| … | … | @@ -169,6 +169,9 @@ This topic is meant to be about (mathematical) physics. |
| 169 | 169 | old ideas will be presented and developed in strange, |
| 170 | 170 | unusual, |
| 171 | 171 | bizarre and outright hallucinatory ways. |
| 172 | Some readers will get queasy; |
| 173 | others will be dismissive. |
| 174 | So it goes. |
| 172 | 175 | There will also be uncorrected mistakes and misapperceptions. |
| 173 | 176 | \end_layout |
| 174 | 177 | |
| … | … | @@ -349,8 +352,9 @@ determinism |
| 349 | 352 | Beats me. |
| 350 | 353 | \end_layout |
| 351 | 354 | |
| 352 | | \begin_layout Standard |
| 353 | | The thickness of |
| 355 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 356 | Metaphorically speaking, |
| 357 | |
| 354 | 358 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 355 | 359 | \end_inset |
| 356 | 360 | |
| … | … | @@ -358,8 +362,256 @@ now |
| 358 | 362 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 359 | 363 | \end_inset |
| 360 | 364 | |
| 361 | | appears to be determined quantum mechanically; |
| 362 | | the |
| 365 | appears to be a wave of freezing, |
| 366 | a region where the unwritten future is converted to an unalterable, |
| 367 | frozen past. |
| 368 | Like ice–9, |
| 369 | it is the place where this crystallization happens. |
| 370 | \end_layout |
| 371 | |
| 372 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 373 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 374 | \end_inset |
| 375 | |
| 376 | Now |
| 377 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 378 | \end_inset |
| 379 | |
| 380 | appears to have a thickness; |
| 381 | it is not some infinitely thin space–like sheet. |
| 382 | The |
| 383 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 384 | \end_inset |
| 385 | |
| 386 | thickness |
| 387 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 388 | \end_inset |
| 389 | |
| 390 | of now has something to do with the freedom and indeterminism of quantum mechanics. |
| 391 | It is the region where |
| 392 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 393 | \end_inset |
| 394 | |
| 395 | time |
| 396 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 397 | \end_inset |
| 398 | |
| 399 | seems to run both forwards and backwards, |
| 400 | where the famous rules of |
| 401 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 402 | \end_inset |
| 403 | |
| 404 | microscopic reversibility |
| 405 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 406 | \end_inset |
| 407 | |
| 408 | apply. |
| 409 | ( |
| 410 | \emph on |
| 411 | Viz. |
| 412 | |
| 413 | \emph default |
| 414 | T–symmetry, |
| 415 | where |
| 416 | \begin_inset Formula $\psi^{\dagger}$ |
| 417 | \end_inset |
| 418 | |
| 419 | appears to be |
| 420 | \begin_inset Formula $\psi$ |
| 421 | \end_inset |
| 422 | |
| 423 | |
| 424 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 425 | \end_inset |
| 426 | |
| 427 | running backwards in time |
| 428 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 429 | \end_inset |
| 430 | |
| 431 | .) |
| 432 | \end_layout |
| 433 | |
| 434 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 435 | The |
| 436 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 437 | \end_inset |
| 438 | |
| 439 | thickness |
| 440 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 441 | \end_inset |
| 442 | |
| 443 | appears to be determined by |
| 444 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 445 | \end_inset |
| 446 | |
| 447 | wave function collapse |
| 448 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 449 | \end_inset |
| 450 | |
| 451 | . |
| 452 | This is an appeal to the |
| 453 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 454 | \end_inset |
| 455 | |
| 456 | transactional interpretation of QM |
| 457 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 458 | \end_inset |
| 459 | |
| 460 | , |
| 461 | and also an appeal to the |
| 462 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 463 | \end_inset |
| 464 | |
| 465 | two state–vector formalism |
| 466 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 467 | \end_inset |
| 468 | |
| 469 | of QM: |
| 470 | that physical influence appears to propagate in both a forward and backward time–direction, |
| 471 | until such |
| 472 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 473 | \end_inset |
| 474 | |
| 475 | time |
| 476 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 477 | \end_inset |
| 478 | |
| 479 | that the wave–function |
| 480 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 481 | \end_inset |
| 482 | |
| 483 | collapses |
| 484 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 485 | \end_inset |
| 486 | |
| 487 | into a more or less |
| 488 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 489 | \end_inset |
| 490 | |
| 491 | unambiguous |
| 492 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 493 | \end_inset |
| 494 | |
| 495 | state. |
| 496 | This unambiguous state is |
| 497 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 498 | \end_inset |
| 499 | |
| 500 | the past |
| 501 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 502 | \end_inset |
| 503 | |
| 504 | . |
| 505 | \end_layout |
| 506 | |
| 507 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 508 | This text both rejects and accepts the |
| 509 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 510 | \end_inset |
| 511 | |
| 512 | many worlds interpretation |
| 513 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 514 | \end_inset |
| 515 | |
| 516 | . |
| 517 | The rejection is obvious: |
| 518 | we seem to inhabit a single |
| 519 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 520 | \end_inset |
| 521 | |
| 522 | reality |
| 523 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 524 | \end_inset |
| 525 | |
| 526 | . |
| 527 | Obviously, |
| 528 | duhh. |
| 529 | The acceptance is also natural: |
| 530 | for the duration of |
| 531 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 532 | \end_inset |
| 533 | |
| 534 | right now |
| 535 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 536 | \end_inset |
| 537 | |
| 538 | , |
| 539 | all possibilities, |
| 540 | all futures really do appear to take place and to happen. |
| 541 | This is, |
| 542 | of course, |
| 543 | just textbook–standard QM, |
| 544 | the path–integral formulation, |
| 545 | and a jizzillion lab experiments conducted in vacuum chambers. |
| 546 | The reconciliation is that the |
| 547 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 548 | \end_inset |
| 549 | |
| 550 | many worlds |
| 551 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 552 | \end_inset |
| 553 | |
| 554 | only exist |
| 555 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 556 | \end_inset |
| 557 | |
| 558 | right now |
| 559 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 560 | \end_inset |
| 561 | |
| 562 | ; |
| 563 | the past appears to be singular, |
| 564 | and the future seems to, |
| 565 | well, |
| 566 | |
| 567 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 568 | \end_inset |
| 569 | |
| 570 | not exist |
| 571 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 572 | \end_inset |
| 573 | |
| 574 | . |
| 575 | (Maybe the future is a |
| 576 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 577 | \end_inset |
| 578 | |
| 579 | large cardinal |
| 580 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 581 | \end_inset |
| 582 | |
| 583 | or an |
| 584 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 585 | \end_inset |
| 586 | |
| 587 | outer model |
| 588 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 589 | \end_inset |
| 590 | |
| 591 | or something wacky like that. |
| 592 | More on this later.) At any rate, |
| 593 | the word |
| 594 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 595 | \end_inset |
| 596 | |
| 597 | exist |
| 598 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 599 | \end_inset |
| 600 | |
| 601 | has a conventional meaning, |
| 602 | and the future does not have that kind of |
| 603 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 604 | \end_inset |
| 605 | |
| 606 | existence |
| 607 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 608 | \end_inset |
| 609 | |
| 610 | . |
| 611 | \end_layout |
| 612 | |
| 613 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 614 | The |
| 363 | 615 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 364 | 616 | \end_inset |
| 365 | 617 | |
| … | … | @@ -369,25 +621,117 @@ thickness |
| 369 | 621 | |
| 370 | 622 | of now is not uniform, |
| 371 | 623 | but somehow governed by the need to resolve QM measurements in a consistent way. |
| 372 | | Part of |
| 624 | Appealing to the transactional interpretation of QM, |
| 625 | it is clear that some QM superpositions can be maintained in the lab for seconds, |
| 626 | minutes or longer. |
| 627 | But sometimes the wave functions |
| 373 | 628 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 374 | 629 | \end_inset |
| 375 | 630 | |
| 376 | | now |
| 631 | collapse |
| 377 | 632 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 378 | 633 | \end_inset |
| 379 | 634 | |
| 380 | | seems to include the null lightcone. |
| 381 | | Time appears to run forwards and backwards in the |
| 635 | in femtoseconds, |
| 636 | as happens in chemistry. |
| 637 | \end_layout |
| 638 | |
| 639 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 640 | What is the |
| 382 | 641 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 383 | 642 | \end_inset |
| 384 | 643 | |
| 385 | | now |
| 644 | maximum thickness |
| 386 | 645 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 387 | 646 | \end_inset |
| 388 | 647 | |
| 389 | | . |
| 648 | of |
| 649 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 650 | \end_inset |
| 651 | |
| 652 | right now |
| 653 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 654 | \end_inset |
| 655 | |
| 656 | ? |
| 657 | Well, |
| 658 | given non–locality, |
| 659 | the Clauser–Horne–Zeillinger, |
| 660 | the Alain Aspect experiments, |
| 661 | it would seem that |
| 662 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 663 | \end_inset |
| 664 | |
| 665 | right now |
| 666 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 667 | \end_inset |
| 668 | |
| 669 | includes all of the past light cone. |
| 670 | Since the past light cone includes 14–billion–year–distant galaxies and the CMB, |
| 671 | the |
| 672 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 673 | \end_inset |
| 674 | |
| 675 | thickness |
| 676 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 677 | \end_inset |
| 678 | |
| 679 | seems to range from femtoseconds, |
| 680 | in chemistry, |
| 681 | to billions of years. |
| 682 | \end_layout |
| 683 | |
| 684 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 685 | Is |
| 686 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 687 | \end_inset |
| 688 | |
| 689 | right now |
| 690 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 691 | \end_inset |
| 692 | |
| 693 | only the null light cone? |
| 694 | Well, |
| 695 | no: |
| 696 | the |
| 697 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 698 | \end_inset |
| 699 | |
| 700 | freezing |
| 701 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 702 | \end_inset |
| 703 | |
| 704 | does not seem to happen until measurements of non–local correlations are brought back together again, |
| 705 | to the same point. |
| 706 | That is, |
| 390 | 707 | |
| 708 | \begin_inset Quotes eld |
| 709 | \end_inset |
| 710 | |
| 711 | right now |
| 712 | \begin_inset Quotes erd |
| 713 | \end_inset |
| 714 | |
| 715 | seems to consist of interferometric diamond–shapes. |
| 716 | \end_layout |
| 717 | |
| 718 | \begin_layout Itemize |
| 719 | The Renninger negative–measurement argument suggests that QM non–locality is not just space–like, |
| 720 | as in the Alain Aspect experiments, |
| 721 | but also time–like. |
| 722 | The diary Part Ten–E expands on this at length, |
| 723 | \end_layout |
| 724 | |
| 725 | \begin_layout Standard |
| 726 | Well, |
| 727 | that's all I can think of for now. |
| 728 | There was more (much more?) in diary Part Ten–E and earlier, |
| 729 | but those entries do not resolve into small short bullet points. |
| 730 | Yet. |
| 731 | \end_layout |
| 732 | |
| 733 | \begin_layout Standard |
| 734 | Part |
| 391 | 735 | \end_layout |
| 392 | 736 | |
| 393 | 737 | \begin_layout Section* |