物理学史与哲学

Effective field theories (EFTs) are widely considered by physicists to be explanatory and to be the appropriate frameworks for modelling various phenomena at different scales. At the same time, they are known to be approximate, restricted,…

Scientists do not merely choose to accept fully formed theories, they also have to decide which models to work on before they are fully developed and tested. Since decisive empirical evidence in favour of a model will not yet have been…

The lack of evidence in favor of any new physics models means that the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) is wide open, with no direction clearly more promising than any other. This marks a turn towards what can be…

We propose our account of the meaning of local symmetries. We argue that the general covariance principle and gauge principle both are principles of democratic epistemic access to the law of physics, leading to ontological insights about…

This paper argues that the practice of fault-tolerant quantum computation, specifically the mechanism of Quantum Error Correction (QEC), offers a profoundly new lens through which to examine foundational questions of ontology, emergence,…

This paper develops the approach to special relativity put forward by John S. Bell. The classical dynamics of an electron orbiting a nucleus in uniform motion is solved analytically and compared to numerical simulations for an accelerated…

The issue of whether we make decisions freely has vexed philosophers for millennia, Resolving this is vital for solving a diverse range of problems, from the physiology of how the brain makes decisions (and how we assign moral…

In 1925, Dr. Geertruida Luberta "Berta" de Haas-Lorentz published the paper "Iets over het mechanisme van inductieverschijnselen" in the journal Physica. Her paper was the first to discuss perfect diamagnetism of superconductors, eight…

In this paper, we suggest an alternative interpretation for the quantum state vector, which, by considering temporal parts for physical objects, aims to give an intelligible account of measurement problem in quantum mechanics. We examine…

In this paper I analyze the context in which Cassini 1st described lunar libration and proposed its interpretation.

Ronald Wilfrid Gurney is one of the lesser-known research students of the Cavendish Laboratory in the mid 1920s. Gurney made significant contributions to the application of quantum mechanics to problems related to tunneling of…

This paper presents a meta-theory of the usage of the free energy principle (FEP) and examines its scope in the modelling of physical systems. We consider the so-called `map-territory fallacy' and the fallacious reification of model…

This short exposition starts with a brief discussion of situation before the completion of special relativity (Le Verrier's discovery of the Mercury perihelion advance anomaly, Michelson-Morley experiment, E\"otv\"os experiment, Newcomb's…

There is a contemporary trend toward geometrizing all mathematical theories, as proposed by the Langlands program, and, by extension, physical theories as well. Within this paradigm, it becomes possible to represent physical objects as…

This paper presents an annotated English translation of Daniel Bernoulli's 1727 work A New Theory on the Motion of Waters through Channels of Any Kind, originally published in the Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae.…

We reanalyze from a modern perspective the bold idea of G. Helm, W. Ostwald, P. Duhem and others that energy is the fundamental entity composing the physical world. We start from a broad perspective reminding the search for a fundamental…

The process launched by Lobachevsky. The movement of the Kazan school of geometry towards physics. Personal memories of Alexei Zinovievich Petrov, the great Kazan geometer and theoretical physicist, who became the Author's Guiding Star.…

This paper investigates the mathematical and philosophical foundations of relational observables and reference frames using the fibre bundle formalism. Two paradigms are contrasted: the View from Nowhere, which interprets frame-dependent…

Boltzmann's work, ``Ueber die sogenannte H-Curve," discusses his demonstration of the essential characteristics of the H-curve in a clear, concise, and precise style, showcasing his efforts to persuade his peers. To make these findings more…

This paper traces the historical and conceptual journey from Bjorken scaling to the discovery of scaling violations in deep inelastic scattering, culminating in the development of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Beginning with the challenges…