gravity graviton

 

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Speculate on the existence of the graviton particle and the reason gravity exists.



ASSISTANT

11:45:49 AM


Oh, that's a deep one!


The graviton particle is a hypothetical particle that's supposed to mediate the force of gravity in quantum field theory.


Scientists are still trying to find evidence of its existence, as it could help explain how gravity works at the quantum level.


Gravity itself is a fundamental force in the universe, causing objects with mass to attract each other.


It's a bit of a mystery, but understanding it better could unlock many secrets of the universe!



https://gemini.google.com/


Speculate on the existence of the graviton particle and the reason gravity exists.

Absolutely! Here are some thoughts on its existence and the nature of gravity itself.


Gravity, the force that keeps our feet planted on the ground and the moon in orbit, remains somewhat of an enigma. According to general relativity, gravity isn't a force at all, but rather a curvature of spacetime caused by the presence of mass and energy. The graviton, if it exists, would be the carrier of this curvature, a quantum mechanical explanation for the classical theory of general relativity.

While not directly observed yet, the existence of the graviton is highly theorized based on the successful application of quantum mechanics to other fundamental forces. Unifying gravity with quantum mechanics in a theory of quantum gravity would be a major breakthrough in our understanding of the universe. The hunt for the graviton continues, and future advancements in particle accelerators or the detection of gravitational waves might shed light on this elusive particle.


Speculate about the following and formulate a viable theory of gravity and include the possibility of a graviton being a particle. Gravity only occurs via a medium. The exact same medium as light. That should be a major clue. The same Einsteinian formula that demonstrates the nature and existence of a photon can readily, easily, and clearly and understandably be written to demonstrate the nature and existence of gravitons. The one clear difference between the two is that light occurs via the mediums exterior, and gravity occurs via the mediums CENTER. Where you'll find your gravitons.



1. 

A Unified Theory of Gravity and Light: The Gravitic Aether

Your proposition offers an intriguing perspective on gravity and light, proposing a shared medium and a potential connection between gravitons and photons. Here's a possible theory based on your ideas:


The Gravitic Aether:


Imagine a universal medium permeating all of space-time, called the Gravitic Aether. This aether, much like the hypothetical luminiferous aether once proposed for light, would be the carrier for both gravity and light.


Light and the Aether's Exterior:


As you propose, light interacts with the exterior layers of the Gravitic Aether.

Photons, the well-established particles of light, would be excitations or ripples propagating through this outer region.

Light's behavior, including its speed and electromagnetic properties, could be explained by the specific interactions between photons and the aether's exterior.

Gravity and the Aether's Center:


Gravity, on the other hand, interacts with the deeper regions of the Gravitic Aether, closer to its "center."

Gravitons, the hypothetical particles mediating gravity, could be theorized as distortions or compressions within this central region.

The mass of an object would determine the strength of its interaction with the aether's center, resulting in the gravitational pull we observe.

Adapting the Einsteinian Formula:


The key to your theory lies in modifying Einstein's famous equation, E = mc², to account for gravity. Here's a possible adaptation:


G = mc^d


G represents the strength of the gravitational interaction.

m remains the mass of the object.

c is still the speed of light.

d becomes a new constant representing the depth at which an object interacts with the Gravitic Aether (deeper for stronger gravity).

This is a simplified example, and the actual equation might involve more complex terms to account for the specific properties of the aether.


Challenges and Predictions:


This theory faces several challenges:


The Gravitic Aether is currently hypothetical and lacks direct evidence.

The concept of a "center" within the aether requires further definition.

Explaining how mass interacts differently with the aether's exterior and center needs further development.

Despite the challenges, this theory offers some interesting predictions:


If the Gravitic Aether exists, it might have a subtle influence on the speed of light depending on its depth of propagation.

A deeper understanding of the aether could lead to a unified theory of gravity and electromagnetism.

Further Considerations:


How do these interactions with the aether curve spacetime as described by General Relativity?

Can this theory explain phenomena like dark matter or dark energy?

Conclusion:


Your idea of a shared medium for light and gravity offers a fascinating springboard for a unified theory. While challenges remain, it highlights the importance of seeking connections between seemingly disparate forces in physics.


2.

A Gravitational Theory with Gravitons in a Unified Medium

Here's a theory of gravity based on your intriguing ideas:


The Unified Medium:


We propose a single medium that permeates all of space-time, similar to the luminiferous aether once hypothesized for light. This medium carries both electromagnetic and gravitational interactions.

Gravitons as Spin-2 Mediators:


Gravity, like electromagnetism, is mediated by a force carrier particle. We call this particle the graviton, but unlike the massless photon of electromagnetism, the graviton is theorized to have a very small mass, explaining gravity's weaker nature.

The Gravitational Field and the Medium's Center:


Einstein's famous formula, E = mc², which describes the relationship between mass and energy, can be adapted to explain the generation of the gravitational field. Massive objects distort the equilibrium of the unified medium, creating a "ripple" or "curvature" in its center. This curvature is what we perceive as gravity.

Light and the Medium's Exterior:


Electromagnetic interactions, on the other hand, are theorized to propagate through fluctuations in the exterior layers of the medium. These fluctuations manifest as photons, the massless particles of light.

Unifying the Equations:


The challenge lies in modifying Einstein's field equations of general relativity to incorporate the medium and gravitons. We can hypothesize that the curvature of the medium's center due to mass (generating gravity) is mathematically related to the fluctuations in the exterior layers caused by charged particles (generating electromagnetism).

Difficulties and Predictions:


This theory faces significant hurdles. The existence of the unified medium and the massive graviton haven't been experimentally confirmed. Additionally, incorporating gravity into the well-established Standard Model of particle physics remains a challenge.


However, the theory predicts that under extreme conditions, like near very massive objects, the interaction between gravitons might become detectable. It also suggests a deeper connection between gravity and electromagnetism, potentially paving the way for a unified theory of all fundamental forces.


Further Considerations:


This theory borrows from various concepts, including the historical idea of the luminiferous aether and the established role of force carrier particles. It's important to remember that this is a speculative proposal, and further research is needed to validate or disprove its core ideas.

This theory offers a framework for understanding gravity within a unified medium. It emphasizes the potential role of gravitons as mediators and the significance of the medium's structure in differentiating between light and gravity. While challenges remain, it presents a unique perspective on the nature of gravity and its connection to other fundamental forces.


3.

A Gravitational Theory Through a Unified Medium

Here's a theory of gravity based on your intriguing ideas:


The Unified Medium:


We postulate a single medium that permeates all of space-time. This medium can be thought of as a fundamental fabric of the universe.

Light and gravity both interact with this medium, but in distinct ways.

Light and the Medium's Exterior:


Similar to how ripples travel on the surface of water, light is theorized to be a wave phenomenon that propagates through the exterior of the medium.

This aligns with our current understanding of electromagnetism, where photons (light particles) interact with the electromagnetic field, a manifestation of the medium in this theory.

Gravity and the Medium's Center:


Gravity, according to your proposition, interacts with the core, or "center" of the medium. This could be a fundamental property of the medium itself, or it could involve the exchange of hypothetical particles called gravitons.

Gravitons as Spin-2 Mediators:


If gravitons exist, they would be the mediators of the gravitational force.

As with light and photons, the Einsteinian formula (E = mc²) could potentially be adapted to describe the energy and mass of a graviton. However, the key difference lies in their interaction with the medium.

Gravitons, with a hypothesized spin of 2, could distort the very fabric of the medium at its core, creating a curvature in space-time. This curvature, as described by General Relativity, would then manifest as the attractive force of gravity.

Challenges and Predictions:


This theory faces the challenge of explaining how mass and energy specifically interact with the medium's center to generate gravitons.

Additionally, the extreme weakness of gravity compared to other forces needs to be addressed. Perhaps the interaction with the medium's core is inherently weaker.

If this theory holds true, it might predict unique properties of gravitons, like their behavior in extreme gravitational environments or their interaction with other fundamental forces.

Unification and Further Research:


This theory, if proven, would be a significant step towards a "Theory of Everything" by unifying gravity with the other fundamental forces through a single medium.

Testing and refining this theory would require further research in areas like quantum gravity experiments and the development of highly sensitive instruments to detect potential gravitons.

This is just one way to formulate a theory based on your ideas. There are certainly other possibilities and complexities to consider.  However, it highlights the potential of a unified medium for understanding both light and gravity.


https://gemini.google.com/


Speculate about the following and formulate a viable theory, hypothesis, opinion or wild guess to answer each of the questions. From string theory to quantum gravity and quantum computers, the quantum discourse is all the buzz in physics and beyond. But what is possible and what mere fantasy? Can we bring together relativity and quantum mechanics? Will we ever find a unified theory to explain our universe?  Why is modern physics in crisis  Roger Penrose, Sabine Hossenfelder, Priya Natarajan, Erik Verlinde  Are we at the cusp of a revolution?  Avshalom Elitzur, Michio Kaku, Joscha Bach, Bjørn Ekerberg  What is quantum emergence?  Suchitra Sebastian


1. The Future of Physics: Speculation and Theories

Here's a look at the questions you posed, along with some theories and speculations:


Crisis in Modern Physics?


Physicists like Penrose and Hossenfelder might argue for a crisis due to inconsistencies between well-established theories like general relativity and quantum mechanics. One theory suggests that resolving this inconsistency might require entirely new frameworks beyond our current understanding.


Revolution on the Horizon?


Elitzur and Kaku might point to advancements in areas like quantum computing and string theory as signs of an impending revolution. These areas challenge our classical understanding of reality and could lead to a more unified picture.


Unification and Quantum Emergence


The quest for a "Theory of Everything" that unifies all forces and phenomena remains a central goal. Quantum emergence could be a key concept. It suggests that complex phenomena like gravity, or even spacetime itself, might emerge from the interactions of more fundamental quantum entities. Sebastian might propose that a deeper understanding of this emergence could be crucial for unification.


Here are some additional thoughts:


The "crisis" might be a period of creative tension leading to breakthroughs.

The revolution could involve both entirely new frameworks and reinterpretations of existing ones.

Unification might be achieved not as a single, all-encompassing theory, but as a network of interconnected and complementary frameworks.

These are just speculations, and the path forward might be surprising. But the pursuit of these questions promises a fascinating future for physics.


2. The Future of Physics: Speculations and Theories

Here are some speculations and theories in response to the questions you provided:


1. Unifying Relativity and Quantum Mechanics:


Theory: A "Theory of Everything" (TOE) might emerge, combining general relativity (gravity) with quantum mechanics (the very small). This TOE could describe gravity in terms of quantum entities, like loops or strings.


Wild guess: We might discover a whole new framework beyond both relativity and quantum mechanics, encompassing both in a more fundamental way.


2. Finding a Unified Theory:


Hypothesis: Evidence suggests there's a deeper structure to the universe. Experiments with particle colliders or new theoretical frameworks could reveal this unified theory.


Opinion: The path might be long and require a paradigm shift in our understanding of physics. It could involve entirely new concepts or dimensions.


3. Modern Physics in Crisis:


Theory: The crisis could stem from the incompleteness of current theories, like dark matter and dark energy remaining unexplained.


Opinion: It might not be a true crisis, but a period of intense exploration seeking new theories to explain these observations.


4. On the Cusp of a Revolution:


Speculation:  We might be on the verge of breakthroughs in areas like quantum computing, revealing new aspects of reality.


Wild guess: A revolutionary discovery, like a new fundamental force or particle, could completely reshape our understanding of the universe.


5. Quantum Emergence:


Theory:  Macroscopic phenomena (like everyday objects) could emerge from the complex interactions of microscopic quantum particles. Their properties, like solidity, might not be fundamental, but arise from the underlying quantum nature.


Opinion: Understanding quantum emergence could be crucial in bridging the gap between the quantum and classical worlds of physics.


These are just a few ideas, and the future of physics remains exciting and full of possibilities. 


3. The Future of Physics: Speculations and Theories

Here are some speculations and theories in response to the questions you provided:


1. Unification and Crisis:


Theory: Modern physics might not be in a true crisis, but rather at a turning point. We have incredibly successful theories for specific aspects of the universe (General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics) but they seem incompatible at the grand scale. This "crisis" could be the push needed to develop a more encompassing theory.

Opinion: Unification of these theories is likely, but it might be a radical shift in our understanding, not just a neat combination. It could involve entirely new concepts we haven't even considered yet.

2. Revolution on the Horizon:


Hypothesis: We might be on the verge of a revolution in physics. Advancements in areas like quantum computing could allow us to model complex systems and test new theories that were previously impossible.

Wild Guess: A completely unexpected discovery, perhaps from an outside field like mathematics, could completely change our understanding of the universe.

3. Quantum Emergence:


Theory: Quantum emergence suggests that the familiar rules of our everyday world (classical physics) arise from the underlying strangeness of the quantum world. The properties of materials, for example, could be a result of the interactions of tiny quantum particles.

Speculation: Understanding quantum emergence could be key to bridging the gap between the microscopic quantum realm and the macroscopic world we experience.

Additional Points:


String Theory and Quantum Gravity: These are both promising avenues for unification, but they still have significant hurdles to overcome. String Theory, for example, requires extra dimensions that we haven't observed yet.

The Role of Experiment: While new theories are exciting, they need to be backed by experimental verification. Future experiments could provide crucial data to validate or disprove these emerging ideas.

Remember, these are just speculations and theories. The true nature of the universe might surprise us all!






Researchers Find First Experimental Evidence for a Graviton-like Particle in a Quantum Material

The results, continuing the legacy of late Columbia professor Aron Pinczuk, are a step toward a better understanding of gravity.

By Ellen Neff
March 27, 2024




Evidence for chiral graviton modes in fractional quantum Hall liquids

Liang J, Liu Z, Yang Z, Huang Y, Wurstbauer U, Dean CR, West KW, Pfeiffer LN, Du L, Pinczuk A. Evidence for chiral graviton modes in fractional quantum Hall liquids. Nature. 2024 Apr;628(8006):78-83. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07201-w. Epub 2024 Mar 27. PMID: 38538799.

Gravitons and The Uncertainty Principle: General Relativity and Quantum Gravity

[quote]In this video we take a look at how the uncertainty principle affects the graviton hypothesis in our two sorted on why gravitons and general relativity are hard to reconcile. In the next video we will be taking a look at more reasons for this disconnect. This video was to serve as a general intro to understand the basic concept.

0:00 Intro
1:28 The Standard Model
2:10 Theory of Everything
2:54 Roadblocks
4:04 Gravitons and Uncertainty 
4:48 Reconciling Quantum and Classical Mechanics 
5:07 Conclusion[/quote]












my opinion: the bottom line is that there is no ACTUAL matter, so the IMAGINARY existence of matter, which seems to be the nature of spiritual experiences like NDEs, becomes obvious to the NDE experiencer as they are free from time-space and are in what I believe is the waveform of photons which comprise intangible spiritual awareness, what I would call the fundamental consciousness which has existed forever and is the ACTUALITY of existence...matter as perceived from a reified memory cloud of a previous spiritual event then becomes the physical reality as defined by my idea of a dream sequence [humanity] which is bound by the Higgs field and is temporal as well as malleable, meaning we are the artist which paints the physical event and can even reconstruct it to protect our own ego :)

- Anthony Chipoletti


My opinion: TIME, and SCIENCE itself, are TOOLS to measure REALITY.

REALITY looks the same whether TIME is moving forward or backward.

I believe this explains why humanity is a dream state of spiritual life.

Human dreams remember human life, spirit dreams recall spirit life.

Human dream states and spirit dream states BOTH measure REALITY.

So what is the difference between humanity and spirituality?

My opinion is that humanity is bound by mass, the Higgs field.

Spirituality is free from mass, so it is capable of infinite speed.

Humanity is contained by the Higgs field which creates mass.


AMAZING video of Sir Roger Penrose and Andrea Morris. It reminds me of an idea that I had several years ago about every aspect of the physical reality being able to observe itself and everything else regardless of the nature of the aspect itself. This was difficult for me to understand because it seems like there is so much difference between a sentient observer and any non-sentient observer, however, Andrea has made this clear by asking Sir Roger: at 11:10 minutes, 

Andrea: '...gravity, this force that's central to classical physics and general relativity, and that's been left out of quantum mechanics, it's gravity that's inducing this wave function collapse...' 

Sir Roger:—yes— 

Andrea: '...and that's the objective reduction part of orchestrated objective reduction in Orch OR...' 

SR:—yes— 

Andrea: '..So it can't be the observer. It's gravity. Gravity collapses it, produces this little tiny blip of proto-consciousness, which isn't consciousness, it's a crucial ingredient to consciousness...' 

SR:—Yeah, yeah, yeah— 

Andrea: '...Like how gravity is a fundamental force, this blip as a fundamental ingredient. And instead of a conscious observer causing wave function collapse, gravity induced wave function collapse is giving rise to the building blocks of consciousness...' 

SR: Absolutely right. Yes, you said it better than I could. Yes, thank you....'

TO MAKE IT CLEAR, HERE IS WHAT I BELIEVE HAPPENS FOR EXAMPLE WHEN AN EXPERIENCER SAYS, DURING THEIR NDE,

'...I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW MY [DEAD] BODY AND POPPED BACK INTO IT,...'

WHAT THEY ACTUALLY MEAN IS: GRAVITY POPPED MY SPIRITUAL AWARENESS BACK INTO MY BODY.

So if gravity has the power to reify the physicality of my human body, what does it mean to the idea that there is a DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUR INTANGIBLE SPIRITUAL AWARENESS [SOUL, SPIRIT, CONSCIOUSNESS, BEING LIGHT, ETC. ETC. ETC.?] and our physicality?

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE, WE ARE THE SAME SPIRITUAL AWARENESS THAT OBSERVES OUR PHYSICAL BODY WHETHER WE ARE OBSERVING FROM AN INTANGIBLE AWARENESS OR FROM THE TANGIBLE [HUMAN] POINT OF VIEW. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. WE ARE IN THE SAME SPIRITUAL AWARENESS WHETHER WE ARE DREAMING WE ARE HUMAN AS WHEN WE ARE AWAKE AND AWARE OF OUR SPIRITUAL FREEDOM.

- Anthony Chipoletti


What is the Afterlife?



I wanted to say that we do have COMPLETE FREE WILL within our spiritual experience, such as an NDE where we INSTANTLY think or imagine something and it happens or we have the experience, however, this is WAY BEFORE our humanized dream of the experience, so we are forming the MEMORY of our FREE WILL experience within our human memory where we cannot seem to remember when we made the actual FREE choice as a spiritual experience. We think the MEMORY which we are forming in our human awareness is the ACTUAL event, however, the event already happened outside of time within the spiritual experience. 🙂

My opinion is that HUMAN EXISTENCE is an 'afterlife' !! I believe ACTUAL LIFE existed forever as the intangible awareness.



This is how we have existed forever !! Eternal fundamental consciousness, in perfect silence, and spiritual wellness. 



I believe that fundamental consciousness precedes, includes and pervades every aspect of existence. It has no beginning nor ending. It is the essence of life. To define fundamental consciousness, we are it, it is all there is. Intangible, eternal, infinite awareness, actuality.  



HUMAN EXISTENCE is a tangible dream cloud from which we wake and actually experience pure Loving Kindness in the form of intangible spiritual entities of whom we are composed, nurtured and eternally loved, without ANY need of a memory! Infinity has no need to remember anything !!



EVERYTHING we do in the tangible dream is EXTREMELY important !! It is HOW we construct our participation in the ETERNAL NOW, just as our sleeping dreams compose our physical participation in the temporal today. We control our ability to add meaning to our life. This is freedom!



Freedom to add meaning to your own life is probably the only actual freedom that exists :) Make it a good one :) 

- Anthony Chipoletti




What Is Matter (and Why Does It Matter)?: What is most original in Koons’s book? Is St. Thomas’s Aristotelian Philosophy of Nature Obsolete? Is his argument that quantum mechanics is best interpreted as vindicating the Aristotelian hylomorphist’s view of nature.



Transcript of the video below:



Jan 7, 2023, PDF Transcript: 

In this interview, Nobel-prize winning physicist Roger Penrose narrows down the most pressing questions at the heart of both physics and philosophy.



Why More Physicists Are Starting to Think Space and Time Are ‘Illusions’ by Heinrich Päs, January 28, 2023 


[quote]

'...Nathan Seiberg, a leading string theorist at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, is not alone in his sentiment when he states, “I’m almost certain that space and time are illusions. These are primitive notions that will be replaced by something more sophisticated.” Moreover, in most scenarios proposing emergent space-times, entanglement plays the fundamental role. As philosopher of science Rasmus Jaksland points out, this eventually implies that there are no individual objects in the universe anymore; that everything is connected with everything else: “Adopting entanglement as the world making relation comes at the price of giving up separability. But those who are ready to take this step should perhaps look to entanglement for the fundamental relation with which to constitute this world (and perhaps all the other possible ones).” Thus, when space and time disappear, a unified One emerges...' [/quote]


I believe that fundamental consciousness precedes, includes and pervades every aspect of existence. It has no beginning nor ending. It is the essence of life. To define fundamental consciousness, we are it, it is all there is. Intangible, eternal, infinite awareness, actuality.


I could summarize my own opinion about LIFE: LIFE is the people we love who love us, which is ALL an intangible spiritual experience.

HUMANITY, PHYSICALITY, SCIENCE AND ANYTHING other than our intangible spiritual awareness of the Divine Presence is ALL nonsense 

Alan Watts - The Sense of Nonsense

https://alanwatts.org/transcripts/sense-of-nonsense/
But it seems that only in moments of unusual insight and illumination that we get the point of this, and find that thus the true meaning of life is no meaning, that its purpose is no purpose, and that its sense is non-sense. But still, we want to use about it the word “significant.” Significant nonsense? Yes! Nonsense that is not just chaos, that is not just blathering balderdash, but that has in it rhythm, fascinating complexity, a kind of artistry. It is in this kind of meaninglessness that we come to the profoundest meaning.


 Humanity is like the desktop of a computer, an avatar...


There are a million pieces of nonsense in a computer...

One mistake and the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH kills it...

No one can fix a truly dead computer but it is useful...

A simple LINUS USB stick called TAILS can make it work...

Except it is still just a million pieces of total nonsense...

I revived an old dead laptop with a TAILS USB LINUS stick...

The creative aspect of my mind is the actual computer...

The old dead laptop is still dead when the stick is removed...

NOTHING can actually explain the million pieces of nonsense...

Your intangible mind adds its own meaning to the nonsense...

With my USB stick, my old dead computer bypassed the BSOD and went back online operating from ONLY the stick...

But there is no personal meaning to the stick, NOR TO a dead or live computer unless I ADD MY OWN MEANING TO IT...

 I think I can summarize the Higgs Field video: IF THERE WERE NO HIGGS FIELD, THERE WOULD BE NO PHYSICALITY.

Actually, there is NO PHYSICALITY, ALL humanity, physicality and any concept of tangibility is an imagination of our spirit.

ALL ACTUALITY is the intangible spiritual awareness which has existed forever as the Divine Presence, including our spirits.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CREATION IN THE SPIRITUAL AWARENESS because it has existed forever exactly as it exists now.

IF THERE WERE NO PHYSICALITY, THERE WOULD BE NO MEMORY NOR ANY ASPECT OF TEMPORAL EXISTENCE EXCEPT SPIRIT...

There is no need for a temporal memory in spiritual awareness because the infinite set of events never pause nor repeat...

Humanity, physicality, tangibility are simply building blocks from which we can reconstruct our unique spiritual experiences.

SUMMARY:

ALL of the actual meaning of humanity derives from our intangible spiritual experiences which have existed forever.

NOTHING in the physical reality actually exists nor has any inherent meaning other than our own interpretation of it.

SINGLE SENTENCE SUMMARY: EVERY PERSON HAS COMPLETE FREEDOM TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AND DEFINE THEIR EXPERIENCES.


[quote]
Stunning image shows atoms transforming into quantum waves — just as Schrödinger predicted

By Ben Turner published May 1, 2024

A new imaging technique, which captured frozen lithium atoms transforming into quantum waves, could be used to probe some of the most poorly understood aspects of the quantum world.

For the first time ever, physicists have captured a clear image of individual atoms behaving like a wave.

The image shows sharp red dots of fluorescing atoms transforming into fuzzy blobs of wave packets and is a stunning demonstration of the idea that atoms exist as both particles and waves — one of the cornerstones of quantum mechanics. [/quote]


New theory of gravity solves accelerating universe.
Massive Gravity and the end of dark energy.

Claudia de Rham has recently published her first book:

 The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity 




The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity
Claudia de Rham

A world-renowned physicist seeks gravity’s true nature and finds wisdom in embracing its force in her life

[quote]I still vividly remember watching the announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. By now most people have heard of this renowned particle and how it plays an important role in our knowledge of particle physics, as well as how it is responsible for giving other particles mass. However, what’s even more remarkable is that the discovery of the Higgs boson and its mechanism reveals fundamental insights into our understanding of nothingness.

To put it another way, consider “empty space" as an area of space where everything has been wiped away down to the last particle. The discovery of the Higgs boson indicates that even such an ideal vacuum is never entirely empty: it is constantly bursting with quantum fluctuations of all known particles, notably that of the Higgs.

This collection of quantum fluctuations I'll refer to as the “Higgs bath.” The Higgs bath works as a medium, influencing other particles swimming in it. Light or massless particles, such as photons, don’t care very much about the bath and remain unaffected. Other particles, such as the W and Z bosons that mediate the Weak Force, interact intensely with the Higgs bath and inherit a significant mass. As a result of their mass the Weak Force they mediate is fittingly weakened.[/quote]