[X] My Assistant

[Pando]

This one is really interesting. A scientist by the name of Alexander Mayer posted several of his lectures at his Stanford University website suggesting a radical theory of time, with some interesting data to back up that theory. A heated debate ensued at SlashDot. Shortly thereafter his website at Stanford was administratively locked, his lectures were taken down, and his name from the "Visiting" faculty members was removed.

Original Stanford University website (no longer works):
http://www.stanford.edu/~afmayer/
A Google cache still exists for that site. While Google did not cache his lecture Powerpoint and PDF files, someone managed to grab them and make a mirror containing those files (get them while you can).

At the simplest, he introduces a simple thought experiment from which he proposes a "Gravitational Transverse Redshift" phenomenon. He then proceeds to use this phenomenon to help explain such modern day mysteries as the Big Bang, Dark Matter, and anomalies in GPS data. If nothing else, it makes an interesting read...

[alan]

Was he the one claiming the existance of space-time implied nothing really moved?

[Bob Shaw]

Was he the one claiming the existance of space-time implied nothing really moved?

I have two teenagers in the house who can prove that anytime.

Bob Shaw

[ljk4-1]

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0602280

From: George F. R. Ellis [view email]

Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 10:47:21 GMT (109kb)

Issues in the Philosophy of Cosmology

Authors: George F. R. Ellis

Comments: To appear in the Handbook in Philosophy of Physics, Ed J Butterfield and J Earman (Elsevier, 2006)

After a survey of the present state of cosmological theory and observations, this article discusses a series of major themes underlying the relation of philosophy to cosmology. These are: A: The uniqueness of the universe; B: The large scale of the universe in space and time; C: The unbound energies in the early universe; D: Explaining the universe -- the question of origins; E: The universe as the background for existence; F: The explicit philosophical basis; G: The Anthropic question: fine tuning for life; H: The possible existence of multiverses; I: The natures of existence. Each of these themes is explored and related to a series of Theses that set out the major issues confronting cosmology in relation to philosophy.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0602280

[ljk4-1]

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0602356

From: William Stoeger [view email]

Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 00:24:15 GMT (10kb)

Retroduction, Multiverse Hypotheses and Their Testability

Authors: William R. Stoeger

Comments: 12 PAGES, 0 FIGURES

The actual existence of collections of universes -- multiverses -- is strongly suggested by leading approaches to quantum cosmology, and has been proposed earlier as an attractive way to explain the apparent fine-tuned character of our universe. But, how can such hypotheses be tested? After briefly discussing the key distinction between possible and really existing multiverses, and the importance of an adequate generating process, we focus on elaborating how multiverse hypotheses can be retroductively tested, even though they will probably never be directly observed.In this approach, scientific acceptance of multiverses would rely on the long-term success and fertility of quantum cosmological theories including them as essential elements or as inevitable consequences.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0602356

[ljk4-1]

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology, abstract
gr-qc/0602084

From: Nobuyuki Sakai [view email]

Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 15:03:29 GMT (226kb)

The universe out of a monopole in the laboratory?

Authors: Nobuyuki Sakai, Ken-ichi Nakao, Hideki Ishihara, Makoto Kobayashi

Comments: 15 pages, 5 figures

Report-no: OCU-PHYS-241, AP-GR-31

To explore the possibility that an inflationary universe can be created out of a stable particle in the laboratory, we consider the classical and quantum dynamics of a magnetic monopole in the thin-shell approximation. Classically there are three types of solutions: stable, collapsing and inflating monopoles. We argue that the transition from a stable monopole to an inflating one could occur either by collision with a domain wall or by quantum tunneling.

http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0602084


THE ANTHROPIC UNIVERSE (Science Show: 18/02/2006)

It's called the anthropic universe: a world set up so that human beings
could eventually emerge. So many physical constants, so many aspects of our
solar system, so much seems to be finally tuned for our benefit. But was it?
We hear from Professor Martin Rees, Paul Davies and Frank Tipler, as well as
many others, about one of the ultimate questions.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s1572643.htm

[ljk4-1]

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0602420

From: Paul Davies [view email]

Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 04:08:43 GMT (210kb)

The problem of what exists

Authors: P.C.W. Davies

Comments: 18 pages, one figure, conference paper

Popular multiverse models such as the one based on the string theory landscape require an underlying set of unexplained laws containing many specific features and highly restrictive prerequisites. I explore the consequences of relaxing some of these prerequisites with a view to discovering whether any of them might be justified anthropically. Examples considered include integer space dimensionality, the immutable, Platonic nature of the laws of physics and the no-go theorem for strong emergence. The problem of why some physical laws exist, but others which are seemingly possible do not, takes on a new complexion following this analysis, although it remains an unsolved problem in the absence of an additional criterion.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0602420

[ljk4-1]

Is our universe about to be mangled?

NewScientist.com news service Feb. 23, 2006

*************************

Our universe may one day be
obliterated or assimilated by a
larger universe, according to a
controversial new analysis. The work
suggests the parallel universes
proposed by some quantum theorists
may not actually be parallel but
could interact -- and with disastrous...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=5332&m=7610

[ljk4-1]

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0602515

From: Eckhard Rebhan [view email]

Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 14:28:35 GMT (63kb)

"Soft bang" instead of "big bang": model of an inflationary universe without singularities and with eternal physical past time

Authors: E. Rebhan (Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet Duesseldorf)

Comments: 21 pages, 5 figures

Journal-ref: Astron. Astrophys. 353, 1-9 (2000)

The solution for an inflationary universe without singularities is derived from the Einstein-Lemaitre equations. The present state of the universe evolved from a steady state solution for a tiny, but classical micro-universe with large cosmological constant or large equivalent vacuum energy density and with an equal energy density of radiation and/or some kind of relativistic primordial matter in the infinite past. An instability of this state outside the quantum regime caused a "soft bang" by triggering an expansion that smoothly started with zero expansion rate, continuously increased, culminated in an exponentially inflating phase and ended through a phase transition, the further evolution being a Friedmann-Lemaitre evolution as in big bang models. As a necessary implication of the model the universe must be closed. All other parameters of the model are very similar to those of big bang models and comply with observational constraints.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0602515


General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology, abstract
gr-qc/0602086

From: Parampreet Singh [view email]

Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 20:22:34 GMT (552kb)

Quantum Nature of the Big Bang

Authors: Abhay Ashtekar, Tomasz Pawlowski, Parampreet Singh

Comments: Revtex4, 4 Pages, 2 Figures

Report-no: IGPG 06/2-1

Some long standing issues concerning the quantum nature of the big bang are resolved in the context of homogeneous isotropic models with a scalar field. Specifically, the known results on the resolution of the big bang singularity in loop quantum gravity are significantly extended as follows: i) the scalar field is shown to serve as an internal clock, thereby providing a detailed realization of the `emergent time' idea; ii) the physical Hilbert space, Dirac observables and semi-classical states are constructed rigorously; iii) the Hamiltonian constraint is solved numerically to show that the big bang is replaced by a big bounce. Thanks to the non-perturbative, background independent methods, unlike in other approaches the quantum evolution is deterministic across the deep Planck regime.

http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0602086

[ljk4-1]

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0603750

From: Edward L. Wright [view email]

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 05:55:12 GMT (19kb)

A Century of Cosmology

Authors: E. L. Wright (UCLA Astronomy)

Comments: Talk presented at the "Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology - Einstein's Legacy" meeting in Munich, Nov 2005. Proceedings will be published in the Springer-Verlag "ESO Astrophysics Symposia" series. 10 pages Latex with 2 figures

In the century since Einstein's anno mirabilis of 1905, our concept of the Universe has expanded from Kapteyn's flattened disk of stars only 10 kpc across to an observed horizon about 30 Gpc across that is only a tiny fraction of an immensely large inflated bubble. The expansion of our knowledge about the Universe, both in the types of data and the sheer quantity of data, has been just as dramatic. This talk will summarize this century of progress and our current understanding of the cosmos.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0603750

[ljk4-1]

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0602280

From: George F. R. Ellis [view email]

Date (v1): Mon, 13 Feb 2006 10:47:21 GMT (109kb)
Date (revised v2): Wed, 29 Mar 2006 14:23:05 GMT (109kb)

Issues in the Philosophy of Cosmology

Authors: George F. R. Ellis

Comments: To appear in the Handbook in Philosophy of Physics, Ed J Butterfield and J Earman (Elsevier, 2006). Small imporvements plus crucial change in Thesis B2

After a survey of the present state of cosmological theory and observations, this article discusses a series of major themes underlying the relation of philosophy to cosmology. These are: A: The uniqueness of the universe; B: The large scale of the universe in space and time; C: The unbound energies in the early universe; D: Explaining the universe -- the question of origins; E: The universe as the background for existence; F: The explicit philosophical basis; G: The Anthropic question: fine tuning for life; H: The possible existence of multiverses; I: The natures of existence. Each of these themes is explored and related to a series of Theses that set out the major issues confronting cosmology in relation to philosophy.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0602280