Chapter 9 - The Physics of the Very Small Flashcards
Fields
region of influence in space
not made of matter, nor can it be seen or touched or weighed, but interact with matter
eg: magnetic, gravity
Solitons
Solitary waves which retain size and shape for long periods over great distances
Forms if all component waves move at same speed so they stay together
Can form in liquid, solid, gas, or field
Can be difficult or impossible to destroy
Source of matter
Most fundamental field is vaccum of empty space - believed to be an intense energy field; one cubic cm of space contains more energy than all matter in known universe; can’t be observed directly but produces physical effects on atoms and subatomic particles
Constantly creates solitons
Virtual matter
Particles which appear as particle-antiparticle pairs, existing briefly and constantly annihilating each other when they come into contact; if given enough energy from some other source (such as black hole) it releases energy into vacuum field and creates new particles
Quantum
packet of energy in subatomic particle that corresponds to amount of energy equivalent to mass
electron is quantum of electron-positron field, proton is quantum of proton-antiproton field
Spatial pattern of each field determines how likely it is for particle of that type to be found at particular point in space
Wave-particle duality
Particles can appear as matter or waves smeared out over region of space
Waves of nearby particles can overlap, and if two subatomic particles come close enough together their waves merge to form a new particle
Quantum entanglement
When two subatomic particles interact they become linked, and remain so over distances
Entanglement across time may occur, thus bending laws of cause and effect
Psi-field
One possible explanation of action at a distance, particles prevented from moving faster than light by resistance of vacuum field; as they move they leave scalar waves which can travel faster than speed of light
Living cells contain microscopic tubular structures which may respond to quantum events, enabling organisms to interact with psi-field. When larger systems become chaotic, they may be so sensitive that behavior and development is affected by resonance within miniscule disturbances
Scalar waves
Permanent waves left by particles which don’t experience resistance so can travel faster than light
The more matter nearby, the faster they move; and where matter is dense their speed approaches infinity
can affect motion of other particles they interact with; wherever matter is dense, every particle influences movement of every other particle instantaneously
Consciousness and matter
Conscious observation “creates” the real world
Implications:
physical systems would evolve differently depending on whether they were observed by conscious being
Universe didn’t exist in concrete form before conscious beings evolved
cosmic consciousness which existed before universe capable of collapsing universe into definite state
String theory
Basic elements of matter aren’t subatomic particles, but even tinier ‘strings’, and resonant vibrations give subatomic particles and characteristic properties
Requires 10-D universe - extra 6 dimensions thought to be curled up into miniscule tangled balls far too small to detect, each ball has holes in them associated with family of potential particles
David Bohm
Sought to reveal implicate order which is made manifest through process of explication or unfolding; implicate order is holographic so whole universe is encoded within each part of it
When a particle is observed it’s actually a rapid succession of similar particles unfolded from implicate order, then enfolded again; implicate order contains memory of past events that guides unfolding of future
Rupert Sheldrake
Claims development of form is guided by morphic fields not yet detected (instead of self-organization)
Every material object has holarchy of morphic fields associated with it; hence a living organism develops characteristics not only from genes and environment but also because it resolates with morphic field associated with molecules, cells, tissues and organs
Morphic fields
Develop like habits; when chemical crystallizes for first time it creates new morphic fields that exists independently of crystal, then when similar solution of chemical is made later it resonates with field and guided to same form. Each time it’s formed the field gets stronger and becomes more likely that it will develop in future
Implies that absolute and eternal laws are no more than habits, only appear as immutable laws
Similarities between quantum and relativity physics
Both see matter as springing from underlying reality - vacuum field or spacetime
Both reveal matter has wave aspect and objects don’t have precise location, and non-local interactions between matter exist
