Showing posts with label Quantum Mechanics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quantum Mechanics. Show all posts

Sunday, 9 July 2017

Retro-Causality , Foreshadowing, and Entanglement

I decided that I wanted to move away from the 'space-centric' stuff,
and return to what this blog used to be, which was more of a general reaction to events.
Then I learned of a new theory that supports retro causality: the idea that an event could generate its own cause .
I got excited.
Sadly my attempts to further research this became quickly enmeshed in fringe theories, with psychokinesis and parapsychology looming large-like ominous foresight.


Foreshadowing occurs frequently in visual media, comics,  films and t.v. - an event or image which alludes to future developments.
This is commonly accepted as a plot device.
Almost as though we want to learn precognition.
I'd go further and say it's accepted as normal.
Are we learning to harness pre-cogniton ?

The Phantom Menace

Which brings me back to retro - causality.
The only way that an event could create its own cause would require the ability to transcend time.
Then I got excited again, because Tachyon particles travel faster than light , therefore they travel through time.
I had to remind myself that Tachyons are hypothetical particles - after all, they contradict accepted notions of physics.
Which is my problem really; who gets to define what is accepted ?
The more I pondered this, the more I realised that quantum mechanics subvert accepted models, but they are already in use.

MRI machines operate on quantum principles*

MRI machines involve quantum ideals , affecting the spin of protons in the body to allow for precise imaging at a microscopic scale.
And flash cards used for storage on our phones / laptops etc
The most obvious application utilising quantum knowledge is the silicon chip - found in every computer.
From computers, we get the internet - which, to my mind, is a good example of quantum tunnelling.
I'm using the term loosely of course - but it is surely true that miniature particles breach physical barriers...
In terms of quantum computing, using qbits and computing on a tiny, atomic scale is a little beyond us, even now.
The largest quantum calculation yet managed is 3x5 =15
Which sounds underwhelming , until you realise that this calculation was done using  five atoms.

Quantum even allows for storage and retrieval of info from a single atom.
The difficulty is with the interference from the outside world.
Maintaining the equilibrium of fragile quantum systems is hugely problematic.
For this reason, alternatives are already in development- we may well be using molecular computing before quantum systems exist.

Despite the obvious problems, quantum mechanics exist and function .
A dramatic example would be touch screen technology - which allows us to alter 2d to 3d...
Perhaps the most dramatic effect that exists is the process of fusion on the sun.




Meanwhile, back online...

I mentioned the internet as an example of quantum tunnelling - it allows us to transcend physical and spatial boundaries.
Its normal state is passive-aggressive, with content jostling for position and preferential treatment - mostly memes , cats and trolls.
However, it is also a place where ideas are exchanged at lightning speed, and language is constantly (d)evolving, being refined / reduced to acronyms and symbols, which are more immediate and easily understood.
It seems obvious that the online world is a new paradigm with its own behaviours and mores
Sure there's the hive - mind that seems to drive things, especially on 'social media ' - it's almost frightening to go against the grain of popular opinion at times.
'Social media', however, is only one aspect of the online universe.
Away from the surface world of emojis and trolls, the internet is more like a neural network.
I view it as a series of islands linked by cables carrying power.
Being quantum, however, the cables are switching constantly with connections being made and broken.
the 'information islands' are always there, like little libraries or archives.

I could reduce this to the political , because the constant efforts to restrain and undermine the online world by the ' old guard '** are there for all to see.
Demonise and marginalise are very obvious tactics used by the powerful against their enemies.
Knowledge is power, after all
It wouldn't do to have it just being given away...








G.



* My personal experience with MRI machines led to my being diagnosed with P.P.M.S. , so I reluctantly thank quantum mechanics for that.
**'old guard'/ status quo / establishment

Sunday, 5 February 2017

The Dunes of Mars, Bennu, Blazars and Cats in Boxes

It's official - being in space can alter your DNA !
Expect returning astronauts to resemble giant rubber - suited monstrosities of yore
Actually, nothing so dramatic, but there is evidence of unexpected alterations .
This could have major implications for long, manned journeys - to Mars, for instance.
Speaking of which, a recent image shows the dunes in the northern hemisphere of Mars - fun facts; whilst perusing the photos, I became aware that there are different kinds of dune - I am guilty of thinking how one pile of sand was pretty much like another.

Mars - Pahrump Hills - Curiosity                  pic NASA /JPL-Caltech


The image below had me confused for some time, and shows the problem of pictures without objects of reference for scale ; to be fair, Mars is rather short of monuments and landmarks to judge scale by - I thought that this was just a close up of a dry riverbed with cracked mud...but apparently some of the thin ridged areas are 16 storeys high.

Mars image by HI RISE        NASA/ Caltech / University of Arizona
A new test for biosignatures has been developed, which is 10,000 times more sensitive than those onboard Curiosity.
The article which mentions this discovery also name-checks Europa as a suitable target for testing, In preparation of which, this piece describes a proposed lander for Europa .
Personally, I'm disappointed that it looks so - underwhelming.


The tiny blue smudge in the centre is our solar system...

The illustration above shows our solar system compared to the largest black hole yet found.
Don't fret, it's not actually swallowing us - it is 12.1 billion light years away , thankfully.
Of course, given its immense size and the voracious appetite of black holes, it may well munch its way here, like a giant Pacman*...
This supermassive black hole is part of an immense quasar - if it were 280 light years away from us, it would give us heat equivalent to the sun.
I am now feeling small and insignificant , still banjaxed by all the big numbers involved , so in order to preserve my sanity, I will extricate myself from the event horizon of this monstrosity (diameter of 236.7 billion kilometres)


In a previous post , I mentioned the exciting project which would use lightsails powered by sunlight to achieve incredible speeds reaching 20% the speed of light, and enabling exploration of Alpha Centauri within a mere 20 years.
The caveat to that was the lack of a braking system - obviously a craft travelling at 60,000 km/s without brakes could have a problem with landing...
It turns out they have worked out a way to slow the craft down - although this will also affect the overall speed, bringing it down to a 95 years journey rather than a mere 20 years, so it becomes a generational thing.
Which means if you're travelling with Virgin Galactic , don't get a return.
Unless they solve longevity, too.
Which maybe connected to this earlier piece.
Longer telemeres, longer life ?

More immediate space exploration is the Bennu mission which aims to return sample material from an asteroid to Earth, with contact planned for 2018.
The Bennu-Rex explorer is also tasked with discovering whether Earth has any 'trojan' asteroids following its orbit.
This could unlock details of our distant past , as potential asteroids would likely be composed of material dating from Earths creation.
This little ' side-mission' is happening now ( Feb 2017)




If, like me, you've been struggling to understand quantum mechanics, there is now  a Ladybird guide to the strange , but inevitable realm.
Before you ask, the answer is no - I still don't understand it .
Cats in boxes ?
Yes - and no.
At the same time.
That's quantum .


Until next time, keep it ...erm...in a state of flux.



* Showing my age here, is Pacman still a thing ?