Category Archives: Quantum Physics

Global Mobility Call brought together more than 4,500 on-site attendees and 13,000 online attendees from 40 countries, with more than 1.3 million views of the live programme. In addition, 250 journalists have covered the more than 100 multi-sector dialogues, where over 300 panelists, representatives from public and private sectors, entrepreneurs, academics and experts have presented proposals, ideas, reports and reflections on the rapid processes of changes in mobility.

Among the main conclusions was the need to carry out national and international projects that promote digitalisation, decarbonisation, connectivity, intermodal and multimodal transport, industrial transformation, urban design, improvement of rural transport, funding and professional services.

The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Snchez, closed the Global Mobility Call by stating that this forum "is the best example of the capacity for resilience, ambition to transform, the essential collaboration between the public and private sectors, the strength of companies and of Spanish society as a whole. Both private and public sectors share a special ability to face difficulties and adapt to new scenarios".

He has underlined that the uncertainties provoked by the war "should not delay" the sustainable mobility transformation.

In closing the event, the President of the Executive Committee of IFEMA MADRID, Jos Vicente de los Mozos, explained that these days at Global Mobility Call have shown "the inspiration and the keys to enter into business of enormous proportions, for which priority is to access recovery funds", while the event has generated "content and professional networking, which will translate into a real boost for sustainable mobility".

"We have to process the vast content and contacts of highest interest which have been produced during these days. It will be our job to organise and make this important legacy available to the different sectors and the thousands of professionals who have participated in Global Mobility Call", he said.

Global Mobility Call has responded to the need to bring together all mobility actors at a time of profound transformation. The need to act on both climate and energy crises, seizing the opportunity provided by the EUR 800 billion NextGenerationEU European recovery funds, has made Global Mobility Call an unprecedented opportunity to shape the future of a decarbonised, safe, digitised mobility, which respects the planet and the people's health, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the European Green Pact.

Among the panellists, Jeffrey Sachs, American economist and specialist in sustainable development, called for further digital development of mobility and insisted that this be approached as an integrated ecosystem of sectors, just as Global Mobility Call does.

Clotilde Delbos, CEO of Mobilize, stressed the need to work towards providing users with mobility services tailored to their needs.

Michio Kaku, physicist and futurist, predicted how the quantum physics of the future will generate computers that will connect to the brain and the robotisation of the automotive industry.

Adina Vlean, European Commissioner for Transport, highlighted the opportunity presented by the Next GenerationEU Funds to boost projects in many of Europe's mobility sectors. It was also stressed that it is important to make this coincide with the drive for energy transition, to make Europe less dependent on fossil fuels.

Monica Araya, Climate Mobility Advisor and member of the ClimateWorks & Partners' Steering Committee suggested incorporating into the sustainable mobility agenda the questions of generating employment, fostering talent and economic value, at a time when countries are trying to remain within supply chains, and society is very anxious about the climate crisis and the retraining of labour in many sectors.

Urban planner and MIT professor Carlo Ratti called for reflection on deep structural changes in the mobility of people, jobs and products, at a time of disruption accelerated by the Covid crisis and war.

More information: https://www.ifema.es/en/global-mobility-call/

CONTACTS: Marta Cacho, Directrice de la Communication, [emailprotected]Elena Valera, Presse Internacionale, [emailprotected]

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Global Mobility Call becomes the cornerstone for business and governments to build the future sustainable mobility - PR Newswire

Title image: A laser-emitting device atop a tower at an oil and gas operation scans the landscape for methane-containing natural gas leaks. Credit: Casey Cass/CU Boulder

Sean Coburn walks down a dusty dirt road in Greeley, Colorado, flanked by a scene thats becoming more common in this city at the edge of the Front Rangerows and rows of tanks, pipes, stacks and other hallmarks of the oil and gas industry.

The engineer, who earned his doctorate from CU Boulder and now splits time between the university and a company called LongPath Technologies, is wearing a flame retardant jacket, bulky boots and a hard hat. He needs them on this site. Here, operators take raw and very flammable oil and natural gas, the latter mostly composed of methane, and process it into a form that people can use to heat their homes or drive their cars.

But Coburn is heading for something else: a metal tower, about 50-feet-tall with what looks like a security camera on top.

We pipe the laser light up from there, said Coburn, pointing at a cabinet at the base of the tower. Then we shoot it at different targets around the site.

As he talks, the cabinet beeps, and the laser emitter at its end begins to turn, sweeping over the landscape.

The tower is part of an ambitious undertaking from scientists at LongPath and CU Boulder. Theyre using new laser technology to do what other technologies have struggled to do for years: detect natural gas, which is invisible to the eye, leaking from pipes at sites like this, in real time.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, said Greg Rieker, an associate professor of mechanical engineering who testified before the House Science, Space and Technology Committee June 8 about the problem of methane emissions. It can trap nearly 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, and research suggests that escaped methane from oil and gas operations may play a much bigger role in climate change than previously thought.

LongPath is trying to plug that source. The companys towers shoot lasers over miles of terrain to sniff out even the faintest whiffs of methane in the air. So far, the company has installed 23 of them covering almost 300,000 acres in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahomaand Colorado. Rieker believesthe technology could be a win-win for the West: Slowing down emissions of this dangerous gas, while also reducing costs for an industry that employs tens of thousands.

The story of this technology, called a dual frequency comb laser spectrometer, dates back to the 1990s when a CU/JILA physicist named Jan Hall first developed frequency comb lasers to explore the working of tiny atomsand earned a Nobel Prize in the process.

Now, were able to use those same ideas and, with just one of these systems, mitigate about 80 million cubic feet of methane emissions per year, said Rieker who co-founded LongPath in 2017.

Scott Diddams was part of those early days of frequency comb lasers. He was a postdoctoral researcher working with Hall at JILA, a joint research institute between CU Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to probe quantum physicsor the mysterious workings of very, very small things.

Greg Rieker (left) works with a colleague in the lab at CU Boulder.

The researchers werent thinking about methane hovering over oil fields at the time. Instead, they used their lasers to measure how fast atoms tick. To make an atomic clock, Diddams explained, physicists first shine laser light at a cloud of atoms, giving them a kick so that they flip between different energy levels at a staccato pace. Halls group invented frequency combs to help count out that rhythm.

Atoms tick nearly a quadrillion times per second, said Diddams, now a professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. You need a really special tool to count those cycles.

Frequency combs were special. Normal lasers, like the pointers in any lecture hall, can only generate one type of light: say, red light or green light. But these new lasers could produce thousands or even millions of colors of infrared light at the same timean entire rainbow inside a single beam.

Hall and German scientist Theodor Hnsch took home a Nobel in 2005 for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique."

By the time Rieker joined CU Boulder in 2013, he and Diddams were already wondering what else frequency combs could do.

At LongPaths offices in Boulder, Coburn and his colleagues open a computer window showing the data coming in from the system in Greeley. The graph shows a squiggly readout with sharp spikes like the teeth in a comb.

Each tooth corresponds to a color in the teams frequency comb laser (hence, the name). Rieker explained that if you shine one of these devices into a cloud of gas, the molecules inside will absorb some of those colors but not all of them. In other words, molecules will leave an imprint on the laser light, almost like pressing your thumb to a glass.

Comb-like spikes on a computerscreen illustrate measurements of methane, water and carbon dioxide.

Each of these different molecules absorbs a different pattern of light, Rieker said. Methane has one pattern. Water and carbon dioxide have another.

Frequency comb technology can read those molecular fingerprints to tell you exactly what kinds of molecules are present in a patch of air.

Or that was the theory in the mid-2000s. Rieker and scientists from NIST took roughly a decade to make it reality. First the team had to shrink these lasers, which could fill entire rooms, down to the size of a suitcasethen design them to survive the extremes of Colorado winters.

We tested what happened when our laser froze, Rieker said. We broke it every way we could think of breaking it.

Traditionally, he said, oil and gas operators look for leaks by using special video cameras or by hiring airplanes to fly overhead. Frequency comb lasers, in contrast, can operate 24/7 without a single human involved.

For 11 months in 2017 and 2018, the team put its technology to the test with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. Rieker and his colleagues deployed one of their lasers at a natural gas storage facility in California. The laser, then mounted to the roof of a trailer, was able to detect methane leaks over several miles of terrain and at an incredible precision of just a few parts per billion. Because the system ran all the time, they were able to detect 12 times more methane per month on average than traditional tools spotted.

After that, it spread by word of mouth, Rieker said. Because these things work.

A technician monitors methane at an oil and gas site in Colorado.

Around the same time, Rieker co-founded LongPath Technologies with his then research scientists Coburn and Robbie Wright, and Caroline Alden, a research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder.

In the beginning, it was slow-going. To launch LongPath and secure initial funding, Rieker and his colleagues worked with Venture Partners, the universitys commercialization arm for campus researchers. The companys first employees worked out of rented space in Riekers basement lab on campus.

Instead of the startup-in-a-garage, we were the startup-in-a basement. Then when COVID hit we all were working out of our own basements, said Wright, now vice president of engineering at LongPath. But in the past year we finally got our first dedicated office, and weve scaled from having three deployments out with one customer to 23 deployments with 17 customers."

Oil and gas executives have come around to these lasers, in part because they can save companies money, Rieker addedeven a routine leak, he said, could cost operators thousands of dollars if they dont catch it right away.

Hes now trying to replicate the success of LongPath.

In 2021, Rieker signed on to lead a new effort on campus called the Quantum Engineering Initiative, which seeks to transform other, fundamental scientific discoveries into real tools that you can hold in your hand. Graduate students in the engineers lab arent done with frequency comb lasers, either. This year, researchers will install one over a patch of frozen soil near Fairbanks, Alaska. Theyre hoping to measure how much methane gas leaks out from that soil as it warms because of climate change.

Graduate student David Yun, meanwhile, uses frequency comb lasers for a completely different purpose: To study how hypersonic jet engines suck up and burn oxygen as they roar to life. Diddams employs a similar set of tools to search for planets circling stars tens of light-years from Earth.

We really want to push the limits of where we can take this technology, Yun said. We keep pushing to see what is the craziest thing we can do with frequency combs?

For Rieker, its a testament to science coming full circlefrom explorations of atomic jitters to a Nobel Prize and even technology that may soon improve the lives of everyday Coloradans.

This is a technology that was developed for something completely differentfor creating better atomic clocks and other tools for quantum research, he said. Now, were making an impact on climate change.

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Methane: As concerns rise about this greenhouse gas, CU startup works to plug leaks - CU Boulder Today

How can we better hold environmental polluters accountable? How can we enhance the efficiency of qubits? These questions, which loom large for the researchers who study them, are the type of big-issue topics that UC Santa Barbara graduate students are encouraged to tackle. And theyre the central themes of the dissertations that won the 2021-2022 Winifred and Louis Lancaster Dissertation Awards.

This years recipients are Emily Williams and Mark Turiansky, selected by the awards committee for dissertations with significant impact on the field in terms of methodological and substantive contributions.

Climate DetectiveAs global temperatures rise and communities feel the effects of climate change, how do we as a global society address the uneven distribution of harms and gains? The tropics, for instance, are already bearing the brunt of sea level rise and ocean acidification, yet they are not the places that have generated the magnitude of carbon emissions that cause these events, nor do they benefit in a proportionate way from the activities that cause these emissions. Elsewhere around the world, weather events of disastrous proportions are increasing in severity and frequency, clearly caused by anthropogenic activity yet who exactly do we hold accountable?

Inequalities and blind spots such as these are the type of thing that spark Emily Williams curiosity and activist drive. A lifelong environmentalist, she got her first taste of the discipline of environmental studies as an undergraduate at UCSB under the tutelage of the late Professor William Freudenburg.

He opened my eyes to thinking about the causes of climate change, Williams said. She became conscious of the strategies corporations use to justify their actions and their methods of deflection from their outsized contribution to the problem.

Around that time Typhoon Haiyan, then the most powerful typhoon on record, struck the central Philippines, becoming a strong and real reminder of global warmings effects. But even more compelling for Williams who had become part of a civil delegation to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (the international climate negotiations space) was the maddening slowness to address these impacts.

Fast-forward several years, and Williams desire to illuminate the gaps in climate accountability resulted in her dissertation, Interrogating the science of climate accountability: Allocating responsibility for climate impacts within a frame of climate justice. In it, she builds a best practices conceptual framework to identify responsibility for climate impacts. She then tests it using an empirical case study involving the drought in the greater Four Corners region and the Zuni people who live there.

I had the opportunity to work with very diverse mentors, meaning I got to do the attribution science, engage ethnographic methods, organizational sociology and some science and technology studies-related work, she said. Its certainly hard to do interdisciplinary work, but if you find a group of mentors that will support you in this effort, its fascinating.

Among the things she uncovered in her research is the meteorological concept of vapor pressure deficit and its role on droughts, as a result of increased temperatures. By linking this fundamental principle to vegetation, Williams and her co-authors were able to estimate what the Four Corners region would look like without climate change, and identify the human fingerprint in this whodunit of global warming. This ability to definitively attribute effects to human activity can help build a case toward holding polluters accountable, advancing the field of climate justice. Its also what earned Williams the Lancaster Award.

Emilys outstanding integration of theory with qualitative and quantitative methods and her passionate commitment to climate justice truly set her apart, said her adviser, geography professor David Lpez-Carr. Her dissertation makes a significant contribution to the nascent climate accountability literature by being the first to identify the human contribution to regional climate change and to follow those climate change impacts on vulnerable populations at the local level.

Her work provides a framework for future researchers and practitioners to advance the important area of climate accountability, he continued, with real-world implications for holding those responsible for climate change emissions and for mitigating impacts on vulnerable populations.

I feel so honored and so humbled to have received this award, said Williams, who plans to complete a short post-doc before moving into the nonprofit world for more advocacy work. I know for certain that anyone who gets through a Ph.D. program, with all the challenges and opportunities the program presents, deserves such an award. I chose my dissertation topic because I believe so deeply in the importance of ensuring climate accountability work is done within principles of justice. I am just so happy that the selection committee thinks this topic is important too.

Quantum MechanicThe quantum world holds much potential for those who learn to wield it. This space of subatomic particles and their behaviors, interactions and emergent properties can open the door to new materials and technologies with capabilities we have yet to even dream of.

Mark Turiansky is among those at the forefront of this discipline at UCSB, joining some of the finest minds in the quantum sciences as a fellow at the NSF-supported UCSB Quantum Foundry.

The field of quantum information science is rapidly developing and has garnered a ton of interest, said Turiansky, who developed an abiding interest in physics as a child. In the past few years, billions of dollars of funding have been allocated to quantum information science.

Enabled by relatively recent technologies that allow for the study of the universeat its smallest scales, quantum researchers like Turiansky are still just scratching the surface as they work to nail down the fundamentals of the strange yet powerful reality that is quantum physics.

At the heart of some of these investigations is the quantum defect imperfections in a semiconductor crystal that can be harnessed for quantum information science. One common example is the nitrogen-vacancy center in a diamond: In an otherwise uniform crystalline carbon lattice, an NV center is a defect wherein one carbon atom is replaced with a nitrogen atom, and an adjacent spot in the lattice is vacant. These defects can be used for sensing, quantum networking and long-range entanglement.

The NV center is only one such type of quantum defect, and though well-studied, has its limitations. For Turiansky, this underlined the need to gain a better understanding of quantum defects and to find ways to predict and possibly generate more ideal defects.

These needs became the basis of his dissertation, Quantum Defects from First Principles, an investigation into the fundamental concepts of quantum defects, which could lead to the design of a more robust qubit the basic unit of a quantum computer.

To explore his subject, Turiansky turned his attentions to hexagonal boron nitride.

Hexagonal boron nitride is an interesting material because it is two-dimensional, he explained, which means that you can isolate a plane of the material that is just one atom thick. By shining light on this material, it is possible to detect quantum defects called single-photon emitters by the bright spots that shine back. These single photons, he added, are inherently quantum objects that can be used for quantum information science.

The main feat was identifying the defect that was responsible for single-photon emission, Turiansky said. He accomplished it with computational methodologies that he worked to develop in his research.

One methodology that Ive worked on a lot is for nonradiative recombination, he said, describing it in his paper as fundamental to the understanding of quantum defects, dictating the efficiency and operation of a given qubit. By applying his methodology, Turiansky was able to determine the origin of these single photon emitters a topic of much debate in the community. Its a feat that could be applied to examine other quantum defects, and one that was deemed worthy of the Lancaster Award.

Marks work has moved the field forward by systematically identifying promising quantum defects, and providing an unambiguous identification of the microscopic nature of the most promising quantum emitter in hexagonal boron nitride, remarked Turianskys adviser, materials professor Chris Van de Walle. He accomplished this by creatively applying the computational approaches he developed and fruitfully collaborating with experimentalists.

Its really an exceptional honor to receive such a prestigious award for my research efforts over the last five years, Turiansky said. Its even more meaningful knowing the high quality of research turned out at UCSB and the fierce competition of my peers. Im incredibly grateful to my adviser, group members, collaborators, friends and family who helped make this achievement possible.

The two Lancaster dissertations are enteres into a national competition sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools. A check for $1,000 and a plaque will be awarded upon completion of entry for the national competition.

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Big Issues, Big Answers | The UCSB Current - The UCSB Current

Imagining our everyday life without lasers is difficult. We use lasers in printers, CD players, pointers, measuring devices, and so on. What makes lasers so special is that they use coherent waves of light: all the light inside a laser vibrates completely in sync. Meanwhile, quantum mechanics tells us that particles like atoms should also be thought of as waves. As a result, we can build atom lasers containing coherent waves of matter. But can we make these matter waves last, so that they may be used in applications? In research that was published in Nature this week, a team of Amsterdam physicists shows that the answer to this question is affirmative.

The concept that underlies the atom laser is the so-calledBose-Einstein Condensate, or BEC for short. Elementary particles in nature occur in two types: fermions and bosons. Fermions are particles like electrons and quarks the building blocks of the matter that we are made of. Bosons are very different in nature: they are not hard like fermions, but soft: for example, they can move through one another without a problem. The best-known example of a boson is the photon, the smallest possible quantity of light. But matter particles can also combine to form bosons in fact, entire atoms can behave just like particles of light. What makes bosons so special is that they can all be in the exact same state at the exact same time, or phrased in more technical terms: they can condense into a coherent wave. When this type of condensation happens for matter particles, physicists call the resulting substance a Bose-Einstein Condensate.

In everyday life, we are not at all familiar with these condensates. The reason: it is very difficult to get atoms to all behave as one. The culprit destroying the synchronicity is temperature: when a substance heats up, the constituent particles start to jiggle around, and it becomes virtually impossible to get them to behave as one. Only at extremely low temperatures, about a millionth of a degree above absolute zero (about 273 degreesbelowzero on the Celsius scale), is there a chance of forming the coherent matter waves of a BEC.

A quarter of a century ago, the first Bose-Einstein Condensates were created in physics labs. This opened up the possibility to build atom lasers devices that literally output beams of matter but these devices were only able to function for a very short time. The lasers could produce pulses of matter waves, but after sending out such a pulse, a new BEC had to be created before the next pulse could be sent out. For a first step towards an atom laser, this was still not bad. In fact, ordinary, optical lasers were also made in a pulsed variant before physicists were able to createcontinuouslasers. But while the developments for optical lasers had gone very fast, the first continuous laser being produced within six months after its pulsed counterpart, for atom lasers the continuous version remained elusive for more than 25 years.

It was clear what the problem was: BECs are very fragile, and are rapidly destroyed when light falls on them. Yet the presence of light is crucial in forming the condensate: to cool a substance down to a millionth of a degree, one needs to cool down its atoms using laser light. As a result, BECs were restricted to fleeting bursts, with no way to coherently sustain them.

A team of physicists from the University of Amsterdam has now managed to solve the difficult problem of creating a continuous Bose-Einstein Condensate. Florian Schreck, the team leader, explains what the trick was. In previous experiments, the gradual cooling of atoms was all done in one place. In our setup, we decided to spread the cooling steps not over time, but in space: we make the atoms move while they progress through consecutive cooling steps. In the end, ultracold atoms arrive at the heart of the experiment, where they can be used to form coherent matter waves in a BEC. But while these atoms are being used, new atoms are already on their way to replenish the BEC. In this way we can keep the process going essentially forever.

While the underlying idea was relatively simple, carrying it out was certainly not. Chun-Chia Chen, first author of the publication in Nature, recalls: Already in 2012, the team then still in Innsbruck realized a technique that allowed a BEC to be protected from laser cooling light, enabling for the first time laser cooling all the way down to the degenerate state needed for coherent waves. While this was a critical first step towards the long-held challenge of constructing a continuous atom laser, it was also clear that a dedicated machine would be needed to take it further. On moving to Amsterdam in 2013, we began with a leap of faith, borrowed funds, an empty room and a team entirely funded by personal grants. Six years later, in the early hours of Christmas morning 2019, the experiment was finally on the verge of working. We had the idea of adding an extra laser beam to solve a last technical difficulty, and instantly every image we took showed a BEC, the first continuous-wave BEC.

Having tackled the long-standing open problem of creating a continuous Bose-Einstein Condensate, the researchers have now set their minds on the next goal: using the laser to create a stable output beam of matter. Once their lasers can not only operate forever but can also produce stable beams, nothing stands in the way of technical applications anymore, and matter lasers may start to play an equally important role in technology as ordinary lasers currently do.

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Amsterdam Physicists Build An Atom Laser That Can Stay On Forever - Eurasia Review

Classification: Academic Level ESalary package: $183,749 per annum plus 17% SuperannuationTerm:Full Time, Fixed Term (5 years)Position Description & Selection Criteria:SmartSat_Booklet_Final02062022__V2.pdf

The ANU College of Science (CoS) comprises: the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Research School of Biology, the Research School of Chemistry, the Research School of Earth Science, the Fenner School of Environment and Society, the Mathematical Sciences Institute, the Research School of Physics, and the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. Staff and students within the ANU College of Science conduct research and deliver a research-led education program that encompasses the entire breadth of the sciences, supported by extensive international networks and by world-class facilities. The College has a strong tradition of research excellence that has fostered distinguished Nobel Laureates and Kyoto Prize winners and that trains scientific leaders in disciplines in which the ANU is consistently ranked in the top twenty in the world.

The Research School of Physics (RSPhys)represents Australia's largest university-based research and teaching activity in the physics discipline. Fields of research include quantum physics, nuclear physics, electronic materials engineering, photonic and meta-optic materials, computational and theoretical physics. The underlying impetus of our research is a belief in the fundamental important of physics to science and technology and the key role physics must play in addressing the challenges facing the modern world. We tackle these challenges by collaborating widely across academia as well as with government and industry. The School has a longstanding culture of precision measurement with a strength in quantum phenomena and is involved in six Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence contributing richly to quantum, optical and electronic technologies.There is no better place to study and research physics than the Research School of Physics at The Australian National University.

The ANU Institute for Space (InSpace) is the gateway to University wide space capability via a single innovation institute. The institute resides in the ANU DVCR&I portfolio.

As a a member of Research School of Physics, accountable to the Head, Department of Quantum Science and Technology. This position will work closely with the SmartSat CRC to develop fundamental and translational research related to precision measurement in the space environment, and via membership of the ANU Institute for Space, will continue to ensure strong synergies between the University and SmartSat.

A substantial start-up will be made available to the Chair to be used in agreement with SmartSat in the development and delivery of SmartSat R&D projects which deliver on the SmartSat research milestones, building capability and developing proposals in attracting additional funding for SmartSat and the ANU.

The Australian National University is a world-leading institution and provides a range of lifestyle, financial and non-financial rewards and programs to support staff in maintaining a healthy work/life balance whilst encouraging success in reaching their full career potential. For more information, please click here.

To see what the Science at ANU community is like, we invite you to follow us on social media at Instagram and Facebook.

For more information about the position please contact Professor Tim Senden on T: +61 2 61252476 E: Director.Physics@anu.edu.au

ANU Values diversity and inclusion and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to those of all backgrounds and identities. People with a disability are encouraged to apply. For more information about staff equity at ANU, click here.

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In order to apply for his role, please make sure that you upload the following documents:

Applications which do not address the selection criteria may not be considered for the position.

Please note: The successful applicant must have rights to live and work in this country.

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Closing Date: 22 June 2022

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Professor, SmartSat Chair in precision measurement in Space job with AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (ANU) | 296545 - Times Higher Education

image:A cascade of particles and gluons initiated by a decelerating charm quark. The more developed the cascade, the lower the energies of secondary particles and the greater the opening angle of dead cones avoided by subsequent gluons. view more

Credit: Source: CERN

A phenomenon that directly proves the existence of quark mass has been observed for the first time in extremely energetic collisions of lead nuclei. A team of physicists working on the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider can boast this spectacular achievement the observation of the dead cone effect.

The objects that make up our physical everyday life can have many different properties. Among these, a fundamental role is played by mass. Despite being so fundamental, mass has a surprisingly complex origin. Its primary source is the complex interactions binding triplets of quarks in the interiors of protons and neutrons. In modern physics it is assumed that the masses of the quarks themselves, originating from their interactions with the Higgs field (its manifestations are the famous Higgs bosons), contribute only a few percent to the mass of a proton or neutron. However, this has only been a hypothesis. Although the masses of single quarks have been determined from measurements for many years, only indirect methods were used. Now, thanks to the efforts of scientists and engineers working in Geneva at the LHC of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), it has finally been possible to observe a phenomenon that directly proves the existence of the mass of one of the heavy quarks.

When lead nuclei collide at the LHC particle accelerator, the energy density can become so great that protons and neutrons decay and momentarily form quark-gluon plasma. The quarks inside then move in a powerful field of strong interactions and begin to lose energy by emitting gluons. However, they do this in a rather peculiar way, which our team was the first to succeed in observing, Prof. Marek Kowalski from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow starts to explain. Prof. Kowalski is one of the members of a large international collaboration carrying out measurements using the ALICE detector.

Gluons are particles that carry strong interactions between quarks. Their role is therefore similar to that of photons, which are responsible for the electromagnetic interactions between, for example, electrons. In electrodynamics, there is a phenomenon concerning electrons decelerating in an electromagnetic field: they lose energy by emitting photons and the higher the energy of the electron, the more often the photons fly in a direction increasingly consistent with its direction of motion. This effect is the basis of free-electron lasers today unique, powerful devices capable of producing ultra-short pulses of X-rays.

Electrons decelerating in a magnetic field like to emit 'forward' photons, in an angular cone. The higher their original energy, the narrower the cone. Quarks have quite the opposite predilection. When they lose energy in a field of strong interactions, they emit gluons, but the lower the energy and the larger the mass of the quark, the fewer gluons fly 'forward', says Prof. Kowalski and specifies: It follows from the theory that there should be a certain angular cone around the direction ofquark motion in which gluons do not appear. This cone the more divergent, the lower the energy of the quark and the higher its mass is called the dead cone.

Theorists predicted the phenomenon of the dead cone more than 30 years ago. Unfortunately, its existence in experiments has so far been noticed only indirectly. Both the nature of the phenomenon and the recording process are extremely difficult to observe directly. A decelerating quark emits gluons, which themselves can emit further gluons at different angles or transform into secondary particles. These particles have smaller and smaller energies, so the gluons they emit will avoid larger and larger dead cones. To make matters worse, individual detectors can only record this complex cascade in its final state, at different distances from the collision point, and therefore at different times. To observe the dead cone effect, millions of cascades produced by charm quarks had to be reconstructed from fragmentary data. The analysis, performed with sophisticated statistical tools, included data collected during the three years the LHC was in operation.

Experimental confirmation of the existence of the dead cone phenomenon is an achievement of considerable physical significance. This is because the world of quarks and gluons is governed by strong interactions described by a theory called quantum chromodynamics, which predicts that the dead cone effect can only occur when a quark emitting gluons has non-zero mass. The present result, published in the prestigious journal Nature, is therefore the first direct experimental confirmation of the existence of quark masses.

In the gigantic amount of data collected at the ALICE detector during the collision of lead nuclei and protons, we have traced a phenomenon that we know can only occur in nature when quarks have non-zero masses. Current measurements do not allow us to estimate the magnitude of the mass of the charm quarks we observed, nor do they tell us anything about the masses of quarks of other kinds. So we have a spectacular success, but in fact it is only a prelude to a long line of research, stresses Prof. Kowalski.

The first direct observation of the dead cone effect involved only gluons emitted by charm (c) quarks. Scientists now intend to look for dead cones in processes involving quarks with larger masses, especially beauty (b) quarks. This will be a huge challenge because the higher the mass ofthe quark, the less frequently it is produced in collisions, and therefore the more difficult it will be to collect a number of cases that will guarantee adequate reliability of statistical analyses.

The reported research is of fundamental importance to modern physics. This is because the Standard Model is the basic tool currently used to describe phenomena involving elementary particles. Masses of quarks are the key constants here, responsible for the correspondence between theoretical description and physical reality. It is therefore hardly surprising that the observations of dead cones, raising hopes for direct measurements of quark masses, are of such interest to physicists.

The Henryk Niewodniczaski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN) is currently one of the largest research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences. A wide range of research carried out at IFJ PAN covers basic and applied studies, from particle physics and astrophysics, through hadron physics, high-, medium-, and low-energy nuclear physics, condensed matter physics (including materials engineering), to various applications of nuclear physics in interdisciplinary research, covering medical physics, dosimetry, radiation and environmental biology, environmental protection, and other related disciplines. The average yearly publication output of IFJ PAN includes over 600 scientific papers in high-impact international journals. Each year the Institute hosts about 20 international and national scientific conferences. One of the most important facilities of the Institute is the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB), which is an infrastructure unique in Central Europe, serving as a clinical and research centre in the field of medical and nuclear physics. In addition, IFJ PAN runs four accredited research and measurement laboratories. IFJ PAN is a member of the Marian Smoluchowski Krakw Research Consortium: "Matter-Energy-Future", which in the years 2012-2017 enjoyed the status of the Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) in physics. In 2017, the European Commission granted the Institute the HR Excellence in Research award. The Institute holds A+ Category (the highest scientific category in Poland) in the field of sciences and engineering.

CONTACTS:

Prof. Marek Kowalski

Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences

tel.: +48 12 6628074

email: marek.kowalski@cern.ch, marek.kowalski@ifj.edu.pl

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS:

Direct observation of the dead-cone effect in quantum chromodynamics

ALICE Collaboration

Nature 605, 440446 (2022)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04572-w

LINKS:

http://www.ifj.edu.pl/

The website of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

http://press.ifj.edu.pl/

Press releases of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

IMAGES:

IFJ220609b_fot01s.jpg

HR: http://press.ifj.edu.pl/news/2022/06/09/IFJ220609b_fot01.jpg

A cascade of particles and gluons initiated by a decelerating charm quark. The more developed the cascade, the lower the energies of secondary particles and the greater the opening angle of dead cones avoided by subsequent gluons. (Source: CERN)

Direct observation of the dead-cone effect in quantum chromodynamics

18-May-2022

Read the rest here:

Difficult-to-observe effect confirms the existence of quark mass - EurekAlert

What is our place in the universe? How do we explain what happens around us? These are big questions to ask on our quest to understand the complexities of physics and the universe. Thats why weve curated this round up of the best physics books to gain a deeper understanding from the top authors in the field.

Physics can be a dense and detailed study, with complicated theories and exploration of ideas that can be difficult for anyone to fully comprehend. They explain these concepts in ways that are approachable and will continue your journey of understanding our physical world.

Weve collected the best physics books written by some of the worlds most renowned scientists, including Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, and Richard Feynman. These are the books that break down complicated matters to simple, easy-to-read concepts, get to the heart of the matter quickly without getting lost in the details, and entertain you along the way with their humor and personal stories.

If you want to discover anything from the origins of physics through to its evolution into the modern century, these are the best physics books to add to your library for all levels of enthusiasts to expand your thinking and knowledge of the way our world works.

If you're looking for physics books that specifically deal with the cosmos, then you can check out our guide to the best astronomy books.

1. The Elegant Universe

Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Price: $11.59 (paperback, new)

Author: Brian Greene

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Release date: October 11, 2010

Expertly organized

Uses relatable analogies

Complex topics accessible for those without a scientific background

Later chapters can grow in complexity and may seem daunting

Written by one of the worlds most renowned string theorists, The Elegant Universe takes complex topics and makes them easily accessible to any reader with or without a science background! Greene creates an impactful and visual reading experience as he navigates through the mysteries of the universe. This international bestseller inspired a major Nova special and leans into Greens expertise in superstring theory.

The Elegant Universe brings thoughtful discussion surrounding special relativity, general relativity, and quantum mechanics, paving the way towards an explanation of all forces and matter. Simple analogies and footnotes break down heavier topics with a dash of humor. Readers will be delighted by the approachable way in which Greene ties in string theory to help our understanding of the vast universe.

2. The Feynman Lectures on Physics (box set)

The New Millennium Edition

Price: $115.99 (hardcover, new)

Author: Richard P. Feynman

Publisher: Basic Books

Release date: January 4, 2011

World's greatest lectures still used in universities today

Approachable intro for those interested in the foundations of physics

Expensive, but they are hardcovers

Unmissable content for any student and those eager to learn more about this expansive field who wants a foundational introduction to physics written by beloved Nobel laureate, Richard P. Feynman. The Feynman Lectures on Physics is a collection of his most profound lectures, reprinted and corrected in collaboration with CalTech. Inside this three-book box set, youll find the basic principles of Newtonian physics through more complex topics such as general relativity, quantum mechanics, and beyond.

Feynman's lectures are accessible without sacrificing relevant information. His passion is evident throughout the pages, never shying away from asking the tougher questions and challenging his audience to expand their thinking. This is a box set designed for each generation, setting up the future for emerging scientists.

3. Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (illustrated edition)

What you need to know to start doing physics

Price: $16.33 (paperback, new)

Author: Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman

Publisher: Basic Books

Release date: May 12, 2015

Clear presentation of the inner workings of quantum physics

Includes step-by-step exercises

Requires some prior mathematical knowledge

Need to read first book to better understand this one

Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum is the second book in the Theoretical Minimum series. If youre a reader with some knowledge of linear algebra and calculus who wants to dive deeper into the world of quantum mechanics, this is for you. Susskind and Friedman make it easy to follow along with the subject matter, getting to logical explanations quickly. Susskind deploys notations in earnest, condensing information into manageable symbols.

Itll get you thinking about the information differently, trying out a new way to speculate and approach complicated topics. This book will connect the dots, build the bridges between each concept presented, and explain all the core ideas of theory coherently.

4. Thirty Years that Shook Physics

The story of quantum theory

Price: $12.59 (paperback, new)

Author: George Gamow

Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc

Release date: July 1, 1985

Accounts of personal interactions with all the science greats

Interesting look into the history of science and quantum physics

To get the best out of the theories in this book you'll need a good grasp of maths

Gamow possesses an engaging, entertaining way of presenting the very basics of quantum physics and its progression over the span of three decades. As Gamow was personally acquainted with the scientists presented in this book Bohr, Pauli, Dirac, and Heisenberg just to name a few the result is a level of humanity and personality behind the origins of some of physics' most complex theories and equations.

This is a book about how science has changed and developed in the last century, and Gamow writes this in a way that is accessible to a general audience. Covering prominent events between 1900-1930, youll get the inside story on the course that shaped modern physics.

5. A Brief History of Time

Price: $7.99 (paperback, new)

Author: Stephen Hawking

Publisher: Bantam

Release date: September 1, 1998

Filled with images and useful definitions

Short, quick read

Uses basic terminology and avoids over-complicated info dumps

Deeper theories require prior physics knowledge to fully appreciate

Written by the late Stephen Hawking one of the most renowned scientists of this century A Brief History of Time delves into topics such as black holes, wormholes, uncertainty principle, space and time, expansion of the universe, time travel, and so much more.

Hawking manages to be accessible, while still speaking to those with years of scientific experience under their belts. Its quick and to the point, providing clarity around some of the most complex mechanics of how our universe works. Logically organized, humorous at times, and immersive, youll be taken on a journey that spans from our worlds earliest astronomers to the latest on the future of the universe.

6. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Price: $12.00 (paperback, new)

Author: Carlo Rovelli

Publisher: Penguin

Release date: January 1, 2012

Short (only 7 chapters)

Perfect for those interested in the foundations of physics

Can be dense in some areas

Hard to find

Carlo Rovelli is a widely respected and renowned theoretical physicist who introduces you to the modern world of physics. Its a short book, with the paperback only coming in at 81 pages, but its packed with playful and entertaining takes on our world and the role we play in it. Moving quickly through Einsteins general relativity, quantum mechanics, and other complexities of our known universe, Seven Brief Lessons outlines how physics arrived to where it is now.

Written confidently and in a way that is accessible to any reader, the intricacies of this book is written with vivid clarity. Beautifully written, and almost lyrical in its presentation of Newton, Bohr, and Einstein, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics is not one to miss.

7. Physics of the Impossible

A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

Price: $29.82 (hardcover, new)

Author: Michio Kaku

Publisher: Doubleday

Release date: March 11, 2008

Perfect for sci-fi fans

Humorous undertones

Some feel this book is more fantastical rather than focusing on the actual physics

Fans of pop culture will delight in the insights presented in this engaging and humorous book. Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and bestselling author, explores the possibilities of teleportation, force fields, interstellar spaceships, and other future technologies youve seen only in science fiction. Are they truly as impossible to achieve as it seems?

In this informative yet widely imaginative look at the universe and the laws of physics, the very topic of scientific possibility is on full display. Kaku looks into the several branches of physics from Newtonian mechanics up to relativity and quantum mechanisms of the 20th century. Sci-fi technologies are broken down into accessible ideas as Kaku explores the possibilities of building starships, time travel, and invisibility.

8. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Price: $9.49 (hardcover, new)

Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Release date: May 2, 2017

Today's Best Deals

Clear, concise introduction

Shorter page count

See the rest here:

Best physics books: Change the way you look at the universe - Livescience.com

Quantum TheologyCarl Peterson, physicist

Quantum theory and God? Any connection? Should we construct a quantum theology(OMurchu, 2021)?

Hybrid physicist and theologian, the late John Polkinghorne, would certainly answer in the affirmative: we need quantum theology. Questions of causality ultimately demand metaphysical answering (Polkinghorne, 2006, p. 139). However, such metaphysical answering might not be simple. Why? Because Niels Bohrs Copenhagen version of quantum theory is indeterminist, while David Bohms holistic version is determinist. Whats a theologian to do?

Let me elaborate slightly. Copenhagen indeterminism is observational, not ontological. Bohmian determinism provides an ontology, a comprehensive worldview. Still, we ask, what is a theologian to do about these competing models of quantum mechanics?

Hybrid physicist and theologian Robert John Russell proposes a theological answering with his principle of NIODA (Non-Interventionist Objective Divine Action). Russells quantum theology is based on Copenhagen indeterminism. Still, we ask: might Bohms metaphysical answer and Russells theological answer be compatible? Well ask physicist Carl Peterson.

In this Patheos post, Id like to turn to a controversy youre not likely to learn much about on social media or Patheos. Its the debate among physicists over the interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (QM for short). What happens within the atom at the quantum level? Do those fast moving electrons and photons obey deterministic laws? Or not?

Why is this important? Because exploring sub-atomic physics brings us as close to fundamental to reality as we can get. Thats why. And, mystery of all mysteries, micro-reality seems to be indeterministic. That is, it seems to be. Maybe theres a determinism that is hidden. Mmmmm? Might this affect quantum theology?

So, dear reader, I recommend you bracket out for a few moments any preset views you hold about supernaturalism, miracles, and anti-religious venom. Simply listen in on a controversy within science that could have implications for quantum theology. We will ask as John Horgan in Scientific American asks, What does God, Quantum Mechanics, and Consciousness Have in Common? Our proposed answers will look quite different, let me warn you.

Carl Peterson (Ph.D. Ohio University) is a physicist working both in academia and private industry. He taught physics and chemistry at Ohio Wesleyan University and Columbus State University. He has published on the electronic structure of polyatomic molecules. Today, as an independent scholar, he seeks to break the hegemony of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics and advocates instead for David Bohms ontological interpretation in quantum theory.

Carl Peterson is not a quantum theologian. Yet, what he says about physics should make a quantum theologian sit up and take notice.

Our atheist friends keep whining that there is no such thing as a supernatural realm (Atkins, 2006). This means, there is no such thing as a miracle. And, if there are no miracles, then religion is bunk. Curiously, atheists can be just as superstitious as the religious believers they renounce. But, thats another topic.

What is our present topic? Here it is: how does God work in the natural realm without supernatural intervention? The problem with atheists talking about supernaturalism is that they leap and scream like cheer leaders for naturalism. But, theologians are quite happy with studying how God works within the natural world in ordinary ways. So, by staring at the cheer leaders, our atheist friends have not noticed the actual game being played.

When we turn to the actual game being played, we see questions that require both scientists and theologians to address. Here is such a question: how can God act in the natural world providentially yet not supernaturally or miraculously? At the quantum level within the atom, does God act in such a way that we experience it at the level of our human experience?

This is the kind of question asked by my friend and colleague, Robert John Russell. Bob is founder and director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Bob thinks he finds an answer in the indeterministic interpretation of QM.

When we shift to an indeterministic world, a new possibility opens up. One can now speak of objective acts of God that do not require Gods miraculous intervention but offer, instead, an account of objective divine action that is completely consistent with science.(Russell, 2008, p. 128).

Relying on indeterminism at the microlevel, Bob advances his QM-NIODA theory: Quantum Mechanical Non-Interventionist Objective Divine Action. If God acts together with nature to produce the events of objective divine action, God is not acting as a natural, efficient cause(Russell, 2008, p. 128). Or, Essentially what science describes without reference to God is precisely what God, working invisibly in, with, and through the processes of nature, is accomplishing(Russell, 2008, p. 214).

In what follows, Id like to put Bobs theological interpretation of QM to the test. How? By interviewing physicist Carl Peterson. Carl, as you will see, will not grant the indeterminist interpretation of QM put forth by Niels Bohr and the Copenhagen school. What might this mean for Bobs NIODA theory(Russell, The Physics of David Bohm and Its Relevance to Philosophy and Theology, 1985)?

CP.1. I dont believe the indeterminist interpretation at Copenhagen is mistaken. Its just inadequate. Or, better, Bohms ontological interpretation is more adequate.

But first, alittle bit of history about Bohms interpretation!In February of 1951, Bohm published an advanced book that he entitledQuantumTheory (Bohm D. , Quantum Theory, 1951). This book has twenty-three chapters. When one reads the last two chapters, it seems that Bohm accepted Bohrs response to Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosens (EPR) criticisms of quantum mechanics not being complete, in favor of Bohrs indeterminist interpretation.

However, after publishing the book, and discussing it and the EPR criticism about quantum mechanics with Albert Einstein, Bohm started rethinking some of his concepts and statements in the book. Primarily, about hidden variables and the, well known, underlying concerns with the Copenhagen interpretation and its measurement problem. Bohms first two papers setting forth his renewed thoughts on those subjects were received by Physical Review on July 5, 1951. This was four months after the publication of his book. Bohm entitled his papers: A suggested Interpretation of the Quantum Theory in Terms of Hidden Variables I & II (Bohm D. , A Suggested Interpretation of the Quantum Theory in Terms of Hiddon Variables I and II, 1952). In his acknowledgment he thanked Dr. Einstein for several interesting and stimulating discussions.

Now to Bohms Hidden Variables interpretation! Bohm put the wavefunction in the form normally used to have the Schrdinger equation (SE) reduced to classical mechanics. Next he inserted it into the Schrdinger equation (Bohm called the SE the mathematical apparatus). And then, by separating the real and imaginary parts he obtained two equations of motion, one forR, and one forS. However, Bohm did not proceed directly to the classical limit, as is usually done, by setting the quantum of action,h=0, in the equation of motion forSsincehnever equals0.He theorized there might be more microstructure associated with the quantum field than had previously been determined or realized by retaining the quantum of action (That was his visionary move).

The questions arising on suggesting more microstructure became, by producing two equations of motion, that are rigorously equivalent to the SE. What is their physical interpretation? Does the microstructure add to the underlying independent reality of the wavefunction? Does its ontology still lead to agreement with experimental observations? Keep in mind there is no ontology associated with the Copenhagen interpretation. So, Bohm went to work on answering these questions!

TP. Interjection. Recall what Polkinghorne said in the citation above: Questions of causality ultimately demand metaphysical answering(Polkinghorne, 2006, p. 139). Bohms ontology of QM provides such an answer. This ontological interpretation attracts Carl Peterson. TP

CP. Bohm reinterpreted the wavefunction as representing a fundamentally real field described by its amplitude function, R, and its phase function,S.Moreover, there are real particles. And, every real particle is never separated from its quantum field with a well-defined position that varies continuously and is causally determined. Bohm found that the average momentum is related to the phase function. And highly important, Bohm noted every particle in the equation of motion for S containeda classical potential,V, plus an additional term with the quantum of action.Bohm theorized the term could be considered an additional potential, which he called the quantum potential.

Furthermore, the quantum potential is the microstructure which introduces new concepts not considered or even accepted as essential in the structure of classical physics. Lets name a few: a), the quantum potential depends only on the mathematical form of its wavefunction, and not on the intensity of the quantum field. This is different from, for instance, the Newtonian gravitational potential, which tends to decrease with increasing distance apart. b), The reaction of each individual particle may dependnonlocallyon the configuration of the other particles regardless of distance, where the particle position and momenta arehidden variables. c),active information, different from the usual understanding in classical physics as a quantitative measure in communication but understood by Bohms interpretation as a feature of the quantum potential, in which very little energy directs or uses a much greater energy, he gives examples in many of his works, such as radio waves and the DNA molecule, d).Wholeness, whereby every region of space is connected by the quantum potential into an unbroken wholeness or unifying whole. Bohm discusses all these concepts in his book with B. J. Hiley,The Undivided Universe (Bohm D. a., 1994).

The mathematical apparatus still provides the necessary values for observed quantities just as the Copenhagen interpretation does. But it also provides for particles and trajectories in a completely deterministic system. That is, the initial position of a particle uniquely determines its future behavior. And in the words of the late James T. Cushing, which I have memorized, Here we have a logically consistent and empirically adequate deterministic theory of quantum phenomena. And I might add, whats the problem; why dont we use it?

CP.2. You ask: what does this quote from Bohm mean? I really like Bohms personification of his proposed view on the concept ofunbroken wholeness(Bohm D. , Wholeness and the Implicate Order, 1980) for interpreting two significant, as well as necessary, discoveries of twentieth century physics: Relativity Theory and Quantum Theory. These two discoveries led to continued advancement in physics and the search for understanding the reality of the physical world, when many physicists believed there was nothing else to be accomplished in their discipline.

Let me state this question another way. What does it mean that Relativity Theory and Quantum Theory are not consistent mathematically, but display anunbroken wholenessin their concepts?

Bohm was seeking some way forward where the mathematical apparatus would apply to both theories without contradictions in their concepts. What Bohm found was that relativity theory and quantum theory have the quality ofunbroken wholenessin common, although it is achieved in a different way, but theorized it may be a way forward.

First, lets consider how wholeness is achieved in relativity theory. Simply put, the basic idea is that a point in spacetime is called an event, which is totally distinct from all other point events. So, all structures may be seen as configurations in a universal field, which is a function of all the space-time points. Therefore, the field is continuous and inseparable. A particle (physical object) in the field has to be treated as a singularity or stable pulse of finite extent. The field around the stable pulse lessens in intensity with increasing distance from it, but it does not shrink to zero. As a result, allthe fields for the stable pulses merge to form a single structure, of unbroken wholeness. A singularity in space-time is non-mechanistic construct, which is independent of the Cartesian grid system.

Next, consider how wholeness is exhibited in Bohms interpretation of quantum theory. It is achieved throughactive informationlisted as a concept represented by the quantum potential. The quantum potential is the microstructure for transmitting influences on distance parts of the correlated quantum system through nonlocal connections. It basically interconnects all distant objects of the quantum field into a single system, and as Bohm states, with an objective quality ofunbroken wholeness.

In physics, all fields are defined by space-time points put in order and understood using the Cartesian co-ordinate grid. And, if necessary, they are extended to curvilinear coordinates. But it is a mechanistic order, whose parts have and independent existence in different regions of space and time. So, it has been and continues to be inadequate for ordering the unbroken wholeness and contradictions of quantum theory and relativity theory. Such a situation calls for seeking a different order that will allow both theories to be consistent conceptually, and potentially pave the way for further advancements to these theories. Bohm has suggested theImplicate Order,but this would be a discussion for another interview or paper.

CP.3. How do I, Carl Peterson, think a scientist should include consciousness? First let me emphasize:I am a Bohmian, no doubt. And work by Bohm on An Ontological Interpretation of Quantum Theory (Bohm D. a., 1994) has shown there is a consistent and empirically adequate deterministic theory available.

In that regard, it would be fruitless to try to account for consciousness within the Cartesian coordinate grid system. In fact, any research in which the Cartesian coordinate grid system is used would not cohere with consciousness. Why? Because it is mechanistic.

However, paradoxically, it takes a conscious mind to be aware, to think, and do critical work in physics. This becomes clearer in quantum theory. Even so, consciousness doesnt appear in the equations.

Again, being a Bohmian I will follow his lead. It is Bohms proposal that the implicate order is where quantum theory and consciousness become compatible. And I agree with his proposal.

What is the implicate order you ask? My answer is: implicate order theory takes what quantum theory and relativity theory have in common, wholeness, and works naturally with their contradictions, which come from using the Cartesian grid, through the mental, physical and sensory awareness that embraces consciousness.

The theory is limited! No physical theory gives a perfect replica of reality, since a theory is part of the thought process. And the thought process is limited by information humans receive and their memory for retention of that information.

CP.4. You ask me about QM-NIODA. How might it change if the Bohmian interpretation was adopted rather than the Copenhagen interpretation?

Let me state emphatically that Bohmian determinism is compatible with QM-NIODA ontological indeterminism, and the measurement problem doesnt exist with Bohms interpretation. And, the quantum potential presents new concepts that have to be considered since they dont exist in the Copenhagen interpretation.

So, it seems to me that changes would come about because much of the activity that occurs in the microworld happens because of the quantum potential in Bohms interpretation. But Russell labels these thorny issues. Setting that statement aside, there are two types of changes that seem necessary to locate the physics for NIODA to cohere with the Bohmian interpretation. Number one leads to number two. I briefly discussed some features of number two earlier. The two types are:

1) new developments in physics always require attention to language. This is necessary to communicate the perception and thinking about the new development. Therefore, language would be the first type of change in NIODA.

2) different factors underlie the different language. Specifically, Russells NIODA needs to account for quantum potential as Bohmn articualtes it. Bohms visionary insight of recognizing the quantum potential, since activity is taking place in the quantum world because of it. Therefore, the features brought in by the quantum potential are most important as well with the different language. I mentioned four earlier. I see those as most crucial. Lets set the stage!

The mathematical form of the wavefunction sets the quantum field. And then, nonlocality locates Divine Action in the quantum world, since it is completely the product of the quantum potential. Recall from earlier question that the quantum potential doesnt exist in the classical limit, therefore nonlocality doesnt exist there either. Enter active information, which is produced in the quantum field, allowing influences on remote parts of the quantum system to respond in a correlated manner. Moreover, the quantum potential interconnects every region of space and imparts a quality of inseparable wholeness. In other words, the wavefunction for the quantum system determines the nonlocal connections on its distant parts.

CP.5. Yes. A way forward in physics from this point starts by setting aside the Cartesian coordinate grid system. I dont believe the contradictions between relativity and quantum theories can be completely overcome within this grid system. Let me quote something I said recently in our ETI: Academic and Societal Implicationsbook.

Bohm found a way, and that way is a new order, which encompasses the different kinds of unbroken wholeness in both quantum and relativity theories. And that new order, beyond the order of the everyday sensory world in which experiments are carried out, is one that can provide a clear consistent and logical connection for all our concepts; that is mathematical and physical. It is a deeper submerged order for the creative understanding of underlying concepts, and perhaps, even unseen levels of reality.

I might add: this may not be complete answer. But it is a beginning. It points a way forward. Sadly, there are a too few physicists following this route.

Do Patheos bloggers take up quantum theology? Sometimes.

But, not every Patheos blogger is happy with quantum theology. Especially Will Duquette. Duquette modestly formulates his own laws. Heres one thats relevant: Every application of quantum mechanics to philosophy or religion is absurd. Absurd? Why? Duquette says that a theologian is too ignorant to rightly weigh the import of physics. He contends, further, that a physicist is too smart to dabble in theology. What about a hybrid physicist-theologian such as Ian Barbour, John Polkinghorne or Robert John Russell? Duquette says, contrary to the testimony weve just assembled: if the speaker is both a quantum physicist and a philosopher/theologianhell be too wise to apply quantum mechanics to philosophy or theology. This makes Duquettes reasoning more absurd than his law.

What motivates our discussion here on divine action in natures world is the obligation to construct a reasonable and intelligible worldview that explains Gods providential yet non-interventionist action. Quantum theory entices the theologian like a yummy ice cream cone on a hot sunny day.

But, one step at a time. Before the quantum theologian can deal directly with divine action in natures world, the question of the relationship between objective fact and subjective consciousness must be resolved. Henry Stapp, physicist at the University of California at Berkeley, has worked on this question for decades.

Quantum mechanicsassigns to mental reality a function not performed by the physical properties, namely, the property of providing an avenue for our human values to enter into the evolution of psycho-physical reality, and hence make our lives meaningful(Stapp, 2017).

What we see most forcefully in the quantum ontology of David Bohm is a grounding for both consciousness and what consciousness knows in a single holomovement. This QM ontology attracts Carl Peterson.

This should attract Robert John Russell as well. Bohms notion of undivided wholeness in a single holomovement provides an inclusive ontology that coheres with quantum theory and adds a level of wholeness to Russells QM-NIODA.

In conclusion, Robert John Russell need not choose between the indeterminism of Copenhagen and the determinism of Bohm. His quantum theology could benefit from both.

Ted Peters directs traffic at the intersection of science, religion, and ethics. Peters is an emeritus professor at the Graduate Theological Union, where he co-edits the journal, Theology and Science, on behalf of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, in Berkeley, California, USA. He authored Playing God? Genetic Determinism and Human Freedom? (Routledge, 2nd ed., 2002) as well as Science, Theology, and Ethics (Ashgate 2003). Along with Martinez Hewlett, Joshua Moritz, and Robert John Russell, he co-edited, Astrotheology: Science and Theology Meet Extraterrestrial Intelligence (2018). Along with Octavio Chon Torres, Joseph Seckbach, and Russell Gordon, he co-edited, Astrobiology: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy (Scrivener 2021). He is also author of UFOs: Gods Chariots? Spirituality, Ancient Aliens, and Religious Yearnings in the Age of Extraterrestrials (Career Press New Page Books, 2014). See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com.

Atkins, P. (2006). Atheism and Science. In e. Philip Clayton and Zachary Simpson, The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (pp. 124-136). Oxford UK: Oxford University Press.

Bohm, D. (1951). Quantum Theory. New York: Prentice Hall.

Bohm, D. (1952). A Suggested Interpretation of the Quantum Theory in Terms of Hiddon Variables I and II. Physical Review 85, 166-193.

Bohm, D. (1980). Wholeness and the Implicate Order. London: Routledge.

Bohm, D. (1988). Postmodern Science and a Postmodern World. In e. David Ray Griffin, The Reenchantment of Science (pp. 57-68). Albany NY: SUNY.

Bohm, D. (1990). A New Theory of the Relationship of Mind and Matter. Philosophical Psychology, 3(2), 271-286.

Bohm, D. a. (1994). The Undivided Universe: An Ontological Interpretation of Quantum theory. New Brunswick NJ: Rutgers University Press.

OMurchu, D. (2021). Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics. New York: Crossroad.

Polkinghorne, J. (2006). Quantum Theology. In e. Ted Peters and Nathan Hallanger, Gods Action in Natures World: Essays in Honor of Robert John Russell (pp. 137-145). Aldershot UK: Ashgate.

Russell, R. J. (1985). The Physics of David Bohm and Its Relevance to Philosophy and Theology. Zygon 20:2, 135-158.

Russell, R. J. (2008). Cosmology from Alpha to Omega: The Creative Mutual Interaction of Theology and Science. Minneapolis MN: Fortress Press ISBN 978-0-8006-6273-8.

Stapp, H. P. (2017). Quantum Theory and Free Will. Switzerland: Springer.

Continue reading here:

Quantum Theory, God, and Carl Peterson | Quantum Theology - Patheos

A Bristol-led team of physicists has found a way to operate mass manufacturable photonic sensors at the quantum limit. This breakthrough paves the way for practical applications such as monitoring greenhouse gases and cancer detection.

Sensors are a constant feature of our everyday lives. Although they often go unperceived, sensors provide critical information essential to modern healthcare, security, and environmental monitoring. Modern cars alone contain over 100 sensors and this number will only increase.

Quantum sensing is poised to revolutionise today's sensors, significantly boosting the performance they can achieve. More precise, faster, and reliable measurements of physical quantities can have a transformative effect on every area of science and technology, including our daily lives.

However, the majority of quantum sensing schemes rely on special entangled or squeezed states of light or matter that are hard to generate and detect. This is a major obstacle to harnessing the full power of quantum-limited sensors and deploying them in real-world scenarios.

In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, a team of physicists at the Universities of Bristol, Bath and Warwick have shown it is possible to perform high precision measurements of important physical properties without the need for sophisticated quantum states of light and detection schemes.

The key to this breakthrough is the use of ring resonators tiny racetrack structures that guide light in a loop and maximize its interaction with the sample under study. Importantly, ring resonators can be mass manufactured using the same processes as the chips in our computers and smartphones.

Alex Belsley, Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QET Labs) PhD student and lead author of the work, said:We are one step closer to allintegrated photonic sensorsoperating at the limits of detection imposed by quantum mechanics.

Employing this technology to sense absorption or refractive index changes can be used to identify and characterise a wide range of materials and biochemical samples, with topical applications from monitoring greenhouse gases to cancer detection.

Associate Professor Jonathan Matthews, co-Director of QETLabs and co-author of the work, stated: We are really excited by the opportunities this result enables: we now know how to use mass manufacturable processes to engineer chip scale photonic sensors that operate at the quantum limit.

Paper:

'Advantage of coherent states in ring resonators over any quantum probe single-pass absorption estimation strategy,' by Alexandre Belsley, Euan J. Allen, Animesh Datta, and Jonathan C. F. Matthewsis published in Physical Review Letters.

The Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QET Labs)

QET Labs was launched in 2015, with the mission to take quantum science discoveries out of the lab and engineer them into technologies for the benefit of society. This includes novel routes to quantum computing hardware, quantum communications, enhanced sensing & imaging and new platforms to investigate fundamental quantum physics. QET Labs brings together over 28 million worth of activity and comprises over 100 academics, staff, and students in the Schools of Physics and Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Read more: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/qet-labs/

Bristol's EPSRC-fundedQuantum Engineering Centre for Doctoral Trainingoffers an exceptional training and development experience for those wishing to pursue a career in the emerging quantum technologies industry or in academia. It supports the understanding of sound fundamental scientific principles and their practical application to real-world challenges.

Bristol Quantum Information Institute

Quantum information and its translation into technologies is one of the most exciting research activities in science and technology today. Long at the forefront of the growing worldwide activity in this area, the Bristol Quantum Information Institute crystallises our research across the entire spectrum, from theory to technology. With our expert cross-disciplinary team, including founders of the field, we have expertise in all major areas of theoretical quantum information science and in experiment. We foster partnerships with the private sector and provide superb teaching and training for the future generation of quantum scientists and engineers and the prototypes of tomorrow.

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June: photonic sensors | News and features - University of Bristol

Heres some inside baseball about physics research. High energy theory was a field with vast accomplishments across the 20th century and its success was propelled by a series of physics geniuses who won support and funding for a seven-decade succession of particle colliders. These colliders smashed matter together and discovered particle after particle streaming out of the explosions. The geniuses built the Standard Model to explain the particles. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located in Switzerland, was the capstone of their era, finding the last required particle the Higgs boson to complete the model.

Today, those geniuses are nearly all gone and their successors are bogged down in various forms of mathematical supersymmetry. Youve heard of some of its ideas: string theory, M-theory, D-branes, and so forth. Its all fun to read about. But the problem is that it doesnt explain anything. High energy theory has become highly academic and mathematical. Einstein postulated four-dimensional spacetime because he needed four dimensions to make sense of the world as we see it. String theory requires 11 dimensions or maybe 10, or 12, or 26. Maybe some are curled up. Why? Because neat things happen in abstract math, apparently.

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Supersymmetry is not a tight and efficient theory, welded together to explain observations. Its a convoluted mess of mathematical models that could potentially explain anything, or nothing at all. Sabine Hossenfelder, a theoretical physicist who has worked in the field, gives an excellent review of the situation. She doesnt pull punches. A giant particle collider cannot truly test supersymmetry, which can evolve to fit nearly anything.

This brings us to the LHC, and its hypothetical successor, call it LHC++. The LHC found the Higgs. However, it has had nothing to say about supersymmetry or string theory. Sabine points out that no LHC result could ever rule out supersymmetry. Whats worse, the LHC++ could not rule it out either. The only hope for an enormous new collider would be to happen upon a new and unexpected particle.

Its not a terrible idea, in a vacuum. Science occasionally progresses when scientists stumble across some entirely new and unexpected phenomena. Ethan Siegel makes the case for building LHC++ for this reason. He believes that arguments against it are disingenuous, or made in bad faith. However, hes wrong on this one. Economic and scientific sense argue for a different approach.

A significantly more powerful LHC++ will cost tens of billions of dollars. Its entirely possible that the price could swell to $100 billion. Spending that much money on a machine to take shots in the dark is a mistake. When you dont have much to go on, and limited resources, its better to aim at problems that you know are out there. Those things will lead you to new discoveries. The revolutionary success of 20th-century physics was kicked off in just this way.

Many leading scientists of the late 1800s speculated that physics was nearly finished. There remained only a few mysteries. Two of these known mysteries were the nature of blackbody radiation and the constant speed of light. Both phenomena were studied and measured, but could not be explained. Einstein and others focused on finding solutions to these outstanding problems. The answers lead directly to the development of quantum mechanics and relativity: two of the cornerstone theories of modern physics.

There are many known problems in physics right now. $100 billion could fund (quite literally) 100,000 smaller physics experiments. There may not be enough physics labs on Earth to carry out that many experiments! Ethan points out that we push frontiers such as trillionths-of-a-degree temperatures in new experiments. Thats a great pursuit: It can be done by a handful of researchers, using just a tiny fraction of the funding freed up by not building LHC++. Some of the 100,000 experiments could look for possible physics beyond the Standard Model in clever ways that dont require the annual GDP of a small nation.

Conversely, that $100 billion could be lumped together and spent on one giant project to solve a known real-world problem. Perhaps we should send the money and associated technical talent to solve fusion energy. ITER, the worlds most promising fusion machine, is a colossal (and over-budget) experiment. And still, $100 billion could fund somewhere between one and five more ITERs. Or, it could power hundreds of alternative efforts to create practical fusion energy.

The money and brainpower that would go into a bigger LHC could be much better used to chase one, a few, or many known scientific and practical problems in the world. Along the way, new and unknown physics would certainly turn up, as it always does when you attack previously unsolvable problems. The only good argument for the LHC++ might be employment for smart people. And for string theorists. It just doesnt add up.

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Please, don't build another Large Hadron Collider. - Big Think