Week 5: (A)Symmetry and CP Violation
(A)Symmetry & CP Violation
In physics, a symmetry of a physical system is a physical or mathematical feature of the system (observed or intrinsic) that is preserved or remains unchanged under some transformation. This definition is according to our open source friends at Wikipedia, for which I am grateful, as I was having a hard time understanding the idea.
In a CP violation, the conservation of parity, which states that “the laws of physics shouldn’t change when all the signs of a particle’s spatial coordinates are flipped (1),” didn't hold up in a kaon. They were discovered to be unique in that "the matter and anti-matter forms occasionally decay in slightly different modes (2)." This breakdown may be due to the prevalence of matter in the Universe, whereas a Universe that was 50-50 matter and anti-matter would not last long, as those elements would destroy one another (2).
The discovery of CP violation was recognized with the 1980 Nobel Prize in physics, and opened a wide field in particle physics.
A contemplation I can muster on symmetry in my lived experience would be the idea of the interrelationship between thought, desire, and matter in my world. One teacher whom I respect, Dr. Robert Svoboda, has stated that “the content of your life depends in large part on what you invoke into it.” I think that points to an internal- external "symmetry" that I find engaging.
I can also appreciate the possibility that we might, in the future, be able to manipulate all parts of the CPT fundamentals, and thereby be able to revisit choices that we have made in the past, and perhaps choose differently to affect the future. That's scientific research I would certainly be interested in.
Sources:
1. https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/charge-parity-violation
2. Class handout. www.krystal.com/subatomic.html
In physics, a symmetry of a physical system is a physical or mathematical feature of the system (observed or intrinsic) that is preserved or remains unchanged under some transformation. This definition is according to our open source friends at Wikipedia, for which I am grateful, as I was having a hard time understanding the idea.
In a CP violation, the conservation of parity, which states that “the laws of physics shouldn’t change when all the signs of a particle’s spatial coordinates are flipped (1),” didn't hold up in a kaon. They were discovered to be unique in that "the matter and anti-matter forms occasionally decay in slightly different modes (2)." This breakdown may be due to the prevalence of matter in the Universe, whereas a Universe that was 50-50 matter and anti-matter would not last long, as those elements would destroy one another (2).
The discovery of CP violation was recognized with the 1980 Nobel Prize in physics, and opened a wide field in particle physics.
A contemplation I can muster on symmetry in my lived experience would be the idea of the interrelationship between thought, desire, and matter in my world. One teacher whom I respect, Dr. Robert Svoboda, has stated that “the content of your life depends in large part on what you invoke into it.” I think that points to an internal- external "symmetry" that I find engaging.
I can also appreciate the possibility that we might, in the future, be able to manipulate all parts of the CPT fundamentals, and thereby be able to revisit choices that we have made in the past, and perhaps choose differently to affect the future. That's scientific research I would certainly be interested in.
Sources:
1. https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/charge-parity-violation
2. Class handout. www.krystal.com/subatomic.html
Hi Clay--How funny, I referenced the same Symmetry journal article (my search must have been something like "symmetry physics help me")--it's kind of a gem, right? I like the point you raise about how we might manipulate CPT fundamentals to affect not only charge and parity (which physicists seem to be playing around with in accelerators right now) but also time. Could it lead us to a quantum level "Choose your own adventure" where you can flip back the pages to experience different outcomes?
ReplyDeleteI think the thought of a "choose your own adventure" through time sounds like an interesting application of manipulating CP fundamentals! I like that. It's also interesting to me because it ties in with the idea of creating a kind-of "perfect world" scenario, where we can put death at bay, genetically engineer perfect offspring, and control the fundamentals of space-time. While I'm not a big fan of this tech-fueled utopian-obsession, I do love good Sci-Fi! :)
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