Steins;Gate & particles traveling faster than the speed of light
I just so happened started watching Steins;Gate today and it had nothing to do with this figure right here…*coughcough* ahem
but I was half paying attention as I was playing with my Figma Miku Append. Well after 2 episodes I did a little background reading (skimming) on Steins;Gate and John Titor to get a better picture. Then I was checking out Google News when the title “Weird particles can travel faster than light, test suggests” caught my eye.
European researchers said they clocked an oddball type of subatomic particle called a neutrino going faster than the 186,282 miles per second long been considered the cosmic speed limit…
According to scientists familiar with the paper, the neutrinos were fired from a particle accelerator at CERN outside Geneva, where they were created, to a cavern underneath Gran Sasso in Italy, 454 miles away, about 60 nanoseconds faster than it would take a light beam. Scientists calculated the margin of error at 10 nanoseconds, making the difference statistically significant.
Even this small deviation would open up the possibility of time travel and play havoc with longstanding notions of cause and effect. Einstein himself — author of modern physics — said that if you could send a message faster than light, “You could send a telegram to the past.”…
Neutrinos are among the weirdest denizens of the quantum subatomic world. Once believed to be massless and to travel at the speed of light, they can sail through walls and planets like wind through a screen door…
John Learned, a neutrino astronomer at the University of Hawaii, said the results of the OPERA researchers, if true, could be the first hint that neutrinos can take a shortcut through space, through extra dimensions.
Coincidence? Yes? Maybe my future self wanted me to see this article. Anyway, I think quantum physics, black holes, and whatnot is interesting whenever they present it on PBS or Discovery channel. I’m going to be looking forward to watching Steins;Gate as my brain gets fried.
Pair Production
Pair production refers to the creation of an elementary particle and its antiparticle, usually from a photon (or another neutral boson). For example an electron and its antiparticle, the positron, may be created. This is allowed, provided there is enough energy available to create the pair - at least the total rest mass energy of the two particles - and that the situation allows both energy and momentum to be conserved.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair_production/
I feel like such an overachiever ^_^
Finished my Optics homework that’s due Friday! WOOOHOOOO! Just have 2 or three tiny questions but other than that I feel pretty awesome.
Just waiting for my Modern Physics book to come in so I can finish that homework that’s due Friday too.
So for now I’ll just work on my ridiculously easy Solidworks homework.
Right now, I like this semester. I should keep my mouth shut…
Something that I’ve been thinking about
There’s always that big debate whether Einstein was an atheist or a believer. But I’m not sure where the argument that he was an atheist comes from. BUT, his rejection of the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum theory was based off of his belief that there should be no probability factor. I mean, he was even quoted saying that “God doesn’t roll dice.” as his main argument AGAINST Copenhagen.
If that doesn’t affirm someone’s faith, I don’t know what does.
The 2010 Messenger Lectures: Nima Arkani-Hamed
Quantum mechanics and space-time
http://www.cornell.edu/video/?videoID=909
Standard models of particle physics
http://www.cornell.edu/video/?videoID=910
Space-time is doomed. What replaces it?
http://www.cornell.edu/video/?videoID=911
Why is there a macroscopic universe?
http://www.cornell.edu/video/?videoID=912
A new golden age of experiments: What might we know by 2020?
http://www.cornell.edu/video/?videoID=913
Modern physics just became infinitely cooler.
YAY RELATIVITY! My 4 pages of notes are filled with crazy awesome statements and postulates like simultaneous events only happen simultaneous to the observer, the measurement of “time” is all based on your inertial reference frame… Ahhhhhhh!
Basically, time dilation is the most awesome thing ever. I already knew that, but now I know the equations to prove it.
Moral of my story? Nicole was having awesome-physics-induced “fangirl” moments throughout class.
This is how you know you’re in the right major: you FANGIRL over equations and concepts. I’m really excited to read this part of the textbook… Oh my god who SAYS that?
Modern Physics is ruining my life
Whenever I try to explain relativity (and how fucking insane it is and makes me feel) to anyone I invariably end up feeling like hank green saying “no edge” to the world. It’s like,”Dude. Do you understand that the human perception of time is inherently flawed and the notion of simultaneity is nonexistent?!?” “yeah, I guess, but what’s the big deal? Plus the whole pole-barn thing is just confusing.” “THE WHOLE THING IS CONFUSING BECAUSE IT GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO BELIEVE AND OBSERVE” “whatever man” “…NO EDGE.”
…on another note, does anybody want to make me a GIF in which Einstein is humping my brain? Because that is what learning relativity feels like.
