Related papers: Some Subtle Concepts in Fundamental Physics
The Weltanschauung emerging from quantum theory clashes profoundly with our classical concepts. Quantum characteristics like superposition, entanglement, wave-particle duality, nonlocality, contextuality are difficult to reconcile with our…
Why does such a successful theory like Quantum Mechanics have so many mysteries? The history of this theory is replete with dubious interpretations and controversies, and yet a knowledge of its predictions, however, contributed to the…
It is usually accepted that General Relativity is the only consistent theory which can be obtained starting from the linear Fiertz-Pauli Lagrangian. It is the aim of the present paper to study whether, under certain requirements, a…
Introduction to the theory of decoherence. Contents: 1. The phenomenon of decoherence: superpositions, superselection rules, decoherence by "measurements". 2. Observables as a derivable concept. 3. The measurement problem. 4. Density…
The physical intepretation of effective field theories of fundamental interactions incorporating large Lorentz violation is a long-standing challenge, known as the concordance problem. In condensed-matter physics, certain Weyl semimetals…
I suggest that the common unease with taking quantum mechanics as a fundamental description of nature (the "measurement problem") could derive from the use of an incorrect notion, as the unease with the Lorentz transformations before…
Some conceptual issues concerning $f(T)$ theories --a family of modified gravity theories based on absolute parallelism-- are analyzed. Due to the lack of local Lorentz invariance, the autoparallel frames satisfying the field equations are…
These notes are intended to provide an introduction to supersymmetry. The notes begin with supersymmetric quantum mechanics and the basic properties of spinor fields. The supersymmetry of simple theories of spin-zero and spin-one-half…
Although many papers have appeared on the theory of photographing relativistically moving objects, pioneered by the classic work of Penrose and Terrell, three problems remain outstanding. (1) There does not seem to exist a general formula…
Quantum-gravity effects are expected to be suppressed by the Planck mass. For experimental progress it is therefore important to identify potential signatures from Planck-scale physics that are amenable to ultrahigh-precision tests. It is…
A pedagogical but concise overview of fiber bundles and their connections is provided, in the context of gauge theories in physics. The emphasis is on defining and visualizing concepts and relationships between them, as well as listing…
Symmetries are widely used in modeling quantum systems but they do not contribute in postulates of quantum mechanics. Here we argue that logical, mathematical, and observational evidence require that symmetry should be considered as a…
General Relativity can be reformulated as a diffeomorphism invariant gauge theory of the Lorentz group, with Lagrangian of the type $f(F\wedge F)$, where $F$ is the curvature 2-form of the spin connection. A theory from this class with a…
We propose several hierarchical graphs that represent the semantic relations between physical theories, their fundamental constants and units of measurement. We begin with an alternative representation of Zelmanov's cube of fundamental…
Contextuality is a central property in comparative analysis of classical, quantum, and supercorrelated systems. We examine and compare two well-motivated approaches to contextuality. One approach ("contextuality-by-default") is based on the…
The basics of teleparallel gravity and its extensions are reviewed with particular emphasis on the problem of Lorentz-breaking choice of connection in pure-tetrad versions of the theories. Various possible ways to covariantise such models…
The Lorentz symmetry and the space and time translational symmetry are fundamental symmetries of nature. Crystals are the manifestation of the continuous space translational symmetry being spontaneously broken into a discrete one. We argue…
Lorentz symmetry is one of the pillars of both General Relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics. Motivated by ideas about quantum gravity, unification theories and violations of CPT symmetry, a significant effort has been put…
Macroscopic quantum phenomena refer to quantum features in objects of `large' sizes, systems with many components or degrees of freedom, organized in ways where they can be identified as macroscopic objects. This emerging field is ushered…
The ubiquity of optical coherence arising from its importance in everything from astronomy to photovoltaics means that underlying assumptions such as stationarity and ergodicity can become implicit. When these assumptions become implicit,…