Universal Quantum Mechanism: Physicists Find Reappearing Quantum Trios
Using atoms at temperatures colder than deep space, Rice University physicists have delivered overwhelming proof for a once-scoffed-at theory that's become a hotbed for research some 40 years after it first appeared. In a paper available online in Science Express, Rice's team offers experimental evidence for a universal quantum mechanism that allows trios of particles to appear and reappear at higher energy levels in an infinite progression. The triplets, often called trimers, form in special cases where pairs cannot.
See Also:"It's such a remarkable phenomena," said team leader Randy Hulet. "There are examples, like the Borromean rings, where having a third component is crucial. Any two of the rings will unbind if the third is removed, and these trimers are similar. The particles want to bind, but no two can do it. They need the third one to make it happen."
The trimers were first predicted almost 40 years ago by theoretical physicist Vitaly Efimov. The most striking feature of Efimov's prediction was that the effect was both universal and repeating. That meant that the trimers could form from anything, be it as large as an atom or as small as a quark. And it also meant that Efimov's trimers would form repeatedly, up and down the energy scale in a stepwise fashion. Efimov, now at the University of Washington, even predicted the spacing in energy of the trimers; he said they would appear every time the binding energy increased by a factor of 22.7.
"A lot of people didn't believe him," said Hulet, Rice's Fayez Sarofim Professor of Physics and Astronomy. "That's partly because physicists can handle two-body problems quite well and many-body problems fairly well, but when there are just a few objects, like the three bodies in these Efimov trimers, there are just too many variables."
As Hulet points out, there is still no general mathematical solution for the most classic of all "three-body" problems -- the sun-Earth-moon problem.
"You can do a numerical calculation, of course," he said. "You can calculate to arbitrary precision what the sun, Earth and moon are doing relative to one another at any given time, but you cannot write out a formula for that on paper. There is no general solution for that or any other three-body problem."
What Efimov offered in 1970 was not a general solution for the three-body problem, but it was the next-best thing -- a universal relationship that would hold true for any particle but only under a particular set of circumstances.
Vanquishing Infinity: Old Methods Lead To New Approach To Finding Quantum Theory Of Gravity (Aug. 21, 2009) — Quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity are both extremely accurate theories of how the universe works, but all attempts to combine the two into a unified theory have ended in ... > read more
Theorists Attempt To Determine Whether Particle Physics And String Theory Can Be Reconciled (Sep. 23, 2009)— A new toolkit of equations will help theorists determine whether a promising agreement between particle physics and string theory is fact or ... > read more
Using atoms at temperatures colder than deep space, Rice University physicists have delivered overwhelming proof for a once-scoffed-at theory that's become a hotbed for research some 40 years after it first appeared. In a paper available online in Science Express, Rice's team offers experimental evidence for a universal quantum mechanism that allows trios of particles to appear and reappear at higher energy levels in an infinite progression. The triplets, often called trimers, form in special cases where pairs cannot.
See Also:
"It's such a remarkable phenomena," said team leader Randy Hulet. "There are examples, like the Borromean rings, where having a third component is crucial. Any two of the rings will unbind if the third is removed, and these trimers are similar. The particles want to bind, but no two can do it. They need the third one to make it happen."
The trimers were first predicted almost 40 years ago by theoretical physicist Vitaly Efimov. The most striking feature of Efimov's prediction was that the effect was both universal and repeating. That meant that the trimers could form from anything, be it as large as an atom or as small as a quark. And it also meant that Efimov's trimers would form repeatedly, up and down the energy scale in a stepwise fashion. Efimov, now at the University of Washington, even predicted the spacing in energy of the trimers; he said they would appear every time the binding energy increased by a factor of 22.7.
"A lot of people didn't believe him," said Hulet, Rice's Fayez Sarofim Professor of Physics and Astronomy. "That's partly because physicists can handle two-body problems quite well and many-body problems fairly well, but when there are just a few objects, like the three bodies in these Efimov trimers, there are just too many variables."
As Hulet points out, there is still no general mathematical solution for the most classic of all "three-body" problems -- the sun-Earth-moon problem.
"You can do a numerical calculation, of course," he said. "You can calculate to arbitrary precision what the sun, Earth and moon are doing relative to one another at any given time, but you cannot write out a formula for that on paper. There is no general solution for that or any other three-body problem."
What Efimov offered in 1970 was not a general solution for the three-body problem, but it was the next-best thing -- a universal relationship that would hold true for any particle but only under a particular set of circumstances.
Vanquishing Infinity: Old Methods Lead To New Approach To Finding Quantum Theory Of Gravity (Aug. 21, 2009) — Quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity are both extremely accurate theories of how the universe works, but all attempts to combine the two into a unified theory have ended in ... > read more
Theorists Attempt To Determine Whether Particle Physics And String Theory Can Be Reconciled (Sep. 23, 2009)— A new toolkit of equations will help theorists determine whether a promising agreement between particle physics and string theory is fact or ... > read more
Indian farmers adapt to shifting weather patterns
Trusting Nature as the Climate Referee
That is the intriguing suggestion of Ross McKitrick, an economist at the University of Guelph in Ontario who, like me, is virtuously restricting his carbon footprint by staying away from Copenhagen this week. Dr. McKitrick expects this climate conference to yield the same results as previous ones: grand promises to cut carbon emissions that will be ignored once politicians return home to face voters who are skeptical that global warming is even a problem.
To end this political stalemate, Dr. McKitrick proposes calling each side’s bluff. He suggests imposing financial penalties on carbon emissions that would be set according to the temperature in the earth’s atmosphere. The penalties could start off small enough to be politically palatable to skeptical voters.
( 'Denying' that man is the main driver of climate variation is not the same thing as saying it can't change : especially when it has been warmer in the past...and plants grew in a higher CO-2 environment because it is.....plant food. Remember ? In fact...saying one must look at the various possibilities after realizing that data is likely fudged and knowing the international trade books are to be cooked : hearing loud protest, in fact...is the least unreasonable response. Not to do so is like denying advertising manipulates the public and their political will is ignored and misled both. )
Canada punk'd at COP15
This is classic Yes Men, who have been gaily twittering about the prank without actually, um, copping to it.
First there was this morning's grand announcement from Environment Minister Jim Prentice of Canada's "ambitious plan for a new climate change framework that answers vital concerns voiced by developing nations" and the "strict new emissions-reductions guidelines for Canada" along with generous "financing for vulnerable countries beginning in 2010."
Except it wasn't true.
Neither was the article covering the press release in the credible-looking but not really WSJ.
Nor the follow-up press release from Environment Canada deploring the prank :
First there was this morning's grand announcement from Environment Minister Jim Prentice of Canada's "ambitious plan for a new climate change framework that answers vital concerns voiced by developing nations" and the "strict new emissions-reductions guidelines for Canada" along with generous "financing for vulnerable countries beginning in 2010."
Except it wasn't true.
Neither was the article covering the press release in the credible-looking but not really WSJ.
Nor the follow-up press release from Environment Canada deploring the prank :
"OTTAWA, Ont. -- December 14, 2009 -- One hour ago, a spoof press release targeted Canada in order to generate hurtful rumors and mislead the Conference of Parties on Canada's positions on climate change, and to damage Canada's standing with the international business community.
The Canadian government wishes to note that in addition to misleading the world on Canada's energy stance, today's impostors generated a cascading series of hopes that culminated in the delivery, by the Ugandan delegation, of an impassioned speech in today's COP-15 press briefing. "
Greens really think they’re Left – we’ve a long way to go
Ben Raue, a fairly senior New South Wales Greens member, has a post on his blog discussing the Higgins and Bradfield by-elections and the Greens results there. It’s a fairly standard sort of post, spinning the results as good for the Greens and not so good for the Liberals, but the interesting thing is that Raue labels the Greens as the “left-wing” party in those seats.
The Greens achieved a strong result in a right-wing heartland seat while running an explicitly left-wing campaign.
Raue is of course not being merely dishonest, even though calling Clive Hamilton, (the Greens’ candidate in Higgins), a left-winger is utterly laughable. Rather, left-wing politics has degenerated to such a degree that people who are suspicious of modern industrial civilisation and want to slow it down are considered Left, merely because they dislike capitalism.
This article in The Spectator attacks that idea, pointing out that many Green ideas come from the right-wing position of Thomas Malthus, whose arguments Marx and Engels rejected.
The Greens achieved a strong result in a right-wing heartland seat while running an explicitly left-wing campaign.
Online Protests Begin To Rage Against RuddNet Censorship
Welcome to the RuddNet :
And political content that will, or already is, categorised as "extremist".The Federal Government will introduce compulsory internet filtering to block overseas sites which contain criminal content, including child sex abuse and sexual violence.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced the changes today following a controversial trial to filter the internet which was conducted earlier this year.
My head is churning with hundreds of titles of classic, brilliant, acclaimed movies that include scenes showing viewers how to use drugs and commit crimes. All of which are available to view online right now.Legislation will be introduced into Parliament next year which will require all ISPs to block material which has been refused classification in other countries.
This would include sites containing child sex abuse, bestiality, sexual violence or detailed information about how to use drugs or commit crimes.
And don't forget the obligatory declaration of non-censorship :
It doesn't matter whether it was "designed" to curtain freedom of speech. The simple fact is it will do exactly that.The Government maintains the filter is not designed to curtail freedom of speech.
The ABC News website was one of the first news sites to run the story with comments open, with hundreds pouring in within the first hour the story going up. The reaction is 99% negative, and the outrage at such a draconian move towards mandatory internet censorship is spreading fast.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has already deployed the 'Responsible Australians Vs Pedos & Terrorists' argument to sugar coat this digital censorship program. They better come up with something stronger than that to argue their case for internet filtering. They've already got hundreds of thousands of teenage to middle aged gamers offside with their censorship and banning of animated vidgames.
Australian Government moves closer to Internet censorship – what to do?
Via ZDNet News Editor Renai LeMay comes news that the Australian Government has received a report of its trial of systems to censor the Internet. Amusingly, as I type, the Government’s website announcing the report is down, presumably because of the amount of people visiting
The crucial finding is:
Filtering Refused Classification (RC) content
The pilot demonstrated that ISPs can effectively filter a list of URLs such as the ACMA blacklist with a very high degree of accuracy and a negligible impact on internet speed.
While it’s possible for technical people to argue about whether this is true or not, the political reality is that it will give the Government a good technical argument to go ahead with its plans to censor the internet. Therefore the plan will need to be defeated on political grounds.
At the moment, the Australian Greens and the Liberal/National Coalition still oppose the censorship plan, despite the Greens recently choosing to run Clive Hamilton, the moral architect of the censorship plan, as their candidate in the recent Higgins by-election. If this remains the same, it is likely that the plan will fail in the Senate as the Government is unlikely to ever have enough votes to pass the censorship plan without the support of one of those groups.
Via ZDNet News Editor Renai LeMay comes news that the Australian Government has received a report of its trial of systems to censor the Internet. Amusingly, as I type, the Government’s website announcing the report is down, presumably because of the amount of people visiting
The crucial finding is:
Filtering Refused Classification (RC) content
The pilot demonstrated that ISPs can effectively filter a list of URLs such as the ACMA blacklist with a very high degree of accuracy and a negligible impact on internet speed.
While it’s possible for technical people to argue about whether this is true or not, the political reality is that it will give the Government a good technical argument to go ahead with its plans to censor the internet. Therefore the plan will need to be defeated on political grounds.
At the moment, the Australian Greens and the Liberal/National Coalition still oppose the censorship plan, despite the Greens recently choosing to run Clive Hamilton, the moral architect of the censorship plan, as their candidate in the recent Higgins by-election. If this remains the same, it is likely that the plan will fail in the Senate as the Government is unlikely to ever have enough votes to pass the censorship plan without the support of one of those groups.
Millions of Bush administration e-mails recovered
The e-mails date from 2003 to 2005, and had been "mislabeled and effectively lost
Pivot, File Managers and more...
search-engines and file-managers could need a brush-up in 2010. MaybePivot gives an indication of the desktop-future...
Microsoft Live Lab Pivot, still an experimental piece of software running on Windows-7 tries to change the presentation of large data sets. You can even download this software for free... What it does? The designers tell us: 'Pivot makes it easier to interact with massive amounts of data in ways that are powerful, informative, and fun.' Rather see this for yourself:
Almrei security certificate struck down
The ruling says there were reasonable grounds to believe Almrei was a security danger when detained in October 2001, but there are no longer reasonable grounds to believe that today.
It also says federal cabinet ministers breached their duties of "good faith and candour" to the court by not thoroughly reviewing the information on file prior to reissuing the certificate against Almrei in February of last year.
Open-access internet rules take hits
In the first of two internet-related decisions quietly released on Friday, the government rejected an earlier order by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission that would have given smaller ISPs the right to sell the same speeds as Bell and Telus.
The CRTC's "matching speeds" decision, made in December last year, would have required the large companies to offer the same speed services they themselves sell to smaller regional ISPs, such as Teksavvy or Execulink, at reasonable rates.
The government also rejected an appeal from Winnipeg-based MTS Allstream on another CRTC decision, also made in December last year. That decision exempted certain types of the big phone companies' internet access — Ethernet and ADSL — from being considered "essential services," which means they are unregulated and competitors will have to negotiate to get them.
MTS, which is a large national competitor to Bell and Telus in selling internet access to businesses, also rents portions of those companies' networks and services, including Ethernet and ADSL. MTS argued in its appeal that by removing regulation of those services, Bell and Telus will be free to raise rates on them to the point where the company won't be able to compete.
Most Popular Free Windows Downloads of 2009
Musical cards dangerous for young children
Sand safer for playground falls
Disaster and Denial - Krugman
A Television Event That May Remind People of Their Power
Every once in a while something truly special airs on television. When “The People Speak” airs onThe History Channel this upcoming Sunday it will be one of those moments.
Inspired by the books of Howard Zinn, (”A People’s History of the United States“) and Anthony Arnove, (“Voices of a People’s History“), The People Speak is a documentary which tells the story of American democracy through the words of the ordinary, yet powerful, people who have shaped it
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