Zenith Grant Awardee
Dr. Richard Woodard
University of Florida
Co-Investigators
Professor Nikolaos C. Tsamis, <i>Department of Physics/University of Crete</i>
Project Title
Fundamental Particles as Probes of Quantum Gravity
Project Summary
The statement, "there are problems incorporating quantum mechanics into general relativity" is necessarily based upon the use of an approximation technique because exact calculations are too difficult. It could well be that the standard approximation technique is giving wildly incorrect results. In that case quantum mechanics and general relativity would be perfectly compatible but one could only see it using a better approximation technique. It is proposed to develop such a technique and to apply it to realizing the old dream of computing fundamental particle masses from the energy contained in their force fields.
Technical Abstract
A reorganization of conventional perturbation theory is proposed in which the 0-th order term incorporates the gravitational screening of self-energy divergences. This 0-th order term can be obtained by solving the problem of a quantum mechanical particle that moves in the gravitational and other force fields sourced by its own probability current. It is proposed to extend the existing, scalar-Abelian formalism to include Majorana and Dirac fermions as well as non-Abelian force fields. It is also proposed to apply the formalism to investigate fundamental particle masses. This proposal tests the idea that quantum general relativity might make sense nonperturbatively, and that it might serve as a universal regulator.
QSpace Latest
PressRelease: Shining a light on the roots of plant “intelligence”
All living organisms emit a low level of light radiation, but the origin and function of these ‘biophotons’ are not yet fully understood. An international team of physicists, funded by the Foundational Questions Institute, FQxI, has proposed a new approach for investigating this phenomenon based on statistical analyses of this emission. Their aim is to test whether biophotons can play a role in the transport of information within and between living organisms, and whether monitoring biophotons could contribute to the development of medical techniques for the early diagnosis of various diseases. Their analyses of the measurements of the faint glow emitted by lentil seeds support models for the emergence of a kind of plant ‘intelligence,’ in which the biophotonic emission carries information and may thus be used by plants as a means to communicate. The team reported this and reviewed the history of biophotons in an article in the journal Applied Sciences in June 2024.