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Can String Theory Be Explained with No Strings Attached?

Using a “bootstrap” approach, researchers show that a small set of assumptions may naturally lead to a string-theory description of certain high-energy processes.

String theory has been a remarkably influential conceptual framework for modern theoretical physics. While its description of nature in terms of tiny strings captures the imagination, the string framework has had profound impact in a broad range of subfields, going well beyond its lead role as a viable theory of quantum gravity. For instance, it has led to deeper understanding of black holes and their relation to entanglement and quantum information [1], and it has provided theoretical benchmarks for explaining quark–gluon plasma observations in quantum chromodynamics [2]. As a complement to direct calculations, theoretical physicists would like to understand string theory as emerging from a set of fundamental principles that any theory of nature must respect. Consistency with these bedrock conditions, so goes the idea, could perhaps make string theory inevitable.

Webb spots the birth of a giant galaxy and a supermassive black hole

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to catch an extraordinary glimpse of a massive galaxy taking shape in the early universe. They identified a compact group of at least six galaxies that are likely to merge into a single enormous system. At the heart of this cosmic construction site lies a growing supermassive black hole.

The international study was led by astronomers at Leiden University and the University of Oxford. The findings have been published in The Open Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy & Astrophysics.

The system observed, TGSSJ1530+1049, lies more than 12 billion light-years away. We are seeing it as it was when the universe was only about 1.5 billion years old. Researchers pointed the James Webb Space Telescope at this location because earlier radio observations had hinted at an active supermassive black hole. The new data revealed that the surrounding region is far more complex than expected. “We didn’t find a single galaxy, but an entire complex of at least six galaxies,” says Aayush Saxena of the University of Oxford.

What’s New in Science: Cosmic Surprises, Newton Supreme, A New Collider, and Feynman Dines Out?

I think this was one of my most enjoyable dialogues in our What’s new series. Maybe Sabine and I are getting more used to each other’s cadence and interests or maybe it was the subject matter. Either way, I think you will find this to be a fascinating and provocative discussion of science at the forefront, and at the not-so-forefront, because that science is interesting too! We began our discussion describing a new finding of a Giant Ring of galaxies billions of light years across in the sky. The key questions are: Is it real? And is it surprising? We both have slightly different takes on this. Next we described a new measurement of the strength of gravity on scales from 80 to 800 million light years in distance. And guess what? Gravity falls off just like Newton predicted! This may seem like a big yawn, but one of the most popular models that claims to do away with dark matter would imply that Gravity would fall off differently on these scales. Does this new result kill that idea? Stay tuned. Microsoft, which has cried wolf a number of times so far when it comes to something called Majorana qubits as the basis of a new viable quantum computer just published a new paper claiming they finally have it. Sabine and I discuss why we are both still skeptical, but why the effort is worth it. Next, CERN, the large European particle physics laboratory, and the world particle physics community seem to have converged on plans for building a huge new accelerator in the current CERN site… this time involving an underground ring 91 km in circumference, in which electrons and positrons would collide to explore the detailed properties of the Higgs particle. Is the effort worth it? Again, Sabine and I have slightly different takes on this. Fusion power, which we have talked about in a number of earlier episodes, continues to tempt humanity with the promise of unlimited energy. Many people, myself included, have tended to argue that fusion seems to be 25 years in the future, and may always be 25 years in the future. But many new efforts are underway, so who knows. Unfortunately, a group of economists has analyzed fusion in the context of other large energy programs and have argued that even if we can achieve it, it may not be as economically viable as many claim. Finally, one day Richard Feynman went to a Thai restaurant with his young companion Ralph Leighton, and wondered what he should order. Should it be the same old dish he loved or something new. An equation filled napkin later, and he had the answer. Fifty years later some cognitive scientists resurrected Feynman’s napkin and explained it, and argued it might have important implications in other social situations. Such is the power of science. Consider supporting the podcast and the Origins Project Foundation at https://www.originsproject.org/ To see commercial-free, full HD video episodes, join us at lawrence krauss.substack.com Thank you for your support! iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcasthttps://TheOriginsPodcast.com Twitter: / theoriginspod Instagram: / theoriginspod Facebook: / theoriginspod The Origins Podcast, a production of The Origins Project Foundation, features in-depth conversations with some of the most interesting people in the world about the issues that impact all of us in the 21st century. Host, theoretical physicist, lecturer, and author, Lawrence M. Krauss, will be joined by guests from a wide range of fields, including science, the arts, and journalism. The topics discussed on The Origins Podcast reflect the full range of the human experience — exploring science and culture in a way that seeks to entertain, educate, and inspire. Full Episodes Playlist: • Ricky Gervais — The Origins Podcast with L…

Fermi mission uncovers possible sibling supernova remnants

A new study of two supernova remnants, the debris left behind after stars explode, suggests the explosions came from stellar siblings that once orbited each other. The first star’s detonation sent its binary companion hurtling through space, and then, after traveling for thousands of years, the surviving star blew up, too.

“Using 16 years of data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, our analysis uncovered gamma rays associated with a supernova remnant that was hidden in the glare of its neighbor, the Jellyfish Nebula, one of the brightest gamma-ray-emitting supernova remnants known,” said Miltiadis Michailidis, a postdoctoral fellow in the physics department at Stanford University in California. “There are so many striking connections between the two remnants that we conclude they’re likely related, giving us the first known example of a binary system where both stars have undergone supernova explosions.”

Michailidis presented the findings Wednesday at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California. A paper describing the results will appear in a future edition of Nature Communications.

How Divergence and Curl Were Discovered

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This video is about how Divergence and Curl, along with the theory of Vector Analysis was discovered.

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Image Credits:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi…, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/.… Approaching a Black Hole: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio — Caltech-IPAC/Robert Hurt, Caltech-IPAC/Keith Miller, NASA/JPL/Chelsea Gohd, Global Science and Technology, Inc./Ella Kaplan, NASA/GSFC/Mark SubbaRao Many more images that are public domain from wikimedia commons _____ Sources: Vector, A Surprising Story of Space, Time, and Mathematical Transformation by Robyn Arianrhod A History of Vector Analysis by Michael J. Crose Maxwell’s Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism + A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field Great videos by Kathy Loves Physics: • Quaternions are Amazing and so is William…, • How Maxwell’s Equations (and Quaternions)… _____ Corrections: 15:12 — on screen it should read “born in Scotland 1831″ instead of 1931 _____ Music: Epidemic Sound Animations created using Manim: https://www.manim.community/ Illustrations and Thumbnails: Christine Kosakowski This video was sponsored by Surfshark.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi…, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/.
Approaching a Black Hole: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio — Caltech-IPAC/Robert Hurt, Caltech-IPAC/Keith Miller, NASA/JPL/Chelsea Gohd, Global Science and Technology, Inc./Ella Kaplan, NASA/GSFC/Mark SubbaRao.

Many more images that are public domain from wikimedia commons.

Could Dark Energy Rewrite Physics? | Priya Natarajan

What if one of the most important assumptions in modern cosmology is wrong?

Priya Natarajan discusses new observational hints that dark energy may not be constant over cosmic time — a possibility that would have major implications if confirmed.

0:00 Is Dark Energy Really Constant?
1:30 New Hints From Observations.
2:23 Why Changing Dark Energy Matters.
4:14 What Changing Dark Energy Would Mean.
6:44 What Evidence Would Convince Us?

Priyamvada \

The Physics of FTL Travel

Can humanity ever travel faster than light, or does every shortcut through spacetime break causality itself? We explore warp drives, wormholes, tachyons, and why the universe pushes back.

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Watch my exclusive video Nearby Supernovae: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur–… SFIA Merchandise: https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall… 🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net ❤️ Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur ⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a… 👥 Facebook Group: / 1,583,992,725,237,264 📣 Reddit Community: / isaacarthur 🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: / isaac_a_arthur 💬 SFIA Discord Server: / discord Credits: The Physics of FTL Travel Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Editor: Lukas Konecny Music Courtesy of Stellardrone & Chris Zabriskie Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:12 Faster Than Light Is the Wrong Question 4:18 Spacetime Engineering: Moving the Map Instead of the Ship 5:24 Warp Drives: Surfing Spacetime 11:46 Wormholes: Shortcuts with a Side of Time Travel 13:20 Hyperspace: Shortcuts Through the Bulk 15:11 Solitons: The Positive Energy Challenge 17:35 The Krasnikov Tube: Building a Star-Road 20:30 Natural Relativistic Loopholes: Cosmic Strings and Tipler Cylinders 25:05 Tachyons: The Simplest Way to Break Time 28:04 Vacuum & Time-Advance Effects: When Causality Bends, Just a Little 32:19 Quantum Red Herrings 35:42 Nebula 36:54 Why the Universe Pushes Back: Chronology Protection and Self-Defeating Physics.

🛒 SFIA Merchandise: https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall
🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net.
❤️ Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur.
⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a
👥 Facebook Group: / 1583992725237264
📣 Reddit Community: / isaacarthur.
🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: / isaac_a_arthur.
💬 SFIA Discord Server: / discord.
Credits:
The Physics of FTL Travel.
Written, Produced \& Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Editor: Lukas Konecny.
Music Courtesy of Stellardrone \& Chris Zabriskie.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.

Chapters.
0:00 Intro.
0:12 Faster Than Light Is the Wrong Question.
4:18 Spacetime Engineering: Moving the Map Instead of the Ship.
5:24 Warp Drives: Surfing Spacetime.
11:46 Wormholes: Shortcuts with a Side of Time Travel.
13:20 Hyperspace: Shortcuts Through the Bulk.
15:11 Solitons: The Positive Energy Challenge.
17:35 The Krasnikov Tube: Building a Star-Road.
20:30 Natural Relativistic Loopholes: Cosmic Strings and Tipler Cylinders.
25:05 Tachyons: The Simplest Way to Break Time.
28:04 Vacuum \& Time-Advance Effects: When Causality Bends, Just a Little.
32:19 Quantum Red Herrings.
35:42 Nebula.
36:54 Why the Universe Pushes Back: Chronology Protection and Self-Defeating Physics.

Quantum sensor overcomes major obstacle in search for dark matter and gravitational waves

A prototype quantum sensor developed by researchers at Imperial has demonstrated for the first time that a key principle behind next-generation quantum detectors can work under realistic conditions.

The study shows how comparing two long-baseline atom interferometers, instruments that use lasers to precisely measure the behavior of atoms, allows experimental noise to be effectively canceled.

This enables signals to be recovered even when individual measurements are overwhelmed and opens the door to searches for gravitational waves from the early universe and signatures of exotic forms of dark matter.

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