Related papers: Symmetries in Physics: Philosophical Reflections
I provide a pedagogical introduction to supersymmetry. The level of discussion is aimed at readers who are familiar with the Standard Model and quantum field theory, but who have had little or no prior exposure to supersymmetry. Topics…
Some recent experimental and theoretical work on 1) charge symmetry-breaking, 2) parity non-conservation, and 3) searches for breaking of time reversal invariance are reviewed. The examples illustrate the uses of symmetry to learn about…
Symmetry Theories (SymThs) provide a flexible framework for analyzing the global categorical symmetries of a $D$-dimensional QFT$_{D}$ in terms of a $(D+1)$-dimensional bulk system SymTh$_{D+1}$. In QFTs realized via local string…
We investigate the concept of symmetry and its role in problem solving. This paper first defines precisely the elements that constitute a "problem" and its "solution," and gives several examples to illustrate these definitions. Given…
In this lecture note, we give a basic introduction to the rapidly developing concepts of generalized symmetries, from the perspectives of both high energy physics and condensed matter physics. In particular, we emphasize on the (invertible)…
Symmetry is at the heart of much of mathematics, physics, and art. Traditional geometric symmetry groups are defined in terms of isometries of the ambient space of a shape or pattern. If we slightly generalize this notion to allow the…
The following questions are germane to our understanding of gauge-(in)variant quantities and physical possibility: how are gauge transformations and spacetime diffeomorphisms understood as symmetries, in which ways are they similar, and in…
In this short note, based on the talk given at the 3rd Conference of the Polish Society on Relativity, I present the basic points of our recent paper "Symmetries of quantum spacetime in three dimensions", stressing their physical meaning,…
Riemann's mathematical papers contain many ideas that arise from physics, and some of them are motivated by problems from physics. In fact, it is not easy to separate Riemann's ideas in mathematics from those in physics. Furthermore,…
Supersymmetry phenomenology is an important component of particle physics today. I provide a definition of supersymmetry phenomenology, outline the scope of its activity, and argue its legitimacy. This essay derives from a presentation…
In this thesis we study classical aspects of superconformal field theory via symmetry principles. Specifically, by employing the powerful setup of conformal superspace, we obtain a plethora of new results in the fields of geometric and…
Symmetries play a very important r\^ole in Particle Physics. In extended scalar sectors, the existence of symmetries may permit the models to comply with the experimental constraints in a natural way, and at the same time reduce the number…
Quantum mechanics, one of the most successful theories in the history of science, was created to account for physical systems not describable by classical physics. Though it is consistent with all experiments conducted thus far, many of its…
Symmetry is key in classical and modern physics. A striking example is conservation of energy as a consequence of time-shift invariance from Noether's theorem. Symmetry is likewise a key element in statistics, which, as also physics,…
A major question in philosophy of science involves the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physics. Why should mathematics, created or discovered, with nothing empirical in mind be so perfectly suited to describe the laws of the…
A set of general physical principles is proposed as the structural basis for the theory of complex systems. First the concept of harmony is analyzed and its different aspects are uncovered. Then the concept of reflection is defined and…
This is an introduction to the theory of decoherence with an emphasis on its microscopic origins and on a dynamic description. The text corresponds to a chapter soon to be published in: A. Buchleitner, C. Viviescas, and M. Tiersch (Eds.),…
A glorious achievement of twentieth century Physics is the identification of the building blocks of nature. A related triumph a deep understanding of the forces of interaction. In particular, it has been possible to understand the four…
Many have wondered how mathematics, which appears to be the result of both human creativity and human discovery, can possibly exhibit the degree of success and seemingly-universal applicability to quantifying the physical world as…
Basic principles of mathematical modeling are reviewed in this book, with the focus on physics and its practical applications, and examples of selected mathematical methods are presented. Most of the models have been imported from physics…