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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 37

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In Memoriam Cornelis de Jager
Cornelis ("Kees") de Jager, co-founder of "Solar Physics", passed away in 2021. He was an exemplary human being, a great scientist, and had large impact on our field. In this tribute we first briefly…
Robert J. Rutten, Oddbjørn Engvold, Adrianus C. T. NieuwenhuizenJan 27, 2022
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Operational Theories as Structural Realism
We undertake a reconstruction of the epistemic significance of research on operational theories in quantum foundations. We suggest that the space of operational theories is analogous to the space of…
Emily AdlamJan 23, 2022
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Bottoms Up: Standard Model Effective Field Theory from a Model Perspective
Experiments in particle physics have hitherto failed to produce any significant evidence for the many explicit models of physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) that had been proposed over the past…
Philip Bechtle, Cristin Chall, Martin King et al.Jan 21, 2022
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Historical Chinese efforts to determine longitude at sea
High-level Chinese cartographic developments predate European innovations by several centuries. Whereas European cartographic progress -- and in particular the search for a practical solution to the…
Richard de GrijsJan 20, 2022
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Lost Horizon? -- Modeling Black Holes in String Theory
The modeling of black holes is an important desideratum for any quantum theory of gravity. Not only is a classical black hole metric sought, but also agreement with the laws of black hole…
Nick Huggett, Keizo MatsubaraJan 20, 2022
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On Circular Orbits in Einstein's Theory of Gravitation
The preprint is an English translation of the paper by famous astrophysicist Samuil Kaplan (1921-1978) "O krugovykh orbitakh v teorii tyagoteniya Einsteina (On circular orbits in Einstein's theory of…
S. A. KaplanJan 19, 2022
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Testing General Relativity on the Largest Scales in the Years 1915-1955: the Dawning of Modern Cosmology
Soon after he proposed three classic observational tests for the general theory of relativity, Einstein realised that a consistent description of the universe as a whole provided another important…
Cormac O'RaifeartaighJan 18, 2022
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Memories of Steven Weinberg (1933-2021)
Steven Weinberg, renowned particle theorist and Nobel laureate, passed away in July 2021. We discuss selections of his work on effective field theory, electroweak unification, and symmetry related…
Paul H FramptonJan 13, 2022
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Risk and Scientific Reputation: Lessons from Cold Fusion
Many scientists have expressed concerns about potential catastrophic risks associated with new technologies. But expressing concern is one thing, identifying serious candidates another. Such risks…
Huw PriceJan 11, 2022
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Heidegger's quantum phenomenology
The article suggests that quantum mechanics is a science of a new type, which refutes the classical metaphysical concept of reality. The notion of a quantum concept is introduced. The possibility of…
Francois-Igor PrisJan 10, 2022
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Time as Change
According to Aristotle "time is the number of change with respect to the before and after". That's certainly a vague concept, but at the same time it's both simple and satisfying from a philosophical…
Marcello PolettiJan 6, 2022
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Von Neumann's book, the Compton-Simon experiment and the collapse hypothesis
Few things in physics have caused so much hand-wringing as von Neumann's collapse hypothesis. Unable to derive it mathematically, von Neumann attributed it to interaction with the observer's brain!…
R. N. SenJan 4, 2022
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The relational ontology of contemporary physics
Quantum theory can be understood as pointing to an ontology of relations. I observe that this reading of quantum mechanics is supported by the ubiquity of relationality in contemporary fundamental…
Francesca VidottoJan 3, 2022
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Einstein and the problem of confirmation by previously known evidence: A comment on Michel Janssen and J\"urgen Renn's "Einstein and the Perihelion Motion of Mercury"
In this paper, I comment on a recent paper by Michel Janssen and J\"urgen Renn. In his published paper of November 18, 1915, Einstein presented a solution to the problem of the perihelion motion of…
Galina WeinsteinJan 3, 2022
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Bruno Touschek and the physics at Frascati at the time of AdA and ADONE
The physics at Frascati in the years 60's - 70's is reviewed together with the role played by Bruno Touschek
Mario GrecoJan 3, 2022
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Ramanujan summation and the Casimir effect
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a great self-taught Indian mathematician, who died a century ago, at the age of only 32, one year after returning from England. Among his numerous achievements is the…
Wolfgang BietenholzDec 31, 2021
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The Disappearance and Reappearance of Potential Energy in Classical and Quantum Electrodynamics
In electrostatics, we can use either potential energy or field energy to ensure conservation of energy. In electrodynamics, the former option is unavailable. To ensure conservation of energy, we must…
Charles T. SebensDec 29, 2021
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The Nobel prizes in physics for astrophysics and gravitation and the Nobel prize for black holes: Past, present, and future
We analyze the Nobel prizes in physics for astrophysics and gravitation since the establishment of the prize and highlight the 2020 Nobel prize for black holes. In addition, we comment on the names…
José P. S. LemosDec 29, 2021
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How can scientists establish an observer-independent science? Embodied cognition, consciousness and quantum mechanics
Evidence is growing for the theory of embodied cognition, which posits that action and perception co-determine each other, forming an action-perception loop. This suggests that we humans somehow…
John Realpe-GómezDec 28, 2021
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Einstein and the old quantum theory
Objecting that Sommerfeld's quantum conditions refer to particular coordinates, Einstein proposes a canonically invariant rule. But even if the invariance is canonical, Einstein may have in mind a…
Alexander AfriatDec 28, 2021
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The Great Aurora of 4 February 1872 observed by Angelo Secchi in Rome
Observation of auroras at low latitudes is an extremely rare event typically associated with major magnetic storms due to intense Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejections. Since these energetic events…
Francesco Berrilli, Luca GiovannelliDec 27, 2021
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Chris Isham: mentor, colleague, friend
Celebrating fifty years of collaboration and friendship with Chris Isham.
M. J. DuffDec 27, 2021
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The silver-plated mirrors of the Historical Collection of Physics Instruments of Palermo University
In the paper we will describe three instruments of particular historical and didactic interest belonging to the Historical Collection of Physics Instruments of Palermo University: a convex mirror…
Giovanni Luca Sferrazza, Aurelio Agliolo GallittoDec 27, 2021
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On the strangeness of quantum mechanics
The extravagances of quantum mechanics never fail to enrich daily the debate around natural philosophy. Entanglement, non-locality, collapse, many worlds, many minds, and subjectivism have challenged…
Marcello PolettiDec 27, 2021
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On Feynman's Discussion of Classical Physics Failing at Specific Heat
I provide the backstory on how a historical error in the Feynman Lectures on Physics was corrected.
Blake C. StaceyDec 22, 2021
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