THE DEATH OF DISTANCE(IN PHYSICS)

George Musser – 7 May 2009

1. What is space?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080508.html

The Manifold of Space

Physics in the Pool Hall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Translational_motion.gif

If you think it’s hard to imagine a higher dimension, try imagining a

complete absence of space!

2. The principle of locality

Two Aspects of Locality

1. Everything has a well-defined position.

2. Things must touch to interact.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/pictures/1991.07.1134.jpeg

Physics in the Pool Hall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Translational_motion.gif

What About Forces That Seem to Jump?

Michael Faraday

Dreams of Fields

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnetic_Field_08060_nevit.jpg

Dreams of Fields

http://web.mit.edu/jbelcher/www/on.html

Special Theory of Relativity

AB

AB

A B

A B

A B

3. The failure of locality

1. Everything has a well-defined position.

2. Things must touch to interact.

Classical object

Quantum object

Quantum Nonlocality #1position, momentum

wavefunction (Ψ)

Quantum Nonlocality #2

The Particle Newlywed Game

Question Answer Question Answer

3 NO 1 NO

2 YES 2 YES

3 NO 1 YES

3 YES 3 YES

1 NO 2 YES

1 YES 2 NO

2 YES 1 NO

3 NO 3 NO

2 NO 3 NO

1 YES 3 NO

Alice Bob

The Particle Newlywed Game

Question Answer Question Answer

3 NO 1 NO

2 YES 2 YES

3 NO 1 YES

3 YES 3 YES

1 NO 2 YES

1 YES 2 NO

2 YES 1 NO

3 NO 3 NO

2 NO 3 NO

1 YES 3 NO

Alice Bob

The Particle Newlywed Game

Question Answer Question Answer

3 NO 1 NO

2 YES 2 YES

3 NO 1 YES

3 YES 3 YES

1 NO 2 YES

1 YES 2 NO

2 YES 1 NO

3 NO 3 NO

2 NO 3 NO

1 YES 3 NO

Alice Bob

The Particle Newlywed Game

Question Answer Question Answer

3 NO 1 NO

2 YES 2 YES

3 NO 1 YES

3 YES 3 YES

1 NO 2 YES

1 YES 2 NO

2 YES 1 NO

3 NO 3 NO

2 NO 3 NO

1 YES 3 NO

Alice Bob

Could They Have Memorized the Answers?

1 2 3 1 2 3

NO NO

YES YES

NO YES

YES YES

NO YES

YES NO

YES NO

NO NO

NO NO

YES NO

Alice Bob

Could They Have Memorized the Answers?

1 2 3 1 2 3

NO NO NO NO NO NO

YES YES NO YES YES NO

YES YES NO YES YES NO

NO YES YES NO YES YES

NO YES NO YES YES NO

YES NO YES YES NO YES

NO YES NO NO YES NO

NO YES NO NO YES NO

NO NO NO NO YES NO

YES NO NO YES NO NO

Alice Bob

Could They Have Memorized the Answers?

⅓ × 100 + ⅔ × 50 = 66.7

Same question

Different questions

Chance of giving the

same answer

Quantum Nonlocality #2

Nonlocality in General Relativity

http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=75511 (left)

Nonlocality in General Relativity

Nonlocality in Quantum Field Theory

The Fine Structure of Spacetime

American Scientist, Nov/Dec 91

Nonlocality in Black Holes

http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20011015blackhole.htmlJumpJump

The Paradox of Black Holes

http://www.medwastesolutions.com/shop/images/VCLO0204.JPG (left); http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuw_son/327038455 (right)

vs.

From Matter to Mush

Nonlocality in Big Bang Cosmology

http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/10th/photos/graphics/slide40high.jpg ( left), http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/images/hs-1998-41-e-large_web.jpg (right)

Hubble Deep Field North Hubble Deep Field South

Horizon Problem

4. What is space?

From Position to Distance

From Position to Distance

From Position to DistanceFrom Distance to Position

From Distance to Position

From Distance to Position

You can assign positions to the cities only if the table of distances is highly ordered.

A Tangled Web

A Tangled Web

5. The emergence of space

Start With a Quark-Gluon Plasma…

http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/photos/2005/gas-and-liquid-300.jpg

… With a Hierarchy of Scales

aka The devil isn’t in the details.

Hierarchy of Scales

… and a Spatial Dimension Appears

6. Conclusion

The Death of Distance

1. Many phenomena transcend distance.

2. Space may not be fundamental, but reflect the self-organization of more fundamental ingredients.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boeing_737-73V_-_EasyJet_Airline_-_G-EZJI_-_LEMD.jpg (top); http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/CandlestickTelephones.jpg (bottom)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arbor_Lake-Aerial.JPG (top); http://hoboken411.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/text-messaging-at-dinner.jpg (bottom)

Our Existence Requires Distance

1. The concept of “thing” implies separability.

2. Without locality, the world would be even more complex than it already is.

Space joins the other features of the universe that are prerequisites for intelligent life.

For a copy of the slides, visit www.strings.musser.com

Backup Slides

Two Aspects of Locality

1. Everything has a well-defined position.

2. Things must touch to interact.

Space is nature’s way of making sure everything doesn’t happen all at the same place.

Special Theory of Relativity

Nonlocality in Black Holes

Scientific American, Feb 09

Black Hole Complementarity

As viewed by the victim As viewed by the victim’s family

Nonlocality in Big Bang Cosmology

http://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/map/dr3/map_images/ilc_5yr_ecl_lmbrt_2048.png

Energy and Size in Quantum TheoryPositionMomentum

Energy and Size in General Relativity

Threshold for Black Hole Formation

6 Kilometers 1 Solar Mass

1 Centimeter 1 Earth Mass

0.1 Millimeter 1 Moon Mass

The Tree of

Physics

Mercury Nov/Dec 97