Bharat Rakshak

/sigh/

On the topic of "Absence" , which clearly shows there is no such thing as a true "absence" in jagat. अज्ञानात् is anadhi (no parent) so cannot be used for proving or disproving anything. निस्तत्त्व रूपता माया स्वभावो

You're misunderstanding the fundamental concept of 'absence'. अज्ञानात् (ajñānat) indeed means 'due to ignorance', not a proof or disproof of anything.
As the Sanskrit saying goes: वादः प्रमाणं न याति (Vādaḥ pramāṇaṁ na yāti) - 'Debate for its own sake is futile and leads nowhere.'
Let's focus on understanding rather than mere argumentation. /sigh/..

as said before ..I have taught physics/Math for decades, and as one of my guru said (about needless arguments)

अशिक्षितः शक्यो विज्ञातुम्, विद्वान् शिक्ष्यो भवेत्,
अर्धितविद् दुर्मतिर्नृणां, न तं ब्रह्मा विना शशाक।

Rough Translation: A person without knowledge (but who wants to learn) can be taught, It is even easier to teach a learned/smarter student. But for an arrogant person with half-knowledge, who likes to argue for argument's sake, is difficult to teach ..., even Lord Brahma cannot make him understand.
[

As my advisor put it "One always pays the price of ignorance".

^^^ Your adviser may have a point

Also:

Or Stephen Hawkings:
The gaps in our knowledge are not necessarily evidence of something supernatural or paranormal.

Stephen Hawkings theories on Black holes are filled with so many conjectures that your above stmts can be applied to his writings.

It seems we're heading into another pointless debate, where a misunderstanding of Hawking's scientific conjectures (which are evidence-based and testable) is being used to justify the insertion of unproven supernatural or paranormal claims into the gaps of our knowledge. Perhaps it's essential to distinguish between conjectures and absurdities, and recognize that one is a stepping stone to discovery, while the other is a roadblock to understanding.

As my guru often used this Sanskrit saying to convey the futility of such debates:
"वादः प्रमाणं न याति" - 'Debate for its own sake is futile and leads nowhere.'

Amber G. wrote: ↑21 Jul 2024 05:20 You're misunderstanding the fundamental concept of 'absence'.

No your are not understanding what "absence" means. That is why I gave you a link to read बौद्ध शून्यम. Please give it a read and then we can argue.

^^^ Balaji-
/sigh/


I simply pointed out an outright wrong conclusion and absolute nonsense regarding the Voyager spacecraft's trajectory. (The conclusions you drew from believing a YouTube video are absurd and contradict basic facts. As someone familiar with the subject, I just pointed these things out.

I have no interest in debating absurdities. /sigh/

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Stephen Hawking

As I requested before, and you seemed to agree, let us please move this kind of 'debate' to a more appropriate thread, as they detract from the meaningful discussions in the Physics thread. Let's focus on exploring and understanding the wonders of physics!

Wishing the Team India - the best of luck as they participate in the 54th International Physics Olympiad in Isfahan, Iran, July 21-29, 2024. Over 200 high school students from around the globe will compete in this prestigious physics competition.

Sharing -- what i found interesting - and may be interesting to some-:
Physicists looking at a potential element 120 after synthesizing element 116 with a titanium particle beam
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have synthesized element 116 (livermorium) using a titanium particle beam. Previously, physicists created livermorium atoms using a calcium beam. The new method is a significant step towards creating an entirely new element...

Vayutuvan wrote: ↑15 Jul 2024 23:26 .... No, he is not a follower of "western indologists" from Oxbridge, Harvard, Yale, UPenn, or UChicago,

As a professor of physics who has studied ancient Indian resources, allow me to express my views on a subject I know something about.

I'm critical of Western indologists who dismiss ancient Indian science with biased agendas, but equally disappointed in Indian "scholars" who counter with unscientific, superstitious claims, asserting that Vedas held "all" the knowledge. (and nothing new is to be discovered) .. including outlandish assertions like Hanuman knowing the velocity of light to 14 significant figures..or claims that ancient Indians anticipated modern scientific discoveries such as Newton's law of gravitation Calculus or Einstein's relativity, by citing examples like time dilation in the Bhagavatam.. oversimplify complex historical developments .. ityadi ..

Unfortunately, these claims often rely on personal attacks against reputable scientists rather than logical reasoning, hindering constructive dialogue and undermining the value of India's rich scientific heritage

Amber G. wrote: ↑27 Jul 2024 22:04 Unfortunately, these claims often rely on personal attacks against reputable scientists rather than logical reasoning, hindering constructive dialogue and undermining the value of India's rich scientific heritage

@Ambre G ji, you quoted me. It seems as if I am attacking SG Dani. In fact, I am supporting his article which makes the exact same points you are making above. Please edit your above post, if possible.

^^^ I think it was clear that I was NOT commenting on DC Dani (let alone criticizing him or implying that you are attacking him). To be clear I was making the same point as you were in that post.

Superb performance by the Indian team, winning 2 Gold & 3 Silver medals at the International Physics Olympiad #IPhO2024 held at Isfahan, Iran, Jul 21-29. Congratulations Team India!!

Rhythm (Raipur) & Ved (Indore) won Gold, Akarsh (Nagpur), Bhavya (Noida) & Jaiveer (Kota) Silver.

It is amazing and heart warming that the winners are from the so called Tier 2/3 cities and not from the metros.

Meanwhile:
Meanwhile, after Math and Physics -- Chemistry Olympiad ..
We are delighted to announce that India won 1 GOLD, 2 SILVER & 1 BRONZE at 56th International Chemistry Olympiad (#IChO2024) held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Jul 21 to 30,2024.

Gold - Devesh (Jalgaon,MH), Silver -Avaneesh (Kota,RJ), Harshin (Hyderabad,Tel), Bronze - Kashyap (Mumbai,MH)

Interesting conjecture on how a new type of neutrino may be responsible for various unexplained physics:

Sad News:
Tsung-Dao Lee: Nobel laureate famed for work on parity violation dies aged 97 -

Professor Lee received the Nobel Prize alongside CN Yang - my professor, an extremely good teacher and a brilliant physicist. I attended his courses on group theory and general relativity, and worked on projects in statistical mechanics.

Interestingly, TD Lee and CN Yang were students of S. Chandrasekhar, in a class with only two students. Remarkably, both students and their teacher went on to win the Nobel Prize.

CN Yang also passed away recently (on December 24, 2023) at the age of 104, in Beijing, China.
During his long and distinguished career, Yang made significant contributions to various fields, including particle physics, statistical mechanics, and condensed matter physics. He was a tall figure in US Physics. In 1970s when US/ China relationship thawed ( He was one of the first person to make contact and was go between between Mao and Nixon.

Later he also became a prominent figure in the development of theoretical physics in China.

Yang' and Lee'ss legacy continues to inspire new generations of physicists and researchers.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/scien ... 493388.ece^^^The news is also in Indian newspapers .

Theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Chen Ning Yang turns 102 today! With Tsung-Dao Lee, he made the seminal discovery of parity violation in weak interactions and also came up with Yang-Mills theory which is at the core of electroweak unification.

C.N. Yang was my prof.


(T.D Passed away - see my post above..there was also a false news about Yang which i mistakenly reported in that post)

Amber ji, have you heard about this latest physics discovery? (which branch are you specialized in?)

The physics world is avoiding the topic of Big Bang theory when the James Webb Telescope has detected more than 750 galaxies beyond the observable Universe. There are many links on the topic, but I will just post 1 one, fwiw,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jExFfxaeKFc

The US has made Big Bang theory as central material taught in schools/colleges. There is even a popular TV show on the same topic.

^^^
I am amused by the sensationalized claims like the one above circulating on social media and now becoming a routine feature of this physics dhaga.

As someone who's taught physics at top universities, in USA, I can assure you that these 'revelations' are nothing more than misinterpreted or exaggerated clickbait.

The James Webb Telescope's observations do not 'challenge' the Big Bang theory. In fact, they provide valuable insights into the early universe's formation and evolution.

The "750+ galaxies detected" 'beyond the observable universe ' ( what does that mean - detecting beyond the observable part - ) are:

Not 'beyond' the observable universe, but rather, within the observable universe's limits, albeit at very high redshifts.

- Consistent with predictions from the ΛCDM model, which is well-supported by observational - evidence.

It's essential to distinguish between:

Scientific breakthroughs and their accurate interpretation.
Sensationalized media headlines.

The Big Bang theory remains a cornerstone of modern cosmology, extensively supported by:
- Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
- Abundance of light elements
- Large-scale structure formation

US education standards prioritize evidence-based science, not speculative or misinformed claims.
Sensationalized headlines ≠ scientific breakthroughs.

I hope this dhaga focuses on credible scientific sources and peer-reviewed research, rather than social media sensationalism -- most serious posters are not contributing while we see this kind of posts more often again.

sanmanji - I have interest in many fields in Physics (and other aspects in life ).. spent lot of time in statistical mechanics (theoretical physics, condensed matters etc) and in earlier part of my graduate studies in IIT - nuclear physics...

Meanwhile, let me leave something interesting for everyone's reading pleasure from recent Caltech item:.

Gargantuan Black Hole Jets Are Biggest Seen Yet

^^ not clear to me why this is in physics category. Can you explain?

^^^ As i was commenting (half jokingly when people were asking if Computer Science is branch of Physics..type comments) ...this Nobel (in physics) is actually for mathematics and was awarded to a molecular biologist and cognitive psychologist....

In any case see the link above - the 'foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks' (which is physics)'

Geoffrey Hinton used a network developed by his co-laureate John Hopfield as the foundation for a new network: the Boltzmann machine. This can learn to recognise characteristic elements in a given type of data.

The Boltzmann machine can be used to classify images or create new examples of the type of pattern on which it was trained. Hinton has built upon this work, helping initiate the current explosive development of machine learning.

FWIW: John Hopfield is a *well known* American physicist and neuroscientist, son of well known physicsts .. MIT (BS) Cornell(Phd) in Physics worked in superconductivity and superfluidity .. he shifted (like many other physicists) to neuroscience and theoretical biology (Caltech and Princeton University)). His groundbreaking work introduced the concept of "Hopfield networks" – recurrent neural networks capable of associative memory and pattern recognition. This pioneering research bridged physics and neuroscience, influencing fields like artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and computational biology...

Geoffrey Hinton is a prominent Canadian computer scientist and cognitive psychologist, but his background and degrees are in Physics (Cambridge) and computer science.

(Have to agree - as far as people who were predicting this year .. AI came out of the blue here and many are surprised )

Added later: A press conference for Caltech emeritus professor John Hopfield's Nobel Prize in Physics live from Princeton:

Yayavar wrote: ↑08 Oct 2024 21:27 ^^ not clear to me why this is in physics category. Can you explain?

Thanks for asking..My thoughts but infinitely well articulated... in the link shared above...

See around 21 minutes.. the question answer by Hopefield himself

The science and wisdom shared is worth listening to the whole video.

One of the first and famous recommendations engines used in Netflix , I think as part of their $1M prize contest was a Boltzmann machine , so I guess this Nobel is a shoutout to all the ML recommendation systems .

Famous quote - "All science in neural networks (:) or stamp collecting.."

Baker, Hassabis and Jumper win Nobel chemistry prize
Prize awarded for work on building blocks of life
US professor Baker developed tools to create new proteins
Google DeepMind scientists Hassabis and Jumper used AI to predict protein structures.

( Demis Hassabis and John Jumper of Deep Mind,developed Alpha Fold. Coupled with the Physics prize to Geoffrey Hinton, this shows that the impact of AI/ML is pervasive)

( David Silver name, IMO, is missing - who was a major part of the precursors of Alpha Fold)
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemi ... s-release/

I doubt they, especially Hinton, would be getting this if not for current AI hype, a bit of a stretch for physics, then a lot other work could also qualify

Om Shanti.

In Memoriam: Dr. Rohini Godbole (1952-2024)

The scientific community mourns the loss of Dr. Rohini Godbole, a trailblazing Indian physicist who passed away on October 25, 2024.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored her memory with a heartfelt tweet:

"Pained by the passing away of Rohini Godbole Ji. She was a pioneering scientist and innovator, who also was a strong votary of more women in the world of science. Her academic efforts will continue to guide the coming generations. Condolences to her family and admirers. Om Shanti."

I'm deeply saddened, having shared a special bond with Rohini -- fellow graduate students in Physics.

Rohini's did groundbreaking work in elementary particle physics, I have made several posts her in Physics Dhaga (eg ; here , <here> or here .


Her Awards included Padma Shri , National Order of Merit, Satyendranath Bose Medal and Fellowship of National Academy of Sciences, India.etc.

Legacy and Impact:
Dr. Godbole championed women in STEM, co-editing "Lilavati's Daughters: The Women Scientists of India" and leading the Indian Academy of Sciences' Panel for Women in Science.

Rest in peace, dear friend.

Shwetank wrote: ↑11 Oct 2024 01:09 I doubt they, especially Hinton, would be getting this if not for current AI hype, a bit of a stretch for physics, then a lot other work could also qualify

100%

Honoring Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha on his birth anniversary, remembering the visionary father of India’s Nuclear Program.

There are a few articles in the main stream media about my friend Rohini Godbole

Amber G. wrote: ↑26 Oct 2024 12:53 Om Shanti.

In Memoriam: Dr. Rohini Godbole (1952-2024)

The scientific community mourns the loss of Dr. Rohini Godbole, a trailblazing Indian physicist who passed away on October 25, 2024.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored her memory with a heartfelt tweet:

"Pained by the passing away of Rohini Godbole Ji. She was a pioneering scientist and innovator, who also was a strong votary of more women in the world of science. Her academic efforts will continue to guide the coming generations. Condolences to her family and admirers. Om Shanti.

I'm deeply saddened, having shared a special bond with Rohini -- fellow graduate students in Physics.



Rest in peace, dear friend.

Here is one:

Rohini Godbole: a passion for high-energy physics, gender equity

Prof Godbole was a role model for young researchers, particularly women scientists struggling against gender bias and negative attitudes

Remembering Sir CV Raman, IISc’s first Indian Director, on his birth anniversary.
(I remember his guest lectures and interaction with physics Department at IIT)

Great Atma. What is the device he is using in the picture above. Some kind of spectroscope?

Yes, I think it is the Raman Spectrometer ( also called spectroscope old books) built by him..






(Tidbit - I am privileged to knew him and the his family)
Picture credit IISc and other sources.

Amber G. wrote: ↑08 Nov 2024 10:09 Yes, I think it is the Raman Spectrometer ( also called spectroscope old books) built by him..

(Tidbit - I am privileged to knew him and the his family)
Picture credit IISc and other sources.

Thanks for the information and the tidbit too. You must have many stories that are not published from this circle of scientists.

ernest wrote: ↑09 Nov 2024 09:41

Amber G. wrote: ↑08 Nov 2024 10:09 Yes, I think it is the Raman Spectrometer ( also called spectroscope old books) built by him..

(Tidbit - I am privileged to knew him and the his family)
Picture credit IISc and other sources.

Thanks for the information and the tidbit too. You must have many stories that are not published from this circle of scientists.

Thank you. This dhaga contains numerous scientist stories, including over a dozen about C.V. Raman (easily searchable - just search in this dhaga).
Personally, I've been fortunate to be close friends with one of Raman's renowned nephews since graduate school, allowing me decades-long familiarity with the family.

Additionally, my professor, Nobel laureate C.N. Yang, was a student of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, yielding more fascinating stories.

Infosys Prize2024 in Physical Sciences is awarded to Prof. Vedika Khemani, of Stanford who has made wide-ranging and groundbreaking contributions to theoretical and experimental non-equilibrium quantum matter, most notably the discovery of time-crystals.

For those like myself wondering what time crystals are, here is the story from the Stanford Report:

Stanford physicists help create time crystals with quantum computers
A team of researchers including ones from Stanford and Google have created and observed a new phase of matter, popularly known as a time crystal.

What I don't get from an engineer's POV is

Not only did they manage to find stable non-equilibrium phases, they found one where the spins of the particles flipped between patterns that repeat in time forever, at a period twice that of the driving period of the laser, thus making a time crystal.

When this happens you should see measurable "jitter" or phase noise of these particles. This almost sounds too good to be true.