One of the More Interesting Quantum Experiments!

Thanks to Jeff for forwarding this article.

We all now know that quantum mechanics is bizarre. One of the more incredible predictions and requirements of this theory is that the once thought concept of empty space, or the vacuum of space, is in fact teaming with activity. The concept of virtual particles lies at the heart of quantum field theories, with unobservable particles zooming in and out of existence, allowed by the uncertainty principle (you know things are weird when uncertainty is a rule of Nature!). Uncertainty allows for brief violations of the conservation of energy and momentum.

A team of scientists have published a paper stating they have measured the dynamical Casimir effect. This states that high-speed motion in a vacuum should be able to transfer some of its energy to virtual photons, and force those unobservables into observables! Here is the abstract from the paper, which has yet to be formally peer-reviewed and published in Nature.

"One of the most surprising predictions of modern quantum theory is that the vacuum of space is not empty. In fact, quantum theory predicts that it teems with virtual particles flitting in and out of existence. While initially a curiosity, it was quickly realized that these vacuum fluctuations had measurable consequences, for instance producing the Lamb shift of atomic spectra and modifying the magnetic moment for the electron. This type of renormalization due to vacuum fluctuations is now central to our understanding of nature. However, these effects provide indirect evidence for the existence of vacuum fluctuations. From early on, it was discussed if it might instead be possible to more directly observe the virtual particles that compose the quantum vacuum. 40 years ago, Moore suggested that a mirror undergoing relativistic motion could convert virtual photons into directly observable real photons. This effect was later named the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE). Using a superconducting circuit, we have observed the DCE for the first time. The circuit consists of a coplanar transmission line with an electrical length that can be changed at a few percent of the speed of light. The length is changed by modulating the inductance of a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) at high frequencies (~11 GHz). In addition to observing the creation of real photons, we observe two-mode squeezing of the emitted radiation, which is a signature of the quantum character of the generation process. "

Find the whole article here.

Gaming in Education

OK, something you may have been waiting for. Here is a TED talk about how gaming makes kids smarter, and argues that gaming should be a major part of school. While I agree that there are certain skills that are captured in playing computer and video games, such as being able to process large amounts of information, analyze it and make quick decisions based on that information, and in many games this could be a collaborative activity, let's remind ourselves that this is a different skill set than, say, being able to have patience and focus on a complex problem that requires long periods of time to collect information, keep records and notes, stay organized with ideas as they come up in this thought process, perhaps, in the case of science, develop a physical experiment to test ideas, or build a device or object or model to further investigate aspects of this complex problem, find other information about it from numerous sources, and develop logical conclusions from all this work. Gaming does not really jive with such a skill set.

My point is this: this video, while making a good point, is not a silver bullet. I will always argue that there is no single solution to the optimal education of any individual. There are so many good ways to learn, and it is a useful exercise to experience multiple ways of learning a topic or subject. In real life, one is faced with countless possible problems at a moment's notice, and depending on the type of problem and the environment you are exposed to that problem, some solutions will fall back to what you learn in a 'classical' or traditional manner, while others will make use of a skill set developed best through video gaming systems. Others will require the use of physical tools such as hammers and nails and saws, which one will never learn through gaming. Do NOT fall into the trap that you need to do all of one thing over none of some other things...learn about both methods and have a broad set of intellectual approaches to take on any problem! Remember, if you can talk about an idea or concept in multiple ways with multiple examples, chances are you have mastered the information.

Young and Want to Change the World? It CAN be Done!!

For an inspirational TED talk by Natalie Warne, who helped begin and run a national movement to recognize and do something about children being forced to become soldiers in Africa, watch this. You CAN make a difference if you work hard and are passionate about something, and are willing to go out and do something about it. This will likely include being challenged, being frustrated, and perhaps even ridiculed, but if you persist you will be amazed by what can happen!

Binary Stars and Air Friction Videos

Hey, juniors - here are two links for learning how to do binary orbits and air friction (the hockey puck example, and a sky diver example). For the air friction, this could be review of our derivations in class. For binary orbits, check out the video and see what you can do with the AP problem over the weekend. Feel free to do this with a friend or study group, and help each other through it.

Cyber Attacks and a Need for Computer and Network Security

As some of you know, one of my personal biggest worries is the protection of computer networks. The threat of cyber-attacks is very real, it happens very frequently (just doesn't make it to the popular press very often, so most people are not aware of this danger), and it could be the single biggest threat to our national security at the present time. It is a BIG deal. Here is a recent TED talk about this issue. Specifically, it looks at the Stuxnet virus, considered to be a cyber weapon.

Bad Science Examples

Here's a TED talk that helps one think about 'bad science.' This refers to the numerous examples that permeate the mainstream media when they report on scientific studies, and simply get things wrong, both in terms of the information as well as what makes up a good scientific study. This topic in general is one we need to take seriously and be on the lookout, because the general public may want to believe anything they see or hear from a news outlet, and not question the validity or reliability of studies that are cited.

Guns Firing Under Water - a Lesson in Energy Efficiency

Check out high-speed cameras catching two guns firing under water - a conventional revolver, and a semi-automatic pistol. Watch the waste of energy in the revolver, shown by a burst of gases coming out in the rear of the gun. The semiautomatic has much less energy loss in the gases that escape prior to the barrel. Also check out the complicated turbulent patterns in the water.

Nobel in Physics Given for Discovery of Accelerated Expansion of Universe

Three physicists shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of the acceleration of the expansion of the universe, and therefore the notion of what we now call 'dark energy' in the universe. See more here. Check here for links to papers about their work.

Here is a MinutePhysics video that gets into this topic (thanks to Patrick for the link)!

See the Hubble Deep Field in 3-D - Amazing!

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is one of the great experiments in human history. It has changed the way we literally see space, and has given us countless images that were once unimaginable. Check out what is called the Deep Field image, where the telescope focuses on one tiny spot of space for an extended period of time, and allows individual photons from very distant objects to be recorded. The result is thousands of new galaxies we had never seen before! This video looks at how astronomers do this, and how they got a 3-D image of the Deep Field.

Seeing How the Science Process Works - A Possible Colossal Discovery?!

As we will see in class when we look at some relativity, Albert Einstein developed the theory with 2 assumptions, which we tend to call Einstein's postulates. The first is that the principle of relativity holds true (this dates back to Galileo and Newton), and that the speed of light is a constant and the speed limit in the universe.

A new result at a CERN neutrino experiment has a neutrino moving faster than light! Now, prior to announcing the result, the scientists on the experiment spent months going through their data, their analysis methods, the hardware and software that were used to make measurements, checking uncertainties, redoing calculations, and so on. They were well aware that announcing this was going to make the physics world go ballistic, so they double and triple checked everything they could think of. And now, with the news out there and the world paying attention, they want the scientific world to scrutinize their work and try to either confirm or dismiss the result.

This is a wonderful example of how science is supposed to work! There is a century of tests that confirm relativity's predictions and implications. Now comes a single result that concludes a foundational assumption of the theory is flawed. The science world, which grew up with relativity as one of the two fundamental theories on which the entire discipline rests, are, of course, naturally skeptical of any attempt to displace Einstein. I am admittedly part of that camp, as my own work at Fermilab required relativistic predictions and outcomes...and it all held up under our measurements. But, at the same time, we need to be able to accept new information and knowledge and results from good experiments. Nothing in science is absolutely sacred! In fact, one could argue that we already know that relativity and quantum mechanics are not the absolute final theories of Nature - even relativity breaks down inside black holes, for example. We know we need some new physics at some point in time.

So let the confirmation games begin, as I would imagine a good number of physicists are already thinking about how to reproduce the experiment. Only two labs in the world will be able to do similar experiments, those being Fermilab and a Japanese neutrino experiment. Will the results be confirmed or dismissed? Most scientists are 'biased' and believe something must be wrong with the experiment making this claim. But never say never in science. Instead, we will need to do our job and try to find the truths of the universe, whatever those may be.

Addendum (10/8/2011):
There is tension within the OPERA Collaboration, which is the group that did this work at CERN. Nearly half do not want to formally publish this result yet in a professional journal since they think more tests and re-tests need to be done in order to have additional confidence in the results. Check out this article for more details.