物理学史与哲学
Recently, attention has returned to the now-famous 1932 thought experiment in which John von Neumann establishes the form of the quantum mechanical von Neumann entropy -Tr $ \rho \ln \rho $ ($S_{VN}$), supposedly by arguing for its…
I discuss three aspects of the notion of agency from the standpoint of physics: (i) what makes a physical system an agent; (ii) the reason for agency's time orientation; (iii) the source of the information generated in choosing an action. I…
The paper discusses recent proposals by Carroll and Chen, as well as Barbour, Koslowski, and Mercati to explain the (thermodynamic) arrow of time without a Past Hypothesis, i.e., the assumption of a special (low-entropy) initial state of…
Two formulas are set in floor-tiles in the foyer of the Wuerzburg building that houses the laboratory in which Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895. But what do they mean, and what have they got to do with Roentgen or his work? The…
Quantum mechanics in the Wigner-von Neumann interpretation is presented. This is characterized by 1) a quantum dualism between matter and consciousness unified within an informational neutral monism, 2) a quantum perspectivism which is…
The eliminative view of gauge degrees of freedom -- the view that they arise solely from descriptive redundancy and are therefore eliminable from the theory -- is a lively topic of debate in the philosophy of physics. Recent work attempts…
In this work we attempt to confront the orthodox widespread claim present in the foundational literature of Quantum Mechanics (QM) according to which 'superpositions are never actually observed in the lab'. In order to do so, we begin by…
We review the special theory of relativity kinematics and dynamics as well as the general theory of relativity under the aspect of logic.
We present a review on the renowned solar eclipse in the Chinese book "Shujing" describing the oldest account of this kind. After balancing the arguments on the time, place, and the celestial stage, we offer a new scenario. The path of…
We present an English translation of a third 1918 paper by Felix Klein which follows up on his earlier work.
The concept of fact has a history. Over the past centuries, physicists have appropriated it in various ways. In this article, we compare Ernst Mach and Albert Einstein's interpretations of the concept. Mach, like most nineteenth-century…
The historical process of the genesis of the extensive or substance-like quantities took place in two steps. First, global conservation or non-conservation was discovered. Only later did it become possible to formulate the balance locally…
For each substance-like quantity, a theorem about its conservation or non-conservation can be formulated. For the electric charge e.g. it reads: Electric charge can neither be created nor destroyed. Such a statement is short and easy to…
As a contribution requested by the editors of a Memorial Volume for Peter G.O. Freund (1936-2018), we recall the lively particle theory group at the Enrico Fermi Institute of the University of Chicago in the late sixties, of which Peter was…
The angle $\gamma$ of the Cabibbo--Kobayashi--Maskawa unitarity triangle is a benchmark parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics. A method to determine $\gamma$ from $B^{\pm} \to D K^{\pm}$ with subsequent $D \to K_{\rm…
This paper deals with the philosophical issues of the notion of nothingness and pre-inflationary stage of the universe in physical cosmology. We presuppose that, in addition to cosmological limits, there may be both anthropic and…
We discuss the peculiar planning of the city of San Cristobal de La Laguna, in the Canary Island of Tenerife (Spain), when compared to the nearby and essentially contemporary Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which served as a maritime port of the…
According to the orthodox interpretation of bounce cosmologies, the universe was born from an entropy reducing phase in a previous universe. To defend the thesis that the whole of physical reality was caused to exist a finite time ago,…
The orientation of Christian churches is a well-known distinctive feature of their architecture. There is a general tendency to align their apses in the solar range, favoring orientations close to the east (astronomical equinox), although…
On the orthodox interpretation of bounce cosmologies, a preceding universe was compressed to a small size before ``bouncing'' to form the present expanding universe. William Lane Craig and James Sinclair have argued that the orthodox…