This short 80 page #book is a transcript of theoretical physicist Nima Arkani-Hamed talking about how fundamental physics is done these days.
The conversation was an exciting behind-the-scenes view of the cutting edge in fundamental physics.
My 📝 notes in this thread.
The conversation was an exciting behind-the-scenes view of the cutting edge in fundamental physics.
My 📝 notes in this thread.
1/ The most important idea is that theoretical physics in the 21st century is incredibly constrained by the two mega-successful theories of the 20th century: relativity and quantum mechanics.
2/ These theories have been so well-confirmed that, as a physicist working on the frontier, you can't just dream up a new theory and expect it to work.
Everything that your predict has to be compatible with everything that these theories predict + then predict some more.
Everything that your predict has to be compatible with everything that these theories predict + then predict some more.
3/ These well-established theories provide the rigidity that makes it hard to come up with new ideas that aren't obviously wrong.
If your theory's prediction conflicts with quantum mechanics or relativity, it's likely your theory is wrong.
If your theory's prediction conflicts with quantum mechanics or relativity, it's likely your theory is wrong.
4/ So, how do you make progress in such tightly-constrained fashion?
Nima talks about taking a radical conservatism approach: you take what is already established and push it to extreme limits (where it breaks down or becomes incompatible with other laws you know).
Nima talks about taking a radical conservatism approach: you take what is already established and push it to extreme limits (where it breaks down or becomes incompatible with other laws you know).
5/ This approach essentially suggests not throwing existing theories out but instead coming up with new ways of looking at the *same* established theoretical results and experimental data.
6/ For example, Einstein famously looked at Galileo's relativity and its incompatibility with Maxwell's electromagnetic theory. Out came a new way of looking at the world: special relativity (with which *both* relativity and electromagnetic theory were compatible)
7/ Similarly, Nima talks about how Einstein made a big deal of two concepts that were very well established (inertial mass and gravitation) and made a very big deal out of it.
This resulted in a new way of looking at the world: general relativity.
This resulted in a new way of looking at the world: general relativity.
8/ In Physics, we have Truth that's provided by reality and we're progressively uncovering layers of that truth.
This is why we haven't had many previous theories wrong but superseded by something deeper.
This is why we haven't had many previous theories wrong but superseded by something deeper.
9/ So, bet on existing theories being right and see how much mileage you can get out of them.
"The wonderful about Truth is a great attractor.
You just have to be in the vicinity of it and to not fight it."
"The wonderful about Truth is a great attractor.
You just have to be in the vicinity of it and to not fight it."
10/ So Nima's fundamental strategy: "you're not trying to mess with things randomly -- instead you're trying to take (already present) clues to force you to think about what you have under your feet in a radical different way".
11/ Nima thinks the next breakthrough in fundamental physics will be where we see space and time as emergent properties of a deeper structure which will possibly might unite quantum mechanics and relativity as consequences of a single framework.
12/ He recommended following books in the conversation:
- Dreams of a Final Theory by Weinberg
- Character of Physical Law by Feynman
- First Three Minutes by Weinberg
- Dreams of a Final Theory by Weinberg
- Character of Physical Law by Feynman
- First Three Minutes by Weinberg
13/ By the way, entire conversation is available on Youtube or on the website of @IdeasRoadshow as an ebook: ideasroadshow.com
youtube.com
youtube.com
14/ That's it for my notes.
Overall, it's exciting to see that clues for the next biggest breakthrough already exist in the data and theories we have already (because we've pushed fundamental physics experiments to their limits and bigger experiments won't happen any time soon).
Overall, it's exciting to see that clues for the next biggest breakthrough already exist in the data and theories we have already (because we've pushed fundamental physics experiments to their limits and bigger experiments won't happen any time soon).
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