Jul 28th 2021
AS HE LIKED to tell it, there were three epiphanies in Steven Weinbergs life. The first came in a wooden box. It was a chemistry set, passed on by a cousin who was tired of it. As he played with the chemicals in it, and found that each reacted differently because of atoms, a vast thought struck him: if he learned about atoms, he would know how the whole world worked.
The second epiphany came when, as a teenager, he paid a routine visit to his local library in New York. On the table was a book called Heat, open to a page of equations. Among them was the elegant, unknown swirl of an integral sign. It showed that with a mathematical formula, and a magic symbol, science could express something as rudimentary as the glow of a candle flame. His third awakening, when he was in his 20s and already a professor of physics, was the discovery that a mathematical theory could be applied to the whole dazzling array of stars and planets, dark space beyond them and, he concluded, everything.
All regularities in nature followed from a few simple laws. Not all were known yet; but they would be. In the end he was sure they would combine into a set of equations simple enough to put on a T-shirt, like Einsteins E=mc2. It was just a matter of continually querying and searching. In the strange circumstance of finding himself conscious and intelligent on a rare patch of ordinary matter that was able to sustain life, doggedly asking questions was the least he could do.
His signal achievement was to discover, in the 1960s, a new level of simplicity in the universe. There were then four known universal forcesgravity and electromagnetism, both of which operate at large scales, and the strong and weak nuclear forces, both of which are appreciable only at small scales. Electromagnetism was explained by a quantum field theory; similar theories for the nuclear forces were eagerly being sought.
In quantum field theories, forces are mediated by particles called bosons; the boson involved in electromagnetism is the photon, the basic particle of light. He and others showed that a theory of the weak force required three bosons: the W+ and the W-, which carried electric charges, and the Z0, which did not. The W particles were at play in the observable universe; they were responsible for some sorts of radioactive decay. The Z was notional until, in 1973, researchers at CERN, Europes great particle-physics lab, observed neutral currents between the particles they were knocking together. These had never been seen before, and could be explained only by the Z. In 1979 the Nobel prize duly followed.
In his understated way, he called his contribution very satisfactory. It was not just that the weak force and the electromagnetic force could be explained by similar tools. At high energies they were basically the same thing.
That triumph of unification increased his curiosity about the only point where such high energies were known to have existed: the Big Bang. In his book The First Three Minutes, in 1977, he described the immediate aftermath, to the point where the hyper-hot cosmic soup had cooled enough for atomic nuclei to form. He saw early on how deeply particle physics and cosmology were intertwined, and became fascinated by the idea of a universe dominated by unobservable dark energy and dark matter in which ordinary matter (the stars and the planets and us) was merely a small contamination. He longed for CERN s Large Hadron Collider to find evidence of dark matter. It caused him lasting frustration that Congress in 1993 had cancelled the Superconducting Super Collider, which was to have been even bigger.
Whatever was found, he was sure it would fit into the simple scheme of natures laws. Quantum mechanics, however, troubled him. He worried that its determinism implied that the world was endlessly splitting, generating myriad parallel histories and universes in which the constants in nature would have different values. Goodbye to a unified theory of everything, if that were so.
Such a unified law would have given him satisfaction but, he knew, no comfort. Natures laws were impersonal, cold and devoid of purpose. Certainly there was no God-directed plan. As he wrote at the end of The First Three Minutes, the more the universe seemed comprehensible, the more it seemed pointless. No saying of his became more famous, but the next paragraph softened it: humans gave the universe their own point and purpose by the way they lived, by loving each other and by creating art.
He set the example by marrying Louise, his college sweetheart, devouring opera and theatre, revelling in the quirky liberalism of Austin, where he taught at the University of Texas for almost four decades, and looking for theories in physics that would carry the same sense of inevitability he found so beautiful in chamber music, or in poetry. He still thought of human existence as accidental and tragic, fundamentally. But from his own little island of warmth and love, art and science, he managed a wry smile.
What angered him most was the persistence of religion. It had not only obstructed and undermined science in the age of Galileo and Copernicus; it had also survived Darwin, whose theory of evolution had shocked it more sharply than anything physics did. And it was still there, an alternative theory of the world that corroded free inquiry. For even if the laws of nature could be reduced to one, scientists would still ask: Why? Why this theory, not another? Why in this universe, and not another?
There was, he reflected, no end to the chain of whys. So he did not stop asking or wondering. He liked to review and grade his predecessors, from the ancient Greeks onwards, chastising them for failing to use the data they had, but also sympathising with their lack of machines advanced enough to prove their ideas. The human tragedy was never to understand why things were as they were. Yet, for all that, he could echo Ptolemy: I know that I am mortal and the creature of a day, but when I search out the massed wheeling circles of the stars, my feet no longer touch the EarthI take my fill of ambrosia, the food of the gods.
This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline "Natures laws"
See the rest here:
Steven Weinberg died on July 23rd - The Economist
- Physicists breed Schrdinger's cats to find boundaries of the | Cosmos - Cosmos [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- The application of three-axis low energy spectroscopy in quantum physics research - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Scientists 'BREED' Schrodinger's Cat in massive quantum physics breakthrough - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Quantum Physics: Are Entangled Particles Connected Via An Undetected Dimension? - Forbes [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- The World Of Quantum Physics: EVERYTHING Is Energy : In5D ... [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Introduction to quantum mechanics - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- A general election, like quantum physics, is a thing of waves and particles - The Tablet [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2017]
- 14-Year-Old Earns Physics Degree From TCU CBS Dallas / Fort ... - CBS DFW [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Quantum Entanglement Persists Even Under High Accelerations ... - International Business Times [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Quantum Entanglement Persists Even Under High Accelerations, Experiments Reveal - International Business Times [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Quantum - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Unbreakable quantum entanglement - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Physics may bring faster solutions for tough computational problems - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2017]
- UBC researchers propose answer to fundamental space problem - CBC.ca [Last Updated On: May 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 17th, 2017]
- Quantum Biology and the Frog Prince - ScienceBlog.com (blog) [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- The Marriage Of Einstein's Theory Of Relativity And Quantum Physics Depends On The Pull Of Gravity - Forbes [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- New Research May Reconcile General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics - Futurism [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- The Bizarre Quantum Test That Could Keep Your Data Secure - WIRED [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Testing quantum field theory in a quantum simulator - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- A classic quantum test could reveal the limits of the human mind - New Scientist [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Teleportation Could Be Possible Using Quantum Physics - Futurism - Futurism [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- Nobel winner to talk cats, computers and quantum physics - AroundtheO [Last Updated On: May 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 23rd, 2017]
- Could Ant-Man Beat Superman With Quantum Physics? - Heroic Hollywood (blog) [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Physicists Discover Geometry Underlying Particle Physics [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Home - Center for Quantum Activism [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Physics - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- What Quantum Physics Can Tell Us about the Afterlife ... [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- A Quantum Physicist Explains How Ant-Man Can Beat Superman - Inverse [Last Updated On: May 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 28th, 2017]
- Academic Journal: Quantum Physics Is 'Oppressive' to Marginalized People - National Review [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- University of Arizona Scholar Creates a Feminist Brand of Physics to ... - Breitbart News [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2017]
- Feminist Launches 'Intersectional Quantum Physics' to End Newton's 'Oppression' - PJ Media [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2017]
- In atomic propellers, quantum phenomena can mimic everyday ... - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2017]
- Quantum physics is oppressive - Patheos - Patheos (blog) [Last Updated On: June 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 5th, 2017]
- It's widely abused as a buzzword. But can quantum mechanics explain how we think? - National Post [Last Updated On: June 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 5th, 2017]
- Quantum Physics and Love are Super Weird and Confusing, but This Play Makes Sense of Them Both - LA Magazine [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- One step closer to the quantum internet by distillation - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 7th, 2017]
- Solving systems of linear equations with quantum mechanics - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 10th, 2017]
- Neural networks take on quantum entanglement - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 14th, 2017]
- Chinese satellite breaks a quantum physics record, beams entangled photons from space to Earth - Los Angeles Times [Last Updated On: June 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 15th, 2017]
- Cybersecurity Attacks Are a Global Threat. Chinese Scientists Have the Answer: Quantum Mechanics - Newsweek [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2017]
- New Quantum-Entanglement Record Could Spur Hack-Proof Communications - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: June 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 18th, 2017]
- What Is Quantum Mechanics? - livescience.com [Last Updated On: June 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 18th, 2017]
- China sets new record for quantum entanglement en route to build new communication network - NEWS.com.au [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2017]
- Physicists Demonstrate Record Breaking Long-Distance Quantum Entanglement in Space - Futurism [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2017]
- Viewpoint: A Roadmap for a Scalable Topological Quantum Computer - Physics [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2017]
- How Schrdinger's Cat Helps Explain the New Findings About the Quantum Zeno Effect - Futurism [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2017]
- BMW and Volkswagen Try to Beat Apple and Google at Their Own Game - New York Times [Last Updated On: June 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 23rd, 2017]
- How quantum physics could revolutionize casinos and betting if you can understand it - Casinopedia [Last Updated On: June 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 23rd, 2017]
- Quantum thermometer or optical refrigerator? - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 23rd, 2017]
- Atomic imperfections move quantum communication network closer ... - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 24th, 2017]
- DoE Launches Chicago Quantum Exchange - HPCwire (blog) [Last Updated On: June 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 26th, 2017]
- Google to Achieve "Supremacy" in Quantum Computing by the End of 2017 - Big Think [Last Updated On: June 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 26th, 2017]
- Physicists settle debate over how exotic quantum particles form - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2017]
- Physicists make quantum leap in understanding life's nanoscale machinery - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2017]
- How quantum trickery can scramble cause and effect - Nature.com [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2017]
- Berkeley Lab Intern Finds Her Way in Particle Physics | Berkeley Lab - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2017]
- Quantum Physics News - Phys.org - News and Articles on ... [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2017]
- Quantum computers are about to get real - Science News Magazine [Last Updated On: June 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 29th, 2017]
- Physics4Kids.com: Modern Physics: Quantum Mechanics [Last Updated On: June 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 29th, 2017]
- Payments Innovation - A Quantum World Of Payments - Finextra (blog) [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- Why can't quantum theory and relativity get along? - Brantford Expositor [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- New method could enable more stable and scalable quantum computing, physicists report - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- Telecommunications, Meet Quantum Physics - Electronics360 [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- How young is too young to talk to kids about science? Never, says one quantum physicist - ABC Local [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Supercool breakthrough brings new quantum benchmark - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Physics For Toddlers . News | OPB - OPB News [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Quantum Physics Provide Evidence that the Future Influences the Past - Edgy Labs (blog) [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- This quantum theory predicts that the future might be influencing the ... - ScienceAlert [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Physicists May Have Discovered One of the Missing Pieces of Quantum Theory - Futurism [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Something New For Baby To Chew On: Rocket Science And ... - NPR - NPR [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- A New Quantum Theory Predicts That the Future Could Be Influencing the Past - Big Think [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
- Basic Assumptions of Physics Might Require the Future to Influence ... - Gizmodo [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
- Scientists teleport particle into space in major breakthrough for quantum physics - The Independent [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
- Rockstar scientist David Reilly takes the axe to quantum physics - The Sydney Morning Herald [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
- Quantum Mechanics Could Shake Up Our Understanding of Earth's ... - Gizmodo [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
- The Standard Model of particle physics is brilliant and completely flawed - ABC Online [Last Updated On: July 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 17th, 2017]
- Quantum mechanics inside Earth's core - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: July 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 17th, 2017]
- Making a quantum leap in space research - Shanghai Daily (subscription) [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2017]
- Unlocking the Secrets of Quantum Physics to Create New Materials - Yu News (blog) [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2017]
- China's Silicon Valley aims to become the country's top research center - Abacus [Last Updated On: October 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 16th, 2019]