Posted on 09/12/2003 9:39:02 PM PDT by RightWingAtheist
More than 60 years ago, G. H. Hardy, an English mathematician besotted with abstraction, wrote, " `Imaginary' universes are so much more beautiful than this stupidly constructed `real' one." Were Hardy around today, he'd find plenty of company. From astronomers peering out into space to particle physicists inspecting atomic innards, the more scientists study the universe, the more preposterous, random, and, yes, ugly it becomes.
But hold it. How can the universe be thought ugly? This realm of wheeling galaxies whose stars explode gloriously to seed space with the building blocks of life? A cosmos that bore at least one planet on which mortals find joy in sunsets? Mathematically minded scholars admire such things, too. But for generations they have expected to discover a few simple, elegant rules from which the cosmos's workings spring.
Today, that search is going to extreme lengths, as scientists posit hidden realms, such as extra dimensions or parallel subuniverses, that could help make sense of our apparently random cosmos. They're also planning giant experiments that may turn up hints of these shadow universes. "Some wonderful discoveries are out there, and we are building machines to do this very soon," exults Maria Spiropulu, a young experimental physicist at the University of Chicago's Enrico Fermi Institute.
Cosmology desperately needs such a revelation. Once an academic playground where theorists freely speculated about the nature of the universe, the field now swarms with real data. Astronomers and physicists are busy compiling the universe's stats--its age, composition, and the nature and strength of the forces at work in it. But instead of becoming simpler, as scientists had hoped, this new portrait of the universe is an ever more random-seeming hodgepodge of apparently unconnected constants, particles, forces, and masses.
Fading glow. The last straw for noted physicist John Bahcall of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., came last March, when NASA trucked out what, by any measure, was a genuine triumph. A satellite called the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe had plotted, in unprecedented detail, tiny temperature variations in the microwave background radiation that fills the sky. This fading glow of the big bang reveals our universe at about 370,000 years (less than a 10,000th of its current age) and holds clues to its exact age and mix of matter and energy (box, below). The agency had invited Bahcall to comment. He dutifully noted his pride. "Every astronomer will remember when they first heard the results from WMAP," he said. Then he confessed. He had hoped against hope that growing evidence of the nature of our universe would turn out to be wrong. "The WMAP results have convinced me," he said. "We have to learn to understand this unattractive universe because we have no other choice."
Bahcall later explained: "It really is strange and--to our perhaps uneducated eyes--arbitrary, ugly, or accidental. To live in a universe where only 4 percent of matter is ordinary matter I find awkward at best, implausible at the least, but there it is." Even worse, he said, was WMAP's confirmation that most of the substance of the universe consists of a mysterious "dark energy" that is pushing all of space apart. "If I didn't have all of these facts in front of me, and you came up with a universe like that, I'd either ask what you've been smoking or tell you to stop telling fairy tales."
WMAP's data on the universe at large only underscore the puzzles physicists find right down to the smallest scales of matter. One is the "hierarchy" problem of the immense disparity in forces. The gravitational pull of an electron on a proton is less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of their electromagnetic attraction. Why these forces are so vastly different is, to scientists, just plain weird. Similarly, physicists have long known that there is no such thing as empty space. Even the vacuum boils with particles and antiparticles appearing and disappearing in a subatomic quantum foam. That foam could generate "vacuum energy"--an antigravity effect very much like that dark energy astronomers have now detected. Trouble is, standard physics suggests that the vacuum energy, if it exists at all, should be incredibly larger than what is observed, by a factor of 1 followed by 55 zeroes.
Then there is the "fine-tuning" problem. The universe appears marvelously constructed to produce stars, planets, and life. Scientists have calculated that if the force binding atomic nuclei were just 0.5 percent different, the processes that forge atoms inside stars would have failed to produce either carbon or oxygen--key ingredients for life. If gravity were only slightly stronger or weaker, stars like our sun could not have formed. Yet physicists see no reason why the constants of nature are set just so.
To some, this is all good news. Perhaps, as many religious people say, God exists and wanted it this way--case closed. For many scientists, who try to avoid supernatural explanations, the accumulation of mysteries merely signals that the time is right for a breakthrough.
One of the newest, most daring hypotheses is that the explanation lies somewhere weird, near yet far: in extra dimensions. As in the land of Narnia in writer C. S. Lewis's novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, behind obscure passages in this rambling mansion we call a universe may be hidden wings that make the house beautiful. "There may be a whole new universe of large, higher dimensions beyond the ones we can see and every bit as big and rich," says Joseph Lykken of the University of Chicago and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Earlier this year, at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Spiropulu organized a session for Lykken and other, mostly young physicists to discuss such extra dimensions and how to find them. Sean Carroll, also of the University of Chicago, is fond of calling the universe preposterous. He explained the appeal of extra dimensions, saying, "One way to tackle a tough problem is to spread it out."
While it may sound like science fiction, extra dimensionality has a solid pedigree in string theory, born in the past 35 years as a way to simplify fundamental particles like quarks and electrons. Traditional physics regards them as points, with a diameter of zero. Zeros wreak havoc in equations, but if fundamental particles are seen instead as tiny vibrating strings and loops, their math quickly settles down. Among string theory's triumphs is that it unites the theory describing gravity, Einstein's general relativity, with the theory governing nature's other forces, quantum mechanics.
Wrinkle in time. Standard string theory requires at least seven extra dimensions, but, unlike the ones we know, they are "compacted," or wrapped into tiny arcs less than a trillionth the size of a proton. In the past few years, however, theorists have concluded that some extra dimensions could be as infinite as our familiar up, forward, and sideways. Another wrinkle in string theory, called M theory, holds that higher dimensions can form membranes--branes for short. Our universe might occupy one brane, while others, perhaps just a short "distance" away, may be home to different physics.
Confused? Don't feel bad. Even experienced physicists have a hard time visualizing such things. With branes, says Harvard University's Lisa Randall, another panelist at the meeting, "the [apparent] weakness of gravity starts to make perfect sense. It's not weak. It only looks that way to us." She and a colleague, Raman Sundrum of Johns Hopkins University, propose that gravity loses its strength as it leaks out of our familiar universe into the "bulk"--that unseen realm of higher dimensions. Other theorists, like Savas Dimopoulos of Stanford University, suggest that gravity originates in a parallel "braneworld" and seems weak to us because only a portion of its strength leaks onto our brane. Dimopoulos also thinks that dark matter, a mystery ingredient of the universe known only from its gravitational pull, is the shadowy echo of a parallel braneworld, or even a sign of folds in our own braneworld that allow gravity to take shortcuts to distant neighborhoods.
M theory has many other variants and oddball jargon, including flat branes, weak branes, colliding branes, skinny branes and, Spiropulu jokes, "my big fat Greek brane." But best of all, large higher dimensions like branes should be much easier to detect than the ultratiny packets of the original string theory. Experimenters see a good chance that a new, more powerful version of Fermilab's Tevatron particle accelerator or the European Large Hadron Collider, due in a few years, may slam protons, electrons, and other particles together so hard that signals of big extra dimensions will finally turn up. Such hints could take the form of so-called supersymmetric particles, predicted by string theory; "gravitons" that carry the force of gravity; or even tiny black holes that would evaporate instantly but leave a telltale signal.
Nobody pretends yet to know the answer. String theorist James Cline of Canada's McGill University sees rapid progress toward a new kind of physics, whatever it is. "There may be large extra dimensions; there may not be," he says. "These are wonderful times. New things are coming out every day. I think the chances that any one of the ideas around today is true are slim. But when we do find the right answer, it will look, and smell, just right."
In other words, it will be beautiful.
WHERE is the land of Luthany,
Where is the tract of Elenore?
I am bound therefor.
‘Pierce thy heart to find the key;
With thee take
Only what none else would keep;
Learn to dream when thou dost wake,
Learn to wake when thou dost sleep.
Learn to water joy with tears,
Learn from fears to vanquish fears;
To hope, for thou dar’st not despair,
Exult, for that thou dar’st not grieve;
Plough thou the rock until it bear;
Know, for thou else couldst not believe;
Lose, that the lost thou may’st receive;
Die, for none other way canst live.
When earth and heaven lay down their veil,
And that apocalypse turns thee pale;
When thy seeing blindeth thee
To what thy fellow-mortals see;
When their sight to thee is sightless;
Their living, death; their light, most lightless;
Search no more—
Pass the gates of Luthany, tread the region Elenore.’
Where is the land of Luthany,
And where the region Elenore?
I do faint therefor.
‘When to the new eyes of thee
All things by immortal power,
Near or far,
Hiddenly
To each other linkèd are,
That thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling of a star;
When thy song is shield and mirror
To the fair snake-curlèd Pain,
Where thou dar’st affront her terror
That on her thou may’st attain
Perséan conquest; seek no more,
O seek no more!
Pass the gates of Luthany, tread the region Elenore.’
--"The Mistress of Vision", Francis Thompson
(Emphasis added by Boris)
They majored in Cosmology and minored in Cosmetology, or vice versa.
Oh star! The fairest one in sight,
We grant your loftiness the right
To some obscurity of cloud.
It will not do to say of night
Since dark is what brings out your light.
Some mystery becomes the proud,
But to be wholly taciturn
In your reserve is not allowed.
Say something! And it says: "I burn"
But say with what degree of heat.
Talk Farenheight! Talk Centigrade!
Use language we can comprehend,
Tell us what elements you blend.
It gives us strangely little aid,
But does tell something in the end.
And steadfast as Keats' eremite,
Not even stooping from its sphere,
It asks a little of us here,
It asks of us a certain height.
So when at times the mob is swayed
To carry praise or blame too far,
We may choose something like a star
To stay our minds on, and be staid.
- Robert Frost
Today, that search is going to extreme lengths, as scientists posit hidden realms, such as extra dimensions or parallel subuniverses, that could help make sense of our apparently random cosmos.
Mr. Bahcall continues...
This fading glow of the big bang reveals our universe at about 370,000 years (less than a 10,000th of its current age) and holds clues to its exact age and mix of matter and energy...
Makes you wonder if there is an Intelligence out there that has bridged the space/time continuum.
5.56mm
I searched the skies since 8/27 looking for something resembling a red moon. When we finally saw a bright point in the sky which was Mars, I, too, was disappointed, but when considering its size and distance from Earth, it really is a wonder that it's close enough to be visible with the naked eye.
The universe is still full of mysteries despite our knowledge thus far; especially when we consider that fascinating discoveries about life in the deep sea are still being made right here on our own planet. We are only on the brink of a frontier which will be key in determining our destiny.
For Lurkers: here are two sources for higher dimension, non-compactified, speculations:
"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat." (Psalm 19:1 -1 6)
For He (The Lord Jesus Christ) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For BY HIM ALL THINGS were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and INVISIBLE, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things HOLD TOGETHER." (Colossians 1:13 - 17 Emphasis mine)
The Lord Jesus Christ created it all and He is the superglue, the mysterious force that is holding it all together.
That is the answer plain and simple and God even gave it to us!
But men in their pride refues to believe, note the statement in the article:
Then there is the "fine-tuning" problem. The universe appears marvelously constructed to produce stars, planets, and life. Scientists have calculated that if the force binding atomic nuclei were just 0.5 percent different, the processes that forge atoms inside stars would have failed to produce either carbon or oxygen--key ingredients for life. If gravity were only slightly stronger or weaker, stars like our sun could not have formed. Yet physicists see no reason why the constants of nature are set just so.
To some, this is all good news. Perhaps, as many religious people say, God exists and wanted it this way--case closed. For many scientists, who try to avoid supernatural explanations, the accumulation of mysteries merely signals that the time is right for a breakthrough.
How sad, the answer is right in front of their face, but becaue they refuse to add God to their equasion, they are left looking for some unknown, mysterious "breakthrough".
The following scripture is so appropriate to this situation it is enough to bring one to tears.:
19For it is written,
“I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,
AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made FOOLISH the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world THROUGH IT’S WISDOM DID NOT COME TO KNOW GOD, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for WISDOM; 23but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles FOOLISHNESS, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is WISER than men, and the weakness of God is STRONGER than men.
26For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to SHAME the wise, and God has chosen the WEAK things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” (1Corinthians 1:19 – 31 Emphasis mine)
From Cecil Adam's "The Straight Dope" newspaper column, when asked a rhyming question about Dr. S's cat:
There's a lot more to it than implied by the poem, though. It's not just a matter of, "if we can't tell what it's doing when we're not observing it, why speculate" -- countless tests in quantum physics all seem to indicate that quantum events really *are* in a multiple superposition of possible states until we make a test (i.e. "observation") that "forces" the events to "choose" a specific result.Schroedinger, Erwin! Professor of physics! Wrote daring equations! Confounded his critics! (Not bad, eh? Don't worry. This part of the verse Starts off pretty good, but it gets a lot worse.) Win saw that the theory that Newton'd invented By Einstein's discov'ries had been badly dented. What now? wailed his colleagues. Said Erwin, "Don't panic, No grease monkey I, but a quantum mechanic. Consider electrons. Now, these teeny articles Are sometimes like waves, and then sometimes like particles. If that's not confusing, the nuclear dance Of electrons and suchlike is governed by chance! No sweat, though--my theory permits us to judge Where some of 'em is and the rest of 'em was." Not everyone bought this. It threatened to wreck The comforting linkage of cause and effect. E'en Einstein had doubts, and so Schroedinger tried To tell him what quantum mechanics implied. Said Win to Al, "Brother, suppose we've a cat, And inside a tube we have put that cat at-- Along with a solitaire deck and some Fritos, A bottle of Night Train, a couple mosquitoes (Or something else rhyming) and, oh, if you got 'em, One vial prussic acid, one decaying ottom Or atom--whatever--but when it emits, A trigger device blasts the vial into bits Which snuffs our poor kitty. The odds of this crime Are 50 to 50 per hour each time. The cylinder's sealed. The hour's passed away. Is Our pussy still purring--or pushing up daisies? Now, you'd say the cat either lives or it don't But quantum mechanics is stubborn and won't. Statistically speaking, the cat (goes the joke), Is half a cat breathing and half a cat croaked. To some this may seem a ridiculous split, But quantum mechanics must answer, "Tough @#&! We may not know much, but one thing's fo' sho': There's things in the cosmos that we cannot know. Shine light on electrons--you'll cause them to swerve. The act of observing disturbs the observed-- Which ruins your test. But then if there's no testing To see if a particle's moving or resting Why try to conjecture? Pure useless endeavor! We know probability--certainty, never.' The effect of this notion? I very much fear 'Twill make doubtful all things that were formerly clear. Till soon the cat doctors will say in reports, "We've just flipped a coin and we've learned he's a corpse."' So saith Herr Erwin. Quoth Albert, "You're nuts. God doesn't play dice with the universe, putz. I'll prove it!" he said, and the Lord knows he tried-- In vain--until fin'ly he more or less died. Win spoke at the funeral: "Listen, dear friends, Sweet Al was my buddy. I must make amends. Though he doubted my theory, I'll say of this saint: Ten-to-one he's in heaven--but five bucks says he ain't." --CECIL ADAMS
That's not such a big deal at the level of electrons or whatever, but as Schroedinger's proposal about an experiment using a cat demonstrates, we can set things up such that the subatomic weirdness can be caused to have effects in the human-level scale (i.e., whether a cat is alive or dead -- or both?). To further complicate the "huh?" factor, there's the question about whether the cat itself rises to enough of a level of "observer" to "collapse the wave function" before a human even opens the chamber to take a look, but that adds a further paradox -- there's only an observer if the cat isn't *dead*.
Your truthfulness is much appreciated. I see way too much self importance out there, whether it's the scientific community, the media, (politicians are the worst), or the hollywood/artsy/style crowd. As someone who's not easily intimidated by the intelligence or the position of others, I usually find it humorous.
Thanks for the injection of perspective. :0)
I would be much more charitable towards the quantum physicists if they would either
That was a very poor choice of words to express the idea that the mathematics that is currently envoked to characterize the laws governing matter and the interaction of matter in the universe are very complex.
e=mc2 is beautiful. F=ma is beautiful. They are beautiful because they are simple and explain features of nature on very grand scales. The great hope is that the laws governing the universe and the formation of the universe and the smallest particles will ultimately be defined by equations as simple of these. My guess is that this will only happen when we find a perspective (perhaps a multi-dimensional universe) or a new mathematics where the math suddenly simplifies and a great white light shines on us all.
I hope to live long enough to see it.
A measurement is a quantified observation of anything that can be observed.
"They STILL don't have a good answer for the Schrodinger's Cat question. When does the probability wave collapse? What particular event (on the particle scale) precipitates the collapse? Why doesn't the entire universe exist in a state of quantum superposition of ever-increasing complexity?
There are no points and there are no waves. They are mathematical representations of reality, not reality itself. The representations and mathematics describe and predict observations, that's all. They are not reality itself. The only useful understanding from the mathematical statement-superposition of states- is, that the entity is not interacting with anything at the moment. In otherwords, it can't be observed by anything any other entity that could observe it. When considering the word observer in physics, consider that a window and a ball are observers.
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