ISSYP 2009

An introduction to the mathematics necessary to fully appreciate the ISSYP relativity and quantum lectures. Binomial theorem, series expansions of common functions, complex numbers, and real and complex waves.

Our universe has a split personality: quantum and relativity. Understanding how the two can coexist, i.e. how our universe can exist, is one of the greatest challenges facing theoretical physicists in the 21st century. The presentation focuses on a simple but mind-bending thought experiment that hints at some fascinating new ways of thinking that may be required to unravel this mystery. Could the world be like a hologram? The half hour multimedia presentation provides refreshing insight into how science works – how theoretical physicists search for the ultimate nature of reality, and is followed by a half hour question and answer session with PI researcher Sean Gryb.

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, Feynman sum over paths interpretation of quantum mechanics, and the harmonic oscillator: introduction to tunnelling, QFT (what is a photon?), and zero point energy.

Dr. Smolin is a faculty member at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and author of several books including most recently “The Trouble with Physics”. He is known for devising several different approaches to quantum gravity, in particular, loop quantum gravity. His research interests include cosmology, elementary particle theory, the foundations of quantum mechanics, and theoretical biology. This information Chalk and Talk will explore in special topics in Quantum Gravity.

Physics emerged from the twentieth century with two remarkably successful descriptions of nature which stand in striking contrast. Quantum mechanics describes the subatomic realm with intrinsic uncertainties and probabilities. On the other hand, Einstein's general relativity describe gravitational phenomena in an exacting geometric arena. Theoretical physicists have struggled for over fifty years trying to combine these views in a single unified framework. More recently, superstring theory has drawn a huge amount of interest as a leading contender to provide such a unification. Superstring theory is a theory of strings, branes, extra spacetime dimensions and much more. In my lecture, I will try to give a flavour for what superstring theory is all about and why physicists, like myself, continue to be so excited about this, perhaps the final theory.

Classical physics of a spinning bar magnet in an external magnetic field:  energy, angular momentum, torque and its effect on angular momentum, and precession.  Application to NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance).  The peculiar physics and mathematics of quantum mechanical spin: quantization of spin and superposition of spin states.  Application of quantum mechanical spin and NMR to quantum computing..