from philsciSat Mar 02 2024 01:56:48 (18 hours)# 1.
Rickles, Dean (2023) Your Cosmos Needs You! From Nothingness to Quantum Existentialism. [Preprint]
from philsciSat Mar 02 2024 01:55:08 (18 hours)# 2.
Maggiani, Marco (2024) The Unruh Effect and Theory Intepretation in an Effective Framework. [Preprint]
from physics.hist-ph by Shahen HacyanFri Mar 01 2024 14:40:52 (1 day)# 3.
arXiv:2402.19400v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: In the 17th and 18th centuries, several natural philosophers studied the phenomenon of refraction and attempted to obtain the Snell law from various assumptions. Lacking experimental data, it was generally believed that light travels faster in a refracting medium than in air. In the present article, I review the contributions to the problem of light refraction by Descartes, Fermat, Huygens, Leibniz, Newton, Clairaut, and finally Maupertuis who established a principle of least action based on his own approach to the problem.
from physics.hist-ph by Hubert KalfFri Mar 01 2024 14:40:51 (1 day)# 4.
arXiv:2402.19104v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: The hitherto unknown author of a citation by Goethe in his History of Colours is identified as J. E. Montucla and the context of Montucla’s quotation is discussed.
from APS selected papers by Philip BallFri Mar 01 2024 05:00:00 (1 day)# 5.
Author(s): Philip Ball
Experiments demonstrate some of the unusual features of molecular reactions that occur in the deep cold of interstellar space.
[Physics 17, 37] Published Fri Mar 01, 2024
from philsciFri Mar 01 2024 03:50:37 (1 day)# 6.
Peebles, P. James E. (2024) The physicists philosophy of physics. [Preprint]
from philsciFri Mar 01 2024 03:46:30 (1 day)# 7.
Barandes, Jacob A. (2024) New Prospects for a Causally Local Formulation of Quantum Theory. [Preprint]
from philsciFri Mar 01 2024 03:44:35 (1 day)# 8.
Menon, Tushar (2024) The inferentialist guide to quantum mechanics. [Preprint]
from physics.hist-ph by Marian KupczynskiThu Feb 29 2024 10:42:10 (2 days)# 9.
arXiv:2402.00725v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: In his article in Science, Nicolas Gisin claimed that quantum correlations emerge from outside space time. We explain that they are due to space time symmetries. This paper is a critical review of metaphysical conclusions found in many recent articles. It advocates the importance of contextuality, Einstein causality and global symmetries. Bell tests allow only rejecting probabilistic coupling provided by a local hidden variable model, but they do not justify metaphysical speculations about quantum nonlocality and objects which know about each other state, even when separated by large distances. The violation of Bell inequalities in physics and in cognitive science can be explained using the notion of Bohr contextuality. If contextual variables, describing varying experimental contexts, are correctly incorporated into a probabilistic model, then the Bell and CHSH inequalities cannot be proven and nonlocal correlations may be explained in an intuitive way. We also elucidate the meaning of statistical independence assumption incorrectly called free choice, measurement independence or no conspiracy. Since correlation does not imply causation, the violation of statistical independence should be called contextuality and it does not restrict the experimenter freedom of choice. Therefore, contrary to what is believed, closing the freedom of choice loophole does not close the contextuality loophole.
from philsciThu Feb 29 2024 02:52:09 (2 days)# 10.
Murgueitio Ramírez, Sebastián and Hall, Geoffrey (2024) Symmetries and Representation. [Preprint]
from physics.hist-ph by Per \”OstbornWed Feb 28 2024 12:22:58 (3 days)# 11.
arXiv:2402.17066v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Born’s rule is the recipe for calculating probabilities from quantum mechanical amplitudes. There is no generally accepted derivation of Born’s rule from first principles. In this paper, it is motivated from assumptions that link the ontological content of a proper physical model to the epistemic conditions of the experimental context. More precisely, it is assumed that all knowable distinctions should correspond to distinctions in a proper model. This principle of “ontological completeness” means, for example, that the probabilistic treatment of the double slit experiment with and without path information should differ. Further, it is assumed that the model should rely only on knowable ontological elements, and that failure to fulfill this principle of “ontological minimalism” gives rise to wrong predictions. Consequently, probabilities should be assigned only to observable experimental outcomes. Also, the method to calculate such probabilities should not rely on the existence of a precise path of the observed object if this path is not knowable. A similar principle was promoted by Born, even though he did not apply it to probability. Another crucial assumption is that the proper rule to calculate probabilities should be generally valid. It should be applicable in all experimental contexts, regardless the setup that determines which attributes of the studied object are observed, together with the probability to observe each of the associated attribute values. There is no need to refer to the Hilbert space structure of quantum mechanics in the present treatment. Rather, some elements of this structure emerge from the analysis.
from physics.hist-ph by Axel MaasWed Feb 28 2024 12:22:57 (3 days)# 12.
arXiv:2305.01960v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: There is an odd tension in electroweak physics. Perturbation theory is extremely successful. At the same time, fundamental field theory gives manifold reasons why this should not be the case. This tension is resolved by the Fr\”ohlich-Morchio-Strocchi mechanism. However, the legacy of this work goes far beyond the resolution of this tension, and may usher in a fundamentally and ontologically different perspective on elementary particles, and even quantum gravity.
from physics.hist-ph by Claus KieferTue Feb 27 2024 17:22:56 (4 days)# 13.
arXiv:2305.07331v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: I investigate the question whether G\”odel’s undecidability theorems play a crucial role in the search for a unified theory of physics. I conclude that unless the structure of space-time is fundamentally discrete we can never decide whether a given theory is the final one or not. This is relevant for both canonical quantum gravity and string theory.
