BaruchMost of the lecture is based on photons ...Fri Jul 6, 2012 12:3268.90.156.210and photons have really odd behavior compared to ordinary matter like electrons. In classical mechanics, if you try to deal with EM waves, you end up with infinities (this also happens with rest mass of electrons in both classical and QED theory). Relativity theory was invented to overcome this, with the model that space and time dilate at high speeds, but preventing the infinities even with photons. With electrons for instance, they move thru space-time at the speed of light, but not on a light-cone, but inside of it (time-like geodesics). With photons in contrast, they move thru space-time at the speed of light, but on a light-code (null-geodesics). There is a problem (hand-waved away by the physics Illuminati) that there might be space-like geodesics, and this is why physicists worry about whether tachyons exist (faster-than-light particles) and the hub-bub this past year about the neutrino experiments in Europe that seemed to demonstrate faster-than-light phenomenon ... turned out the experimental apparatus wasn't in the shape they thought it was, one of the signal lines was slightly stretched, making the shorter line seem by contrast to be transmitting faster. Another POV, alluded to briefly at the end, is the model of treating photons as traveling simultaneously forward and backward in time. This is best imagined as follows ... with an ordinary matter particle, such as an electron, one can order the position of the particle vs time in a monotonic way (forward or backward in time is a convention, one merely has to be consistent as to the overall choice). But there are systems where it isn't possible to do this (oriented vs non-oriented manifolds). The Mobius strip is an example of an un-oriented manifold, whereas an ordinary two-sided closed loop of paper is oriented in a binary way. One can thus also look at a photon as being timeless and everywhere, there is no progress or regress, if the direction of time is doubled, with one forward and the other backward. Which is to say, that any particle in QM, has the property of being identical to any other particle of the same type (this is a categorical tautology), but this can also be interpreted as that there is only one photon in the entire universe, a QED for being identical is if there is only one ... but this one is non-local.
Many famous discoveries in science, subsequently are found to be mistaken, this is why it is peer-reviewed, why experiments are repeated, why measurements have to be quantified. Non-repeatable phenomenon fall outside the scientific method, as do non-quantifiable phenomenon. Similarly one has to do one's empirical work in a controlled environment, to reduce the extraneous variables (quantum bit computer elements have to be strongly isolated from the outside environment (see also the production of holograms), or they loose coherence (see lasers) and thus are randomized (become useless for computing). There are lots of physical phenomenon that by their nature, can't be handled in this way, and thus can't be scientifically rigorous in their interpretation. Non-physical phenomenon such as consciousness (yes this violates the assumption of neural materialism) also fall outside rigorous science, particularly because no psychological phenomenon can be put under rigorous control ... the mind itself is out of control with itself, let alone under the control of a psychologist analyzing someone else.
Shalom
- Most of the lecture is based on photons ... — Baruch, Fri Jul 6 12:32
