BREAKING NEWS
Tweets by @FQXi
Creating Spacetime from Quantum Collapse!
Aug 31, 2018
Tejinder Singh has an exciting new paper coming out that relates the emergence of space and time to quantum measurement and the GRW collapse model. The paper, which was supported by an FQXi mini-grant, will appear as a Rapid Communication in the German journal Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung.
Star Astronomer!
Jul 12, 2018
The 2018 Fred Hoyle Medal and Prize has been awarded to FQXi member, and grant winner, Hiranya Peiris. The prize was awarded for her leading contributions to understanding the origin and evolution of cosmic structure. Congratulations!
What Makes Time Special?
Jul 12, 2018
FQXi member, and grant winner, Craig Callender has been named as one of the winners of the 2018 Lakatos Award, for his book What Makes Time Special?. The award is given for outstanding contributions to the philosophy of science. Congratulations!
NEW IN BLOGS
Space-time from Collapse of the Wave-function
By TEJINDER PAL SINGH
The world of large things such as tables, planets, stars and galaxies, is extremely different from the world of small things such as electrons, protons, atoms, and photons. The most striking difference is that a table is never found in more than one...
Superhuman: Book Review and Special Podcast
By ZEEYA MERALI
In the quantum realm, the act of observing something—a photon, or an electron, say—can disturb or change its properties. In a very real, physical sense, we construct reality just by looking it.
This quantum quirk came to mind while I was...
Questions about the foundations of the world:...
By ANTHONY AGUIRRE
I've recently returned from FQXI's inaugural conference in Reykjavik Iceland.
After seeing (and driving through) the rift between the Atlantic and European plates, and later being told that the holes in the glacier we were avoiding go down...
FORUM UPDATES
High Energy Physics
New Nuclear "Magic Number"
By ZEEYA MERALI
Earlier this month, D. Steppenbeck and colleagues published a paper in Nature on "Evidence for a new nuclear 'magic number' from the level structure of 54Ca. Leo Vuyk requested that we open a new forum thread on this topic -- thank you...
Technology
Are We Merging With Our Technology?
By WILLIAM OREM
Put this one in the Strange New World file: is it possible to use junk DNA as a repository for secret messages? The idea cropped up in science fiction some time ago, but as of now, it's also reality.
Japanese researchers at Keio University,...
High Energy Physics
Ed Witten on the Nature of Reality
By ZEEYA MERALI
Natalie Wolchover has a fascinating interview with string theorist Ed Witten, in Quanta on dualities and what is real and fundamental. Thank you to Steve Agnew for suggesting that this would be a could discussion topic.
Space-time from Collapse of the Wave-function
By TEJINDER PAL SINGH
The world of large things such as tables, planets, stars and galaxies, is extremely different from the world of small things such as electrons, protons, atoms, and photons. The most striking difference is that a table is never found in more than one...
Superhuman: Book Review and Special Podcast
By ZEEYA MERALI
In the quantum realm, the act of observing something—a photon, or an electron, say—can disturb or change its properties. In a very real, physical sense, we construct reality just by looking it.
This quantum quirk came to mind while I was...
Questions about the foundations of the world:...
By ANTHONY AGUIRRE
I've recently returned from FQXI's inaugural conference in Reykjavik Iceland.
After seeing (and driving through) the rift between the Atlantic and European plates, and later being told that the holes in the glacier we were avoiding go down...
NEW PODCAST EPISODES
Superhuman: In this special edition, evolutionary biologist Rowan Hooper discusses his new book, which examines the extremes of mental and physical ability. He discusses encounters with some of the world's cleverest people, investigates the role of genetics in intelligence, memory, drive and focus, and describes people whose immense resilience has seen them come through terrible adversity. Hooper also describes lessons we can take from human evolution when programming AI.
High-energy neutrino traced back to a distant galaxy, with Azadeh Keivani; possible discovery of sterile neutrinos, with Richard Van de Water; black holes replaced by fuzzballs, with Samir Mathur; finding an almost-quantum theory, with Miguel Navascues; and testing free will with AI, with Avi Loeb.
Losing the Nobel Prize: In this special edition, physicist Brian Keating discusses his new book, which recounts the ill-fated BICEP2 announcement--and retraction--of the claimed discovery of primordial gravitational waves in 2014.
Featured Videos:
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Dagomir Kaszlikowski |
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"One Physics To Rule Them All (This Is Physics, part 1)" Marc Séguin |
|
Xiangjun Shi |
FORUM UPDATES
High Energy Physics
New Nuclear "Magic Number"
By ZEEYA MERALI
Earlier this month, D. Steppenbeck and colleagues published a paper in Nature on "Evidence for a new nuclear 'magic number' from the level structure of 54Ca. Leo Vuyk requested that we open a new forum thread on this topic -- thank you...
Technology
Are We Merging With Our Technology?
By WILLIAM OREM
Put this one in the Strange New World file: is it possible to use junk DNA as a repository for secret messages? The idea cropped up in science fiction some time ago, but as of now, it's also reality.
Japanese researchers at Keio University,...
High Energy Physics
Ed Witten on the Nature of Reality
By ZEEYA MERALI
Natalie Wolchover has a fascinating interview with string theorist Ed Witten, in Quanta on dualities and what is real and fundamental. Thank you to Steve Agnew for suggesting that this would be a could discussion topic.
NEW ARTICLES
Dissolving Quantum Paradoxes
By KATE BECKER • Aug 31, 2018
The impossibility of building a perfect clock could help explain away microscale weirdness.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(33 posts)
Constructing a Theory of Life
By MIRIAM FRANKEL • Jul 31, 2018
An all-encompassing framework of physics could help to explain the evolution of consciousness, intelligence, and free will.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(154 posts)
Usurping Quantum Theory
By COLIN STUART • Jun 28, 2018
The search is on for a fundamental framework that allows for even stranger links between particles than quantum theory—which could lead us to a theory of everything.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(13 posts)
Fuzzballs v Black Holes
By SOPHIE HEBDEN • May 11, 2018
A radical theory replaces the cosmic crunchers with fuzzy quantum spheres, potentially solving the black-hole information paradox and explaining away the Big Bang and the origin of time.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(25 posts)
Whose Physics Is It Anyway? Q&A with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
By NICOLA JONES • Apr 20, 2018
Why physics and astronomy communities must take diversity issues seriously in order to do good science.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(18 posts)
Why Time Might Not Be an Illusion
By NICOLA JONES • Feb 28, 2018
Einstein’s relativity pushes physicists towards a picture of the universe as a block, in which the past, present, and future all exist on the same footing; but maybe that shift in thinking has gone too far.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(139 posts)
The Complexity Conundrum
By M. MITCHELL WALDROP • Dec 5, 2017
Resolving the black hole firewall paradox—by calculating what a real astronaut would compute at the black hole's edge.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(52 posts)
Quantum Dream Time
By KATE BECKER • Nov 8, 2017
Defining a ‘quantum clock’ and a 'quantum ruler' could help those attempting to unify physics—and solve the mystery of vanishing time.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(80 posts)
Our Place in the Multiverse
By SOPHIE HEBDEN • Sep 22, 2017
Calculating the odds that intelligent observers arise in parallel universes—and working out what they might see.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(17 posts)
Sounding the Drums to Listen for Gravity’s Effect on Quantum Phenomena
By STEVEN ASHLEY • Aug 8, 2017
A bench-top experiment could test the notion that gravity breaks delicate quantum superpositions.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(138 posts)
Watching the Observers
By BRENDAN FOSTER • Jun 13, 2017
Accounting for quantum fuzziness could help us measure space and time—and the cosmos—more accurately.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(70 posts)
Bohemian Reality: Searching for a Quantum Connection to Consciousness
By COLIN STUART • Mar 24, 2017
Is there are sweet spot where artificial intelligence systems could have the maximum amount of consciousness while retaining powerful quantum properties?
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(31 posts)
Quantum Replicants: Should future androids dream of quantum sheep?
By JAYNE THOMPSON • Feb 24, 2017
To build the ultimate artificial mimics of real life systems, we may need to use quantum memory.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(23 posts)
Painting a QBist Picture of Reality
By M. MITCHELL WALDROP • Jan 22, 2017
A radical interpretation of physics makes quantum theory more personal.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(50 posts)
Dissolving Quantum Paradoxes
By KATE BECKER • Aug 31, 2018
The impossibility of building a perfect clock could help explain away microscale weirdness.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(33 posts)
Constructing a Theory of Life
By MIRIAM FRANKEL • Jul 31, 2018
An all-encompassing framework of physics could help to explain the evolution of consciousness, intelligence, and free will.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(154 posts)
Usurping Quantum Theory
By COLIN STUART • Jun 28, 2018
The search is on for a fundamental framework that allows for even stranger links between particles than quantum theory—which could lead us to a theory of everything.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(13 posts)
Fuzzballs v Black Holes
By SOPHIE HEBDEN • May 11, 2018
A radical theory replaces the cosmic crunchers with fuzzy quantum spheres, potentially solving the black-hole information paradox and explaining away the Big Bang and the origin of time.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(25 posts)
Whose Physics Is It Anyway? Q&A with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
By NICOLA JONES • Apr 20, 2018
Why physics and astronomy communities must take diversity issues seriously in order to do good science.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(18 posts)
Why Time Might Not Be an Illusion
By NICOLA JONES • Feb 28, 2018
Einstein’s relativity pushes physicists towards a picture of the universe as a block, in which the past, present, and future all exist on the same footing; but maybe that shift in thinking has gone too far.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(139 posts)
The Complexity Conundrum
By M. MITCHELL WALDROP • Dec 5, 2017
Resolving the black hole firewall paradox—by calculating what a real astronaut would compute at the black hole's edge.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(52 posts)
Quantum Dream Time
By KATE BECKER • Nov 8, 2017
Defining a ‘quantum clock’ and a 'quantum ruler' could help those attempting to unify physics—and solve the mystery of vanishing time.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(80 posts)
Our Place in the Multiverse
By SOPHIE HEBDEN • Sep 22, 2017
Calculating the odds that intelligent observers arise in parallel universes—and working out what they might see.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(17 posts)
Sounding the Drums to Listen for Gravity’s Effect on Quantum Phenomena
By STEVEN ASHLEY • Aug 8, 2017
A bench-top experiment could test the notion that gravity breaks delicate quantum superpositions.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(138 posts)
Watching the Observers
By BRENDAN FOSTER • Jun 13, 2017
Accounting for quantum fuzziness could help us measure space and time—and the cosmos—more accurately.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(70 posts)
Bohemian Reality: Searching for a Quantum Connection to Consciousness
By COLIN STUART • Mar 24, 2017
Is there are sweet spot where artificial intelligence systems could have the maximum amount of consciousness while retaining powerful quantum properties?
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(31 posts)
Quantum Replicants: Should future androids dream of quantum sheep?
By JAYNE THOMPSON • Feb 24, 2017
To build the ultimate artificial mimics of real life systems, we may need to use quantum memory.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(23 posts)
Painting a QBist Picture of Reality
By M. MITCHELL WALDROP • Jan 22, 2017
A radical interpretation of physics makes quantum theory more personal.
Read article
Discuss this article in the FQXi Community Forum
(50 posts)