loosely)

Arvin Ash poses a macro scale parallel to entanglement (while using a Stern-Gerlach apparatus): Vid: Ash highlights, of course, that once entangled, particles have superposed wave functions leading to inherent non locality. So, spooky action at a distance overlooks that non locality. And as with the gloves, Alice needs to know her particle is part of an entangled pair to freely infer Bob got the other one, so to speak. Information has not evaded the speed of light limit. Translation,* our concept of space, needs to be er, ah, uh, quantum adjusted. That was already lurking in low intensity beam interference and superposition. KF *PS, added to show certain objectors that “translated” needs not be pernicious. PPS, DV, quantum computing Read More ›

L&FP, 65f: It’s all tangled up — quantum entanglement (vs how we tend to talk loosely)

Arvin Ash poses a macro scale parallel to entanglement (while using a Stern-Gerlach apparatus): Vid: Ash highlights, of course, that once entangled, particles have superposed wave functions leading to inherent non locality. So, spooky action at a distance overlooks that non locality. And as with the gloves, Alice needs to know her particle is part of an entangled pair to freely infer Bob got the other one, so to speak. Information has not evaded the speed of light limit. Translation,* our concept of space, needs to be er, ah, uh, quantum adjusted. That was already lurking in low intensity beam interference and superposition. KF *PS, added to show certain objectors that “translated” needs not be pernicious. PPS, DV, quantum computing Read More ›

Rob Sheldon responds to Sabine Hossenfelder’s loss of faith in science

Sabine says 40 years of lack of progress, with 40 years of wrong predictions is not normal, and we should not normalize it. (The field is losing graduate students, which means the end is nigh.) Read More ›

At Big Think: The weirdness of quantum mechanics forces scientists to confront philosophy

Marcelo Gleiser: Due to space, I will only mention one more epistemic interpretation, Quantum Bayesianism, or as it is now called, QBism. As the original name implies, QBism takes the role of an agent as central. It assumes that probabilities in quantum mechanics reflect the current state of the agent’s knowledge or beliefs about the world, as he or she makes bets about what will happen in the future. Read More ›

L&FP, 65e: Imaging light as a “wavicle” — both wave and particle

. . . using standing waves of light, vid: x Here is a snapshot: By setting up standing waves and using an electron beam to interact with it, a map could be imaged on photon location and waves. As an article explains: Until now [–> c 2015], scientists have only ever been able to capture an image of light as either a particle or a wave, and never both at the same time. But a team from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland have managed to overcome the obstacles that stood in the way of previous experiments by using electrons to image light in this very strange state.  The key to their success is their unusual experiment design. Read More ›

L&FP 65d: Superposition and the wave function

Here Hossenfelder is an instrumentalist, and emphasises that the superposition is an expression of a probability wave thus a prediction of observations not ultimate truth. Bonus, she brings in entanglement and the concept that it discusses correlated states, using radioactive decay as a case. However, all of this can help us address things like alleged clashes between Quantum Theory and Logic, cf our weak arguments discussion here. Q-Mech, of course, humbles us all. KF

L&FP, 65: So, you think you understand the double slit experiment? (HT, Q & BA77)

So, here we go: And, the rise of solid state laser pointers makes this sort of exercise so much easier, BUT YOU MUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET SUCH A BRIGHT SOURCE INTO YOUR EYE AS THIS MAY CAUSE RETINAL BURNS THUS BLIND SPOTS. (I recall, buying and assembling a kit He-Ne laser to have this exercise for my High School students. We had a ball, using metre sticks stuck to a screen with blu-tack, to observe and measure effects from several metres away.) So, now, what about, electrons: Notice, the pattern here builds up statistically, one spot at a time. Then, HT BA77 way back, here is Dr Quantum: Now, if you think you have it all figured out, Read More ›

At Mind Matters News: Nobelist Roger Penrose talks about his impossible triangle

Penrose attempts a minimalist position when defending the reality of both mathematics and the mind in a world where many believe that only the physical exists. Read More ›

Is the Galton Board evidence for intelligent design of the universe?

Ken Francis writes: “Proof that God placed order out of chaos in the universe. Each ball has a 50-50 chance of bouncing right or left off of each peg as it traverses the board, but every time the result is a bell curve. More proof of Intelligent Design.” Read More ›

At Big Think: The 4 fundamental meanings of “nothing” in science

Evidence from cosmological observations, coupled with Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and research into the physics of the singularity out of which the universe began most strongly argues that matter and energy, space and time all came into existence from a true nothingness. Read More ›

At Astronomy.com: The universe may be more unstable than you think

So, physics researchers have found more fine-tuning: yet another feature of our universe upon which our entire existence is contingent. When combined with the many other fine-tuned parameters of physics necessary for life to exist, we have growing reason to doubt that "luck" is the explanation. Read More ›