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Friday, August 6, 2010

Superconductor strange behavior only explained by String Theory


US scientists have found that the strange behavior of
cuprates, a superconductor copper composite group of materials, have a resistivity and rate of electron scattering which are directly proportional to temperature, instead of being proportional to the square of the temperature as happens in other superconductors, which are ruled by Fermi's laws.

According to co-researcher Hong Liu: there's really no theory of how to explain that.

Except String Theory.

Using a key property of String Theory, known as gauge-gravity duality, which states that each quantum (gauge) phenomenon has an analogue in the realm of gravity, they found that black holes seem to behave in the gravitational field exactly as non-Fermi liquids, like said cuprates, do in the quantum one.

Source: Science Daily

Ref. Thomas Faulkner et al. Strange Metal Transport Realized by Gauge/Gravity Duality. Science 2010. Pay per view.


It is not the first time that the String Theory, that should unify Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity, seems to be confirmed empirically in this strange world of "warm" superconductors. I already mentioned previous research a year ago.

However opponents seem whinny about the supposed non-demonstrability of String Theory, which actually has to do with some complains regarding the impossibility to falsify it at the "usual" particle accelerator energies. But I suspect that they are rather too inclined to materiality and lack holistic vision, which is necessary for a theory of all, an explanation not just of this universe but of the metaverse itself, of "God" if you wish. Of course, such explanation must also work in this world but there is no reason to think that this universe is the only thing existing, specially because we know it has a beginning, it is finite, hence there must be something else. It is more than probable that to explain some phenomenons at the very edges of this universe, as happens with black holes, the big bang and others, we need to explain not only the 3+i dimensional sub-reality we exist in but all, absolutely all, even what we cannot perceive easily. Only String Theory reaches that far, which is a virtue rather than a defect.

But hyper-materialists are uncomfortable with a reality with more than the usually experimented dimensions and surely they were uncomfortable with relativity and its folding of space and time in the past as well. They prefer particles to be objects, even if they have to be Newtonian non-dimensional points, and that is a psychological barrier. But what's wrong with a string or a brane? Nothing, in fact it's more natural for the relativistically-minded: you don't need anymore an unreal punctual electron immersed in quantum uncertainty but you actually have a most reasonable string that vibrates, which is actually what electrons or photons seem to do, as they are neither here nor there as punctual particles or they are particle and wave at the same time... only brane mechanics, i.e. String Theory, can explain that, it's pure logic... at least for me.

Is it an issue to need more dimensions? Not at all. There must be something else than this universe and therefore there must be further dimensions, maybe infinite. This is also pure logic. I am persuaded that great thinkers of the past such as Spinoza or Einstein would have agreed with this theory. But I learned the basics of these physics from one of the most celebrated geniuses of our time, Stephen Hawkins. So it sounds quite interesting. Authority however is no proof, the proof is in superconductors, it seems.

5 comments:

joe90 kane said...

Sorry this comment isn't about the wierd behaviour of supercondcutivity,
but I thought Leherensuge and its denizens might be interested in the forthcoming event being held in Edinburgh and oragnised by the Scottish Socialist Party -
The Basque Country: the struggle for independence and socialism

See the Events Calender on the right-hand sidebar of the following webpage -
http://ssy.org.uk/tag/basque-country/

If you are on Facebook find out more about the event here -
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138344002872961

I'm am not a member of the SSP but am very much an admirer of them and their work.

Elections to the Scottish Parliament are next year and I hope they do well (along with the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party).

all the best

Maju said...

Thanks for the link. I was not aware of the SSP - they look nice.

I don't have a facebook account and I don't plan on getting one any time soon. For me the Internet is mostly about freely sharing rather than in particular clubs which need registration and do not guarantee privacy nor freedom of speech (Facebook recently banned Arnaldo Otegi's page and account twice).

joe90 kane said...

Further to my last comment -
Speakers from the Basque country at Glasgow public meeting
Flickr

On Tuesday 10th August 2010 four speakers from the Basque country, members of Askapena, gave a very interesting talk at a public meeting in Glasgow city centre.
The meeting was hosted by the Scottish Socialist Party and was attended by some members who have visited the Basque country and who were able to give some additional input.
Jack Ferguson a member of the Scottish Socialist Youth who had recently been to the Basque country was one of the speakers at the table and the meeting was chaired by Bill Bonnar of the Scottish Socialist Party.


Camp it up!
Scottish Socialist Youth blog
11 Aug 2010

We were particularly honoured to have with us four comrades from the Basque pro-independence left. They are part of the Basque internationalist group Askapena, and are on a brigade to Scotland to learn more about our struggle for an independent socialist Scotland, and to forge stronger links between us and the Basque country.

The Basque comrades spoke to the whole camp about the tremendous repression they face at the hands of the Spanish and French states, and the politics they use to try and defeat it. We were really pleased to have about 40 folk at CSS, but were put to shame to learn that an equivalent event organised by the Basque youth movement can attract 20,000! As we’ve reported before, the youth movement in the Basque country is illegal, and the organisers of these camps are in prison.



all the best

ps
Scottish Socilaist Party website

Maju said...

You are hijacking this most interesting (yet ignored) thread on physics with the Scottish Socialists... Though I really don't mind much because it's a somewhat interesting issue. I must say I find more interesting to read about the young Scottish socialist youths, a pretty much unknown theme over here, than about Basque internationalists.

Cheers.

joe90 kane said...

You are hijacking this most interesting (yet ignored) thread on physics with the Scottish Socialists...
- Yes I know. Sorry about that.
Thanks for your indulgence Maju.
It's very much appreciated.

All the best.