Related papers: Two arguments for more fundamental building blocks
The list of basic axioms of quantum mechanics as it was formulated by von Neumann includes only the mathematical formalism of the Hilbert space and its statistical interpretation. We point out that such an approach is too general to be…
Fermi helped establish a new framework for understanding matter, based on quantum theory. This framework refines and improves traditional atomism in two crucial respects. First, the elementary constituents of matter belong to a very small…
The origin of cosmic structure is widely regarded as quantum, yet the Universe today appears classical. Standard lore attributes this to a "quantum-to-classical" transition on super-horizon scales during inflation. Gravity plays a central…
For more than half a century, dualities have been at the heart of modern physics. From quantum mechanics to statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics, quantum field theory and quantum gravity, dualities have proven useful in solving…
In Brukner and Zeilinger's interpretation of quantum mechanics, information is introduced as the most fundamental notion and the finiteness of information is considered as an essential feature of quantum systems. They also define a new…
At this point in time, two major areas of physics, statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics, rest on the foundations of probability and entropy. The last century saw several significant fundamental advances in our understanding of the…
The new emerging quantum physics - quantum computing conceptual bridge, mandates a ``grand unification'' of space-time-matter and quantum information (all quantized), with deep implications for science in general. The major physics…
Complementarity is one of the main features of quantum physics that radically departs from classical notions. Here we consider the limitations that this principle imposes due to the unpredictability of measurement outcomes of incompatible…
Recent criticism of higher-dimensional extensions of Einstein's theory is considered. This may have some justification as regards string theory, but is misguided as applied to five-dimensional theories with a large extra dimension. Such…
The Bremermann-Bekenstein bound sets a fundamental upper limit on the rate with which information can be processed. However, the original treatment heavily relies on cosmological properties and plausibility arguments. In the present…
It is argued that the so-called holographic principle will obstruct attempts to produce physically realistic models for the unification of general relativity with quantum mechanics, unless determinism in the latter is restored. The notion…
The Hellmann-Feynman, virial and comparison theorems are three fundamental theorems of quantum mechanics. For the first two, counterparts exist for classical mechanics with relativistic or nonrelativistic kinetic energy. It is shown here…
In this essay, I argue that the idea that there is a most fundamental discipline, or level of reality, is mistaken. My argument is a result of my experiences with the "science wars", a debate that raged between scientists and sociologists…
Typically, a less fundamental theory, or structure, emerging from a more fundamental one is an example of synchronic emergence. A model (and the physical state it describes) emerging from a prior model (state) upon which it nevertheless…
Our aim in this paper is to take quite seriously Heinz Post's claim that the non-individuality and the indiscernibility of quantum objects should be introduced right at the start, and not made a posteriori by introducing symmetry…
We review the different proposals which have so far been made for the holographic principle and the related entropy bounds and classify them into the strong, null and weak forms. These are analyzed, with the aim of discovering which may…
I argue that the essence of gravity can be understood only in the context of the universe and that unrecognised implicit retention of Newtonian absolute scale and the impact of thermodynamics have obscured it. Typical attempts to resolve…
In the 1970s, the renowned physicist Victor Weisskopf famously developed a research program to qualitatively explain properties of matter in terms of the fundamental constants of physics. But there was one type of matter prominently missing…
In the paper "Life, the Universe, and everything--42 fundamental questions", Roland Allen and Suzy Lidstr\"om presented personal selection of the fundamental questions. Here, based on the condensed matter experience, we suggest the answers…
A method for studying the causal structure of space-time evolution systems is presented. This method, based on a generalization of the well known Riemann problem, provides intrinsic results which can be interpreted from the geometrical…