Physics

On Combining Probabilities And A-Posterioriness

In High-Energy Physics the small p-value of an observation may be the first hint of a discovery about to be made. Here by p-value I just mean the probability, just to be fancy (or brief). Because we rely on the assessment of the rarity of observations to d ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Dec 10 2012 - 5:47am

Should Spokespersons Keep The Money?

The news of the prizes to theorists and experimentalists are going to receive million-dollar prizes ($3M and $1M, details everywhere else-but see Peter's blog for insightful comment and discussion) are shaking the CERN experiments. While arguable (as ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Dec 11 2012 - 2:32pm

X-Ray Laser Fires At The Cosmic Mystery Of Extreme Plasmas

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is using X-rays to measure, in atomic detail, a key process at work in extreme plasmas like those found in stars, the rims of black holes and other massive cosmic phenomena ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 13 2012 - 11:00am

ATLAS Higgs Results: One Or Two Higgs?

UPDATE: for more on this, I only now realize that my friend at Resonaances had written about it yesterday... It is nice to see that he agrees with my conclusions, anyway. Also Peter has news on it, and as usual additional links...--- My ATLAS colleagues w ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Dec 14 2012 - 11:02am

First Essay Contest “Toward Mature Resolution Of The Hard Problem”

I hereby announce (create) a truly "next level" and I am sure inspiring challenge to all serious scientific philosophical thinkers who from their heart desire to participate in an honest, advanced attack on the fundamental questions that is not j ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - Apr 3 2013 - 10:28am

Quantum Entanglement: A Third Entangled Particle?

Quantum entanglement is a central principle of quantum physics- the science of sub-atomic particles. Multiple particles, such as photons, are connected with each other even when they are very far apart and what happens to one particle can have an effect o ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 17 2012 - 4:01am

Splitting Black Holes- Take 2

So, is it or is it not possible? Can black holes be split? In my last blog I demonstrated that the laws of thermodynamics forbid the splitting of a single black hole. However, I also demonstrated the same laws don't forbid the splitting of a pair of b ...

Article - Johannes Koelman - Dec 18 2012 - 7:23am

Holiday Card, 2012

My 20+ year tradition of a physics inspired holiday card continues.  My friends like them, even if they are not understood:-) Accompanying text: Hello, hello: ...

Blog Post - Doug Sweetser - Dec 22 2012 - 11:30pm

Smart Girls Guide To Guys Who Pretend Knowing Physics

Hey smart gals, you know that there are two types of nerds:   The creepy type you want nothing to do with, and the one you would like to have a go at, because they are damn smart too.   But you need to tell them apart real fast, like before the wrong type ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - Oct 15 2013 - 9:53am

Beam Me The Farthest, Scotty!

What is the farthest we can theoretically go? Would we ever be able to visit the galaxies shown in Hubble's Extreme Deep Field? Could we even travel beyond these and reach the edge of the observable universe? ...

Article - Johannes Koelman - Dec 27 2012 - 1:36pm