Daily Archives: June 10, 2023

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but the shortest distance doesnt always mean the least work. What if that distance is straight uphill, or through difficult terrain? If youre looking to do the least amount of work, a straight line may not always be your best bet.

Humans may not always be looking for the easiest route. But when it comes to natural movements in systems, one of the

Basically, without outside intervention, objects travel along the path of least resistance and least change. This is called the principle of least action. We know it applies in our everyday world, and nowthanks to a new studywe know it applies in the quantum world as well.

A physicists ultimate dream is to write the secrets of the entire universe on a small piece of paper and the principle of least action must be on the list, Shi-Liang, one of the researchers on the project, said in an article for New Scientist. Our ambition was to see [the principle] in a quantum experiment.

Easier said than done. The research team from South China Normal University had to contend with the fact that not only is everything in the quantum realm small and hard to see, the movements of quantum particles are complicatedreally complicated. For one, quantum states change when theyre measured. And for another, theyre only able to be mapped out using very complicated math.

To best describe their behavior, scientists use a combination of two things: a wave function and a propagator. Wave functions describe the state of the particle and propagators describe how that state changes over the course of a particles movement in a system. The trouble is, wave functions and propagators are purely mathematical, and while theyre great at describing the behaviors of quantum particles, they often do so using imaginary numbers. Imaginary numbers are fine in math, but areby definitionimpossible to measure.

In order to get around this problem, the team used a technique that had been established a few years prior. In this technique, you basically bounce and filter individual quantum light particles called photons through a maze of mirrors, crystals, and lenses. Eventually, the parts of the photons behavior described by the imaginary numbers will correspond to actual measurable properties. The parts that were originally described by normal real numbers will also be measurable, and the researchers can reconstruct the wave forms and propagators from actual measured data.

Once the maze had been constructed, researchers combined that technique with a new one they developed to mostly avoid the quantum state change when observed problem. Then, they sent individual photons through the maze and compared their behavior to the behavior predicted by the principle of least action and found that reality agreed with theoryproving that quantum particles do in fact follow the principle.

Measurements in this experiment are quite incredible, and they dont challenge our current understanding of quantum physics, Jonathan Leach, a quantum science researcher not involved in the study, said in a New Scientist article. It is beautiful to see this theory made real in an experiment.

Theres a whole lot of places where the quantum world and the everyday world dont mesh. Its part of why researchers are still looking to improve on the current Standard Model of physics. But in their desire to avoid action as much as possibly, the quantum and the everyday are perfectly in sync.

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Jackie is a writer and editor from Pennsylvania. She's especially fond of writing about space and physics, and loves sharing the weird wonders of the universe with anyone who wants to listen. She is supervised in her home office by her two cats.

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The Principle of Least Action Now Exists in the Quantum Realm - Popular Mechanics

image:Three perspectives of the surface on which the electrons move. On the left, the experimental result, in the center and on the right the theoretical modeling. The red and blue colors represent a measure of the speed of the electrons. Both theory and experiment reflect the symmetry of the crystal, very similar to the texture of traditional Japanese "kagome" baskets view more

Credit: University of Bologna

An international research team has succeededfor the first timein measuring the electron spin in matter- i.e., the curvature of space in which electrons live and move - within "kagome materials", a new class ofquantum materials.

The results obtained - published inNature Physics- could revolutionise the way quantum materials are studied in the future, opening the door tonew developments in quantum technologies, with possible applications in a variety of technological fields, fromrenewable energytobiomedicine, fromelectronicstoquantum computers.

Success was achieved by an international collaboration of scientists, in whichDomenico Di Sante, professor at theDepartment of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi", participated for theUniversity of Bolognaas part of his Marie CurieBITMAPresearch project. He was joined by colleagues from CNR-IOM Trieste, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, University of Milan, University of Wrzburg (Germany), University of St. Andrews (UK), Boston College and University of Santa Barbara (USA).

Through advanced experimental techniques, usinglight generated by a particle accelerator, theSynchrotron, and thanks tomodern techniques for modelling the behaviour of matter, the scholarswere able to measure electron spin for the first time, related to the concept oftopology.

"If we take two objects such as a football and a doughnut, we notice thattheir specific shapesdeterminedifferent topological properties, for example because the doughnut has a hole, while the football does not,"Domenico Di Santeexplains. "Similarly, the behaviour of electrons in materials is influenced by certain quantum propertiesthat determine their spinning in the matter in which they are found, similar to how the trajectory of light in the universe is modified by the presence of stars, black holes, dark matter, and dark energy, which bend time and space."

Although this characteristic of electrons has been known for many years, no one had until now been able to measure this "topological spin" directly. To achieve this, the researchers exploited a particular effect known as "circular dichroism": a special experimental technique that can only be used with a synchrotron source, which exploits the ability of materialsto absorb light differentlydependingon their polarisation.

Scholars have especially focused on "kagome materials", a class of quantum materials that owe their name to their resemblance to the weave of interwoven bamboo threads that make up a traditional Japanese basket (called, indeed, "kagome").These materials are revolutionising quantum physics, and the results obtained could help us learn more about their special magnetic, topological, and superconducting properties.

"These important results were possible thanks toa strong synergy between experimental practice and theoretical analysis," addsDi Sante. "The team's theoretical researchers employedsophisticated quantum simulations, only possible with the use of powerful supercomputers, and in this way guided their experimental colleagues to the specific area of the material wherethe circular dichroism effectcould be measured.

The study was publishedinNature Physicswith the title "Flat band separation and robust spin Berry curvature in bilayer kagome metals". The first author of the study isDomenico Di Sante, a researcher at the"Augusto Righi" Department of Physics and Astronomyof theUniversity of Bologna. He worked with scholars from the CNR-IOM of Trieste, the Ca' Foscari University of Venice, the University of Milan, the University of Wrzburg (Germany), the University of St. Andrews (UK), the Boston College and the University of Santa Barbara (USA).

Flat band separation and robust spin Berry curvature in bilayer kagome metals

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Quantum materials: Electron spin measured for the first time - EurekAlert

Dan Harlow spends a lot of time thinking in a boomerang universe.

The MIT physicist is searching for answers to one of the biggest questions in modern physics: How can our universe abide by two incompatible rulebooks?

The first the Standard Model of Physics is the quantum mechanical theory of particles, fields, and forces, and the ways in which they interact to build the universe we live in. The second Einsteins theory of general relativity describes the influence of gravity and how the fundamental force pulls together matter to build the planets, galaxies, and other massive objects.

Both theories do remarkably well in their respective lanes. However, Einsteins theory breaks down when trying to describe how gravity works at quantum scales, while quantum mechanics makes reality-bending predictions when applied at massive, cosmic dimensions. For over a century, physicists have searched for ways to unite the two theories and get to the truth of what makes our universe tick.

Harlowsuspects that any connecting thread may be too delicate to grasp in our existing universe. Instead, hes looking for answers in a boomerang version an alternate reality that folds back on itself, much like a boomerang's trajectory, rather than stretching and expanding without end as our actual universe does.Quantum gravity in this boomerang universe turns out to be easier to understand, as it can be reformulated in terms of conventional quantum theory (without gravity) using a powerful idea called holographic duality.This makes it far simpler to contemplate, at least from a theory perspective.

In this boomerang environment,Harlowhas made some exciting, unexpected revelations. He has shown, for instance, that the equations that describe how gravity behaves in this toy universe are the very same equations that control the quantum error-correcting codes that will hopefully soon be used to build real-world quantum computers. That the mathematics describing gravity should have anything to do with protecting information in quantum computers was a surprise in itself. The fact that both phenomena shared the same physics, at least in this alternate universe, suggests a potential connection between Einsteins theory and quantum mechanics in the real universe.

The discovery, which Harlow made as a postdoc at Princeton University in 2014, sparked fresh lines of inquiry in the study of both quantum gravity and quantum information theory. Since joining MIT and the Center for Theoretical Physics in 2017, Harlow has continued his search for fundamental connections between general relativity and quantum mechanics, and how they may intersect in the contexts of black holes and cosmology.

One of the things thats been fun is, even though in physics and more in generally science were all studying different systems and experiments, many of the ideas are the same, says Harlow, an associate professor who received tenure in 2022. So, I try to have an open mind and keep my ears open, and look for how things may be related.

A humanist philosophy

Born in Cincinnati, Harlow moved as a child with his family to Boston, where he spent several years before the family moved again, putting down roots in Chicago. When he was 10, he took up piano lessons, focusing first on classical music, then rock. In junior high, he played keyboard in various bands before finding his groove in the looser, more improvisational style of jazz.

I love sitting down and playing with people, and seeing where things will go, Harlow says.

His love of jazz was partly what drew him to New York City after high school, where he attended Columbia University, which happened to be near some of the best jazz clubs in the city. The universitys core curriculum, which required students to read classic works of literature and philosophy, also appealed.

You cant graduate from Columbia without reading The Iliad, Harlow says. That gives you a shared community of things you can talk about. I liked the humanist philosophy that drives the place. Even if I chose to be a physicist, I would still have this broader cultural experience.

Harlow worked for three years as an undergraduate research assistant in an experimental cosmology lab on campus, where he learned to work in a clean room and run simulations to improve the performance of filters that were designed to pick out subtle signs of radiation left over from the Big Bang.

Harlow particularly appreciated the general approach of the labs leader, Amber Miller, who was then a junior faculty member.

She had this great way she ran her group, where she wasnt so hung up on publications or getting things done on a short timescale, Harlow recalls. She just let us play around.

Open questions

That mental freedom to explore new ideas would stay with Harlow throughout his career. From Columbia, he went west to Stanford University in 2006. Within the physics department, he found he aligned most naturally with Professor Leonard Susskind, a theoretical physicist and leader in the study of string theory.

His strong desire to identify the things that arent important and set them aside so you can focus on the essence of the problem that was also the way I try to think, says Harlow, who ended up choosing Susskind as his advisor. Lenny said, work on whatever you want, and Ill talk to you about it.

With this open invitation, Harlow kept an ear on conversations within Susskinds group to get a sense of the big questions in the field. What he heard was a problem that would shape the rest of his research career: the question of how to connect quantum mechanics with general relativity, in the context of cosmology, and scientists understanding of the large-scale structure and evolution of the universe.

In search of an answer, Harlow read up on everything he could find on both theories. His reading also bled into quantum information science primarily, a field that focuses on applying principles of quantum mechanics and information theory to the study and development of quantum computers.

Whenever I have a hint that some tool will be important for a problem Im trying to solve, I learn much more about it than what I think I need, Harlow says. More often than not, that investment pays off.

At the end of his time at Stanford, Harlow decided to take a hard turn, pivoting from cosmology to black holes, which he considered to be a simpler system to study for any fundamental threads connecting quantum mechanics and general relativity.

In 2012, he went back east to Princeton for a three-year postdoc, during which he began to explore the quantum behavior of gravitational black holes. To simplify the problem, he did so in a boomerang universe what physicists know as anti-de Sitter space, named after the physicist who studied the curvature of the universe. As Harlow read more on quantum information, he noticed, and ultimately confirmed, an unexpected overlap in the physics of gravity around black holes and the quantum error-correcting codes designed to protect information.

That was a very exploratory, transformative time, Harlow says. Im still exploring a lot of the paths that I started there.

After a second postdoc at Harvard University, Harlow joined MIT as a junior faculty member in 2017, where he continues to make surprising connections in the study of quantum gravity and quantum information science. At the Institute, and in the field of theoretical physics more broadly, hes enjoyed a collegial, productive disregard for authority.

This is a community where I can go up to the most famous theoretical physicist in the world, tell them that theyre wrong, and if I have an argument, theyll listen to me, Harlow says. People are open. Theres this core shared agreement that, what matters is that we find the right answer. It matters less who finds it.

Among Harlow's accomplishments since coming to MIT are a proof that there are strong restrictions on the possible symmetries of quantum gravity, a deeper understanding of the nature of energy in gravitational systems, and a concrete mathematical framework for understanding the interiors of quantum mechanical black holes.

Beyond research, Harlow is working to bring more diverse voices and perspectives into the field of physics. In addition to mentoring and advocacy work outside of MIT, he is running a program within the physics department that invites students from underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds to carry out physics research at MIT each summer.

Unfortunately physics remains rather white and male, and making it more welcoming and accessible to a broader slice of humanity is one of my priorities going forward, he says.

Looking ahead, Harlow is considering taking a new turn in his research path, perhaps to focus less on black holes in a hologram universe, and more on cosmology, and the quantum structure and evolution of our actual universe.

Ive been living in anti-de Sitter space for a long time, Harlow says. Thats fine, but I do want to understand the world we live in too. And that should be fun.

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Life in a hologram | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT News

Hawking radiation is one of the most famous physical processes in astronomy. Through Hawking radiation, the mass, and energy of a black hole escape over time. Its a brilliant theory, and it means that black holes have a finite lifetime. If Hawking radiation is true. Because as famous as it is, Hawking radiation is unproven. The theory is not even theoretically proven.

Hawking proposed the idea of black hole radiation while studying ways to integrate Einsteins classical theory of gravity with the quantum theory of atoms and light. We dont have a fully quantum theory of gravity, so Hawking used a semiclassical approach, where matter is treated as quantum while gravity is treated classically. From this, Hawking showed that quantum fields could escape the event horizon of a black hole.

The Hawking process is typically represented by virtual pair production. One approach to quantum physics argues that within the vacuum of empty space pairs of particles can appear and disappear spontaneously due to Heisenbergs uncertainty principle. The fuzziness of quantum theory means that space can never be truly empty. In empty regions of space, these particles dont have any real effect and thus are virtual particles. But near the event horizon of a black hole one member of a virtual pair could be trapped by the black hole, leaving the other to escape as real radiation.

The virtual particle visualization is appealing, but it isnt without its problems. Hawkings approach can lead to things such as the firewall paradox, where the region near a black hole event horizon should be both empty and ablaze with realized virtual particles. Without a fully quantum approach to gravity, we cant resolve these paradoxes easily.

There are, however, other semi-classical approaches to gravity than the one Hawking used. Most of them also predict black holes will radiate, but argue it from a different approach. For example, one approach is to look at the matter trapped within a black hole as a quantum wavefunction bound by intense gravity. Since the gravitational pull of a black hole is never infinite at the event horizon, the wavefunction is essentially bound within a finite container. Through a process called quantum tunneling, quantum objects can escape any finite container in time. So, you get black hole radiation without the need for virtual particles.

This is where a new study comes in. For this work, the team looked at a different formulation of Hawking radiation, somewhat similar to the wavefunction approach. They found that when it comes to Hawking radiation, the event horizon of a black hole isnt particularly special. Any concentrated mass, from neutron stars to pet rocks, has a gravitational well that acts like a finite container. So quantum particles can always escape. This has long been known, but what the team showed was that if you express this in terms of Hawkings virtual particles, then virtual particles can become real near any mass, not just black holes. Black holes are by far the most effective generators of Hawking radiation, but if you wait long enough, even your favorite rock will radiate its mass away.

This model doesnt change our understanding of black holes, but it could have significant consequences for long-term cosmology. If everything disappears in a poof of radiation given enough time, then the universe will fade into a cold sea of radiation.

Reference: Wondrak, Michael F., Walter D. van Suijlekom, and Heino Falcke. Gravitational Pair Production and Black Hole Evaporation. Physical Review Letters 130.22 (2023): 221502.

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If Black Holes Evaporate, Everything Evaporates - Universe Today

It's not like Marvel Studios are the only ones enchanted by the possibility of multiverse.

The release of Quantumania was another disappointing flop of the MCU's Phase 4 for many fans. However, the movie has many interesting aspects, especially regarding the cameos.

The latest Ant-Man was not loved by audiences or critics. Although the creators managed to include not only interesting plot details, but also surprising references.

We all love cameos in Marvel movies. Some of them are just for fun, but this time the authors of Quantumania made a very cool reference for fans of science and good music.

One such cameo was the appearance of Mark Everett, the creator of the band Eels. Some may have heard their song I Need Some Sleep in Shrek 2.

The lead singer of Eels appears in a scene where he asks the main character Scott Lang to take a picture with his dog.

The musician's cameo itself doesn't seem very surprising, but many admirers have pointed out that Mark is the son of the famous physicist Hugh Everett III.

It was Hugh Everett III who introduced the concept of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics in his doctoral thesis in 1957.

This theory states that every quantum measurement causes the universe to split into multiple parallel universes, each representing a different outcome of the measurement.

The thesis was widely debated and remains controversial among physicists today. Everett also worked on several other topics in physics, including nuclear weapons and the theory of relativity.

Despite his contributions to the field of physics, Everett struggled for recognition during his lifetime and passed away in 1982 at the age of 51.

Fans believe that the writers of the Ant-Man movie honored the creator of the theory on which the superhero flick is based.

And while audiences agree that Quantumania was a rather disappointing film, many fans claim that it was the movie with the best cameos and small roles in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Source: Reddit

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Clever Ant-Man Easter Egg Links The Movie to the Real World's ... - Startefacts

Quantum Cryptography: The Cutting Edge of Secure Communication

Quantum cryptography, a cutting-edge technology that utilizes the principles of quantum mechanics, is revolutionizing the way we secure our communication channels. In an age where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the need for foolproof security measures has never been more critical. With the potential to provide unbreakable encryption, quantum cryptography is poised to redefine the landscape of secure communication.

At the heart of quantum cryptography is the concept of quantum key distribution (QKD), a technique that enables two parties to share a secret encryption key without the risk of interception by a third party. This is made possible by the unique properties of quantum particles, such as photons, which exhibit a phenomenon known as quantum superposition. In simple terms, quantum superposition allows particles to exist in multiple states simultaneously until they are measured. Once a measurement is made, the particle collapses into a single state, rendering any attempt to intercept the key futile.

One of the most well-known QKD protocols is the BB84 protocol, proposed by Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard in 1984. The protocol uses polarized photons to transmit the encryption key between two parties, Alice and Bob. By encoding the key in the polarization states of the photons, Alice and Bob can detect any eavesdropping attempts by a third party, Eve. If Eve tries to intercept the key, her measurement will disturb the quantum state of the photons, alerting Alice and Bob to her presence.

In addition to providing unparalleled security, quantum cryptography also offers several other advantages over classical encryption methods. For instance, it is immune to brute-force attacks, which involve systematically trying every possible key combination to decrypt a message. This is because the security of quantum cryptography is based on the fundamental laws of physics, rather than the computational complexity of the encryption algorithm. Furthermore, quantum cryptography is future-proof, as it is resistant to attacks from quantum computers, which are expected to render many classical encryption schemes obsolete.

Despite its numerous benefits, the widespread adoption of quantum cryptography faces several challenges. One of the main hurdles is the limited range of QKD systems, which currently stands at around 100 kilometers. This is due to the fact that photons are prone to being absorbed or scattered as they travel through optical fibers, leading to a loss of signal. To overcome this issue, researchers are exploring the use of quantum repeaters, which can extend the range of QKD systems by amplifying the signal without disturbing the quantum state of the photons.

Another challenge is the high cost and complexity of implementing quantum cryptography systems. The technology requires specialized equipment, such as single-photon detectors and sources, which can be expensive and difficult to maintain. However, as research in the field progresses and the technology matures, it is expected that the cost and complexity of quantum cryptography systems will decrease, making them more accessible to a wider range of users.

In conclusion, quantum cryptography represents a major breakthrough in the field of secure communication, offering unparalleled security and immunity to brute-force attacks and quantum computing threats. While there are still challenges to overcome, such as limited range and high implementation costs, the potential benefits of quantum cryptography are immense. As cyber threats continue to evolve and grow in sophistication, the need for robust security measures will only become more urgent. In this context, quantum cryptography is poised to play a crucial role in safeguarding our digital infrastructure and ensuring the confidentiality of our communications.

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Quantum Cryptography: The Cutting Edge of Secure Communication - CityLife

Shraddha Aangiras was in the 8th grade when her father showed her a TEDx video of Shohini Ghose, a quantum physicist. Shraddha was immediately spellbound. I was really fascinated that something could be zero and one at the same time. I had been coding for a while by then, so I could wrap my head around most things, but with quantum, I couldnt. So she started googling more and more, and she landed upon articles that were easy to read. But I wanted to learn more. So, I downloaded this introductory book, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, because it was really preliminary. And when I opened it, I saw maths symbols that I had never seen before. Thats when the 8th grader realised she needed to up her maths game. So, in a year, she taught herself undergraduate maths and physics, only to realise at the end of it that she didnt actually need to know so much. I had learned a lot of theory but not the required industry skills I was aiming for. I realised I spent an entire year learning something that wasnt necessary. A clearer path for me to go ahead would have been great. Shraddha is now 17, and a student at RV PU Collegein Bengaluru, with one overriding mission make quantum computing more accessible to students. She partnered with One Million for One Billion (1M1B) under The Purpose Academy programme to start a quantum career accelerator programme called Quetzal that is open to all undergraduate STEM students in India. Shraddha presented her work on Quetzal at UC Berkeley recently. At Quetzal, well train undergraduate students across India in fundamental quantum computing for two weeks. This programme will have learning days as well as mission days. On learning days, well teach them through lectures, as well as hands-on labs, to ensure the students have an industry perspective. Mission days will be in between these learning days, to not onlytest how well students learn, but also to check their consistency, says Shraddha. The programme will then select the top students and connect them with quantum computing internships. The plan is to have two groups of a thousand students each, and to provide 100 internships. Engineering students who join the programme can expect to learn about qubits, quantum circuits and quantum algorithms. It will primarily revolve around learning Qiskit, IBMs open-source software development kit (SDK). Qiskit is great to have in your portfolio as an intern, Shraddha says.

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This 17-year-old works to make quantum mainstream - Indiatimes.com

Clockwise from Top Left: The Flash (Warner Bros.) Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Sony), Doctor Doom And The Multiverse Of Madness (Marvel), Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (Marvel)

Has Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saved the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Movie-goers loved itthe film is expected to earn around $800 million worldwide, and the Rotten Tomatoes audience score came in at 94 percent. Critics were 82 percent positive, and they liked it a lot better than Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (RT critics score: a miserable 47 percent), or Dr. Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (74 percent), or Eternals (with another 47 percent critics score, proving misery loves company).

By most measures, then, GOTG3 is a major Marvel comeback. There must be champagne and high-fives all around over at Marvel Films, am I right? Not if Kevin Feige is as smart as they say. Because what GOTG3 really confirms is that the multiversethe whole organizing principle behind the still-emergent Marvel Phase Four multi-film story arcis box office poison.

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You remember the multiverse. Its a plot device strip-mined for the MCU from old print comics and launched in the Loki TV series on Disney+. It involves ideas borrowed by way of a seventh-grade education in string theory, Einsteins Theory of Relativity, and quantum physics, and its all about parallel universes crowding each other out of existence.

If youre like most viewers, you actively disliked the multiverse in the fulsomely named Dr. Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness and you truly hated it by the time the equally tongue-twisting Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania arrived. Possibly thats because, in the MCU, the multiverse has approximately two functions: it liberates whatever pickup squad of CG artists Marvel has deployed to treat art direction like something Peter Max dreamed up while experimenting with LSD, and its mostly a way to lower the dramatic stakes.

Story continues

Think about it: If theres potentially another Iron Man out there in the multiverse, and he could be played by Robert Downey Jr., how resonant is Tony Starks big death scene in Avengers: Endgame? When Ant-Man and company spend an entire movie taking down a Big Bad like Kang the Conqueror, how much should we care if five minutes later the end credits scene reminds us Kang variants are stocked up like Campbells soup cans in the multiversal limbo-land they call home?

The Spider-Verse movies are standalone animated features which, despite a few knowing gags, arent supposed to be part of the MCU, and theyre produced by Sony, not Marvel. In fact, Sony was allegedly warned by Kevin Feige during prep on Into The Spider-Versenotto get ahead of itself by transforming the Spider-Verse into a setup comparable to anything in the MCU. And remember: the Spider-Verse movies are, amongst other things, comedies, using the multiverse premise to make gags about talking pigs.

Thats a flashing warning light writ large. An old Hollywood adage is that parodies and satires mark the end of a cycle, in the way Blazing Saddles came out when the Western was dying. Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein literally finished off the very first cinematic universe: the Universal horror franchise of the 1930s and 40s, gunned down by the rat-a-tat slapstick of the schtickmeisters behind Whos On First?

But The Flash you sayand there are reasons to treat the upcoming Ezra Miller Flash feature as a different kind of multiverse saga for the DCEU. For one thing, in the larger sphere of superhero comics, The Flash is considered to be the great hero-protagonist of the whole multiverse premise. Flash Of Two Worlds is a 1961 Flash storyline widely acknowledged as the birth of the multiverse gimmick. In it, the 1960s Barry Allen comic book Flash uses super-speeding molecules to vibrate himself onto Earth-2, where he teams up with the 1940s Jay Garrick Flash.

The Flash was also the prime mover in what comics aficionados still believe to be the greatest multiverse arc of them all (as well as a pioneer of the crossover event, an approach Marvel Films rode to the bank in MCU Phases One through Three). Marv Wolfman and George Perezs 1985 DC Comics masterwork Crisis On Infinite Earths never made it to the movie screen, but it was tributed in a big way by DCs TV Arrowverse, especially on (you guessed it) the CW version of The Flash.

Its instructive to take a closer look at how DC comics utilized the multiverse, though. In Flash Of Two Worlds, the multiverse was a nifty pseudo-scientific bridge between two continuities: the original 1940s Golden Era DC Flash books and the rebooted and more enduringly popular Barry Allen variant (the one Ezra Miller is playing).

That teaming opened a floodgate, because DC now had access to its entire dead roster of pre-Comics Code super avengers, to use as plot devices in the contemporary lineup. Over time, there were storylines involving the often scarier and more violent early DC characters like Sandman, The Spectre, or even the Earth-2 Batman (you know, the homicidal one with the guns) as story devices in current continuities.

Eventually, it all got out of hand, so a part of Marv Wolfmans pitch when he conceived Crisis On Infinite Earths was about housecleaning; at the end of the saga, the five DC universes had merged into one, taking out a lot of dead weight superhero characters (and the Barry Allen Flash) in the process. The closest analogy may be Spider-Man: No Way Homea multiverse Marvel movie essentially disconnected from any larger story strategy, created to harmonize Sonys various non-MCU Spider-Man projects with the current MCU.

A spring cleaning emphasis does not indicate DC is betting the farm on the multiverse the way Marvel has. After Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, though, it would be surprising if Marvel isnt at least re-evaluating its multiverse strategyif it hasnt already. GOTG3 is an old-fashioned closerthe capstone to a trilogy of movies in the way Return Of The Jedi or The Dark Knight Rises also were.

When the GOTG3 storyline ends, our troop of space mercenaries has splintered, and while there may be more adventures to come, the original collectives race appears to have been run and there dont seem to be multitudes of Star Lords waiting for their cue. And thats really how it should be. Because admit it. Youre already sick of the multiverseand that means its not the sort of thing to build the future of an entire cinematic universe on.

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The multiverse is doomed and even Spider-Man and The Flash can't save it - Yahoo Entertainment

For centuries, humans have been intrigued by the concept of time travel. Its a theme deeply embedded in our literature, movies, and collective imagination. But can it ever be more than just fantasy?

In this article, well dive into what modern physics suggests about the potential for time travel.

To understand time travel, we first need to grasp the concept of space-time, a term popularized in the early 20th century by physicist Albert Einstein. In his theory of relativity, Einstein suggested that space and time are interwoven into a single four-dimensional fabric known as space-time. Objects with mass or energy cause this fabric to curve, creating what we perceive as gravity.

Einsteins equations also suggest the existence of wormholes, which are theoretical bridges or shortcuts through space-time. In theory, a wormhole could link two different points in time as well as space, providing a potential mechanism for time travel. However, wormholes remain purely theoretical, and if they do exist, they are likely to be extremely unstable.

The concept of the arrow of time, established by British astronomer Arthur Eddington, states that time only flows in one direction forward. This concept is reinforced by the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the total entropy (or disorder) of an isolated system can never decrease over time. This implies that reversing or halting the flow of time would violate this fundamental law of physics.

However, at the quantum level, many of the laws of physics are time-symmetric, meaning they would operate the same way if time were flowing backward. This discrepancy between the macroscopic and quantum realms adds another layer of complexity to our understanding of time and whether it could ever be traversed in a non-linear way.

Einsteins theory of relativity also introduced the phenomenon of time dilation, which is the closest thing to time travel thats been experimentally confirmed. According to the theory, time passes at different rates for objects moving relative to each other or experiencing different gravitational fields.

This has been experimentally verified numerous times. For example, atomic clocks flown in airplanes or placed at high altitudes tick slightly slower compared to those on Earths surface. Although this isnt time travel in the sense often depicted in fiction, it does demonstrate that time is not absolute but relative and dependent on velocity and gravity.

A significant challenge to the idea of time travel is the grandfather paradox. This thought experiment asks what would happen if a person were to go back in time and kill their grandfather before their parent was born. This would seemingly create a contradiction, as the time traveler could never have existed to travel back in time in the first place.

Some physicists suggest that the principles of quantum mechanics might resolve such paradoxes. The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics proposes that each possible outcome of a quantum event happens in a different universe. Applying this to time travel, it might be that any action a time traveler takes merely creates a new timeline or universe, avoiding any contradictions in their original timeline.

While time travel remains firmly in the realm of science fiction, the complex theories and principles of modern physics suggest that our understanding of time is far from complete. Wormholes, time dilation, and quantum mechanics all point to a universe where time might not be as straightforward as our everyday experience suggests.

But even if time travel is theoretically possible, practical implementation is another story entirely. The energy requirements and technological capabilities needed to manipulate space-time or stabilize wormholes are far beyond our current reach.

The dream of time travel inspires us to push the boundaries of human knowledge and capability. Whether or not we ever manage to achieve it, the pursuit expands our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

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Physics of Time Travel: A Scientific Perspective - Mirage News

Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) have been a topic of intense research and interest in the field of condensed matter physics for the past few decades. These exotic states of matter have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of superconductivity and pave the way for a new generation of technological applications. In this article, we will explore the fascinating world of quantum spin liquids and discuss their potential impact on the future of superconductors.

At the heart of quantum spin liquids lies the concept of quantum entanglement, a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics that allows particles to be instantaneously connected regardless of the distance between them. In a QSL, the magnetic moments or spins of electrons become entangled with one another, leading to a highly correlated and entangled state of matter. This entanglement gives rise to unique and intriguing properties that set QSLs apart from other forms of matter.

One of the most striking features of quantum spin liquids is their ability to maintain long-range quantum entanglement even at high temperatures. This is in stark contrast to conventional superconductors, which rely on the formation of Cooper pairs of electrons to achieve superconductivity, a phenomenon that typically occurs only at extremely low temperatures. The resilience of QSLs to thermal fluctuations makes them promising candidates for the development of high-temperature superconductors, which could have far-reaching implications for energy transmission, transportation, and other technological applications.

Another remarkable property of quantum spin liquids is their inherent resistance to magnetic order. In most materials, the spins of electrons tend to align themselves in a regular pattern when subjected to a magnetic field, a phenomenon known as magnetic ordering. However, in a QSL, the spins remain in a disordered and fluctuating state even in the presence of a magnetic field. This absence of magnetic order is a direct consequence of the strong quantum entanglement between the spins, which prevents them from settling into a fixed arrangement.

The study of quantum spin liquids has also led to the discovery of new types of elementary particles, known as anyons. Unlike conventional particles such as electrons and protons, which are classified as fermions or bosons, anyons exhibit unique quantum properties that are intermediate between the two. The existence of anyons in QSLs has been predicted theoretically, and recent experimental evidence has provided strong support for their presence in these exotic states of matter. The discovery of anyons opens up new avenues for research in quantum computing, as they have the potential to be used as building blocks for quantum bits or qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information.

The potential applications of quantum spin liquids in the realm of superconductivity are vast and varied. The development of high-temperature superconductors could revolutionize the way we generate, transmit, and store electrical energy, leading to significant improvements in energy efficiency and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the unique properties of QSLs could be harnessed for the development of advanced materials with tailored magnetic and electronic properties, opening up new possibilities in the fields of electronics, spintronics, and quantum computing.

In conclusion, quantum spin liquids represent a fascinating and promising frontier in the study of condensed matter physics. Their unique properties, stemming from the intricate interplay of quantum entanglement and magnetic interactions, have the potential to reshape our understanding of superconductivity and pave the way for a new generation of technological applications. As research in this area continues to advance, we can expect to witness exciting breakthroughs and discoveries that will undoubtedly have a profound impact on our lives and the world around us.

Excerpt from:

Quantum Spin Liquids: The Future of Superconductors - EnergyPortal.eu