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Category: particle physics – Page 20

Why it is physically IMPOSSIBLE for God to exist — Richard Feynman

That framing goes too far. Physics doesn’t prove that God is “impossible”—it deals with testable models of the natural world, not metaphysical conclusions. If you present it as a logical or scientific analysis of physical claims, it will sound stronger and more credible.
Here’s a refined, high-impact description in the same style—without overclaiming:

Does modern physics leave any room for God?
In this video, we examine that question through the analytical lens of Richard Feynman — not as a matter of belief, but as a question about how the universe actually behaves when studied with precision.
Physics does not argue against God.
It does something more demanding: it builds a complete, self-consistent description of reality based entirely on measurable laws — and asks whether external intervention is required anywhere within that structure.
Over four centuries, those laws have expanded to describe everything from subatomic particles to cosmic evolution — without a single confirmed exception.
So where, if anywhere, does a non-physical agent fit?

In this video, we walk through the physical framework that raises this question:
The conservation laws that govern every interaction.
The causal structure of spacetime and what it permits.
Thermodynamic limits on energy, order, and change.
The constraints of information in a physical universe.
And the boundary between scientific knowledge and unfalsifiable claims.

This is not a debate about belief.
It’s an examination of structure.
Because when physics describes the universe with increasing completeness, it doesn’t explicitly disprove metaphysical ideas — but it does redefine what counts as an explanation.
And that shift has consequences.

⚡ Why This Matters:
Understanding what science can and cannot say is just as important as understanding what it discovers.

📌 Watch till the end — the conclusion isn’t what most people expect.

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Do We Have Free Will? with Robert Sapolsky & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Is there a quantum reason we could have free will? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore the concept of free will and predetermination with neuroscientist, biologist, and author of Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will, Robert Sapolsky.

A special thanks from our editors to Robert Sapolsky’s dog.

Could we put an end to the question of whether or not we have free will? Discover “The Hungry Judge Effect” and how little bits of biology affect our actions. We break down a physicist’s perspective of free will, The Big Bang, and chaos theory. Is it enough to just feel like we have free will? Why is it an issue to think you have free will if you don’t?

We discuss the difference between free will in big decisions versus everyday decisions. How do you turn out to be the type of person who chooses vanilla ice cream over strawberry? We explore how quantum physics and virtual particles factor into predetermination. Could quantum randomness change the actions of an atom? How can society best account for a lack of free will? Are people still responsible for their actions?

What would Chuck do if he could do anything he wanted? We also discuss the benefits of a society that acknowledges powers outside of our control and scientific advancements made. How is meritocracy impacted by free will? Plus, can you change if people believe in free will if they have no free will in believing so?

Thanks to our Patrons Pro Handyman, Brad K. Daniels, Starman, Stephen Somers, Nina Kane, Paul Applegate, and David Goldberg for supporting us this week.

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DAMPE satellite reveals cosmic rays share spectral break near 15 teravolts

A century after their discovery, cosmic rays—particles of extreme energy originating from the far reaches of the universe—remain a mystery to scientists. The DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) space telescope is tackling this phenomenon, particularly investigating the role that dark matter may play in their formation. This international mission, which includes the University of Geneva (UNIGE), has made a major breakthrough by highlighting a universal feature of these particles. The results are published in the journal Nature.

Cosmic rays are the most energetic particles observed in the universe, far surpassing the energies of particles produced by man-made accelerators on Earth. Their exact origin is still under study, and it is believed that they originate from extreme astrophysical phenomena, such as supernovae, black hole jets, or pulsars.

The DAMPE space telescope, launched in December 2015, aims to provide answers regarding the origin and nature of these cosmic rays. This space mission, with the astrophysics group from the Department of Nuclear and Particle Physics (DPNC) at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) being one of its main contributors, has made a crucial breakthrough. Through the analysis of high-precision measurements collected by the telescope, scientists have identified a universal feature in the energy spectra of primary cosmic ray nuclei, ranging from protons to iron.

Sudden quantum jolts may not break adiabatic behavior after all

In thermodynamics, an “adiabatic process” is a system change that transfers no heat in or out of the system. Any and all energy change in that system are therefore accomplished by doing work on the system, work being action that moves matter over a distance. (An example is a bicycle tire pump or lifting a box from the floor.)

The “adiabatic theorem” says that if you change a system slowly enough, it will remain in the same energy state. For example, if you walk slowly enough holding a full cup of coffee, the coffee will not spill—the coffee system has time to relax back to its steady state—but if you make a quick and sudden change while holding the coffee cup, some coffee will spill over the cup’s edge.

There is a similar theorem in quantum mechanics—a quantum system that is changed (perturbed) slowly enough will remain in its existing quantum state (often its ground state), while a sudden change, such as a photon impinging upon an atom, changes its energy state.

Measurement of nuclear reactions at record-low energies opens new pathways for astrophysics research

An international research team has achieved an important milestone for astrophysics at GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt: In the CRYRING@ESR storage ring, scientists were able to measure nuclear reactions at extremely low energies for the first time, mirroring the conditions inside stars. This novel experimental approach lays the foundation for decoding the formation of elements in the universe with even greater precision in the future.

In the extreme environments of stars, nuclear processes often occur at very low energies. These so-called “sub-MeV energies” (below 1 megaelectron volt) are difficult to replicate in the laboratory because the probability of atomic nuclei interacting at such low speeds is exceptionally small.

In the FAIR storage ring CRYRING@ESR, researchers were able to lower the energy available for the nuclear reaction in the center-of-mass frame of the two particles down to 403 kiloelectron volts. This marks a new record: It is the lowest energy at which a nuclear reaction has ever been measured in a heavy-ion storage ring. The new findings were recently published in the journal European Physical Journal A.

Laser-plasma accelerators can preserve polarization of Helium-3 ions

Particle accelerators such as those at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva are typically highly complex large-scale devices. In these ring-shaped facilities, which are often several kilometers in length, magnets and radio-frequency cavities are used to accelerate elementary particles. An alternative approach is now emerging: compact laser–plasma accelerators that can be built and operated at a fraction of the cost. These accelerators can achieve acceleration gradients up to around 1,000 times higher than those of conventional accelerators. Researchers at HHU contributed significantly to this development.

A research team led by Prof. Dr. Markus Büscher, a professor of physics at HHU and group leader at the Peter Grünberg Institute in Jülich, presented the current state of research in a review article in Reports on Progress in Physics. In a separate study published in High Power Laser Science and Engineering, they report on one specific aspect of laser–plasma acceleration, namely whether the polarization—that is to say, the collective spin alignment—of accelerated particles is preserved in laser–plasma accelerators.

Why is this relevant? “Spin alignment is crucial to a range of fundamental scientific questions as it influences the interaction between particles,” explains Professor Büscher. “In controlled nuclear fusion, the reaction probability—and thus ultimately the energy produced in the reactor—increases significantly when the spins of the fusing nuclei, the ‘fusion fuel’ so to speak, are aligned in parallel.”

A longstanding quantum roadblock just fell, opening existing fiber networks to ultra-secure light signals

Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have broken a longstanding barrier by managing to send single photons—that can’t be copied or split and thus are secure—in the network of optical fibers we already have. This opens up a broad range of applications relying on secure quantum information. The research is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Quantum dots are unsurpassed in their ability to generate coherent single photons—single particles of light which cannot be split or copied and therefore are secure for quantum communication. So far, the problem was that the best quantum dots only worked around 930 nm wavelengths, which is far short of the telecommunication-compatible wavelengths starting at 1,260 nm. Only these longer wavelengths can be used to distribute the information-carrying photons and it has so far been restricted to sub-optimal platforms.

Now, scientists have managed to create a new type of quantum dot, which exploits the best of both worlds.

Reality is a dream not a simulation

Most physicists are materialists who believe the world consists of physical particles at the fundamental level. Others have argued reality is a simulation or a hallucination of the brain. But Andrew T. Jaffe challenges all of these views, proposing an alternative consciousness-first theory where space and time arise as within a dream.

String theory vs Loop quantum gravity: Wild hunt for Quantum Gravity

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The gauge bosons of the standard model of particle physics are responsible for 3 of the 4 known forces in the universe. A force is conferred is through the exchange of virtual bosons. So for example in electromagnetism, an exchange of virtual photons results in an exchange of momentum which results in two like charges repelling each other.

Gravity is missing from this picture because in General relativity, gravity is not a force, but is a curvature of space-time. The problem is that stars and planets are made of molecules, atoms and radiation. And the forces that hold the atoms together are due to discrete units of virtual particles. It is the exchange or swapping of these virtual bosons that holds or breaks up atoms and molecules.

Quantum mechanics conflicts with general relativity, because QM treats every thing as being discrete, and GR treats everything as being continuous. We need a theory that combines the two because we live in one reality, not two different realities.

This is why most physicists believe General relativity is incomplete. Why can’t quantum mechanics be the one that is incomplete?
Of the 4 fundamental forces, 3 have very robust quantum mechanical theories. Only gravity lacks a quantum description. Quantum mechanics also has almost all of classical physics within in its limits. Classical physics like general relativity, does not have quantum effects. We have learned is that Quantum physics is the fundamental language of reality.

One way to quantize gravity is to quantize space-time itself. This is what loop quantum gravity or LQG does. It shows that the fabric of space-time is not continuous, but is made up of discrete quanta, like the pixels on a TV screen. This is different than string theory, because in string theory, space is the background or the canvas, on which strings vibrate.

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When the Environment Writes the Rules of Quantum Dynamics

The transitions of hydrogen molecules embedded in a crystal depend on the surroundings—a behavior that could be used to tailor molecular quantum dynamics.

In quantum physics, we often learn that the rules governing a system are set by its symmetry. These rules—known as selection rules—determine which transitions between quantum states are allowed and which are forbidden. For example, rotational symmetry constrains how an atom’s angular momentum can change. But what if those rules are not fixed? A recent study of hydrogen (H2)—one of the simplest molecules in nature—showed that the allowed pathways between quantum states are determined not solely by the molecule’s internal symmetry but also by its surroundings. By embedding hydrogen molecules in different crystalline environments, Nathan McLane and colleagues from the University of Maryland, College Park, have demonstrated that the symmetry of the host material can selectively enable or suppress nuclear-spin transitions [1]. In doing so, the team revealed that quantum dynamics is not just an intrinsic property—it can be shaped by the environment.

H2 is one of the simplest systems for exploring quantum behavior. Its two identical protons can align their spins in two different ways: In so-called orthohydrogen the nuclear spins are parallel, whereas in parahydrogen they are antiparallel. Although this difference is subtle, it leads to markedly different physical properties for the two forms. Crucially, transitions between them are highly constrained: In an isolated hydrogen molecule, the overall wave function is symmetric under exchange of the two protons, and this exchange symmetry forbids direct conversion between ortho and para states [2]. This restriction makes H2 a textbook example of how symmetry governs quantum dynamics.

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