I'm Not the Only Crazy One

Summary: Brian Cox, cute and funny English physicist, has recently spoke on BBC radio about his belief in the multiverse theory. This is the fun theory that there are infinitely many worlds in existence. This would be such that there is a world in which Schrodinger's cat is alive, one in which he is dead, and a world for every other state of well being in between. This generally makes physicists happy because that means the wave form does not have to collapse. Sure, some outcomes are more likely to happen, but there is a world for each and every outcome.

Personally, I love this theory and am constantly trying to plan a short sci-fi novel around that idea.


BBC News

Cosmic Waves of Discovery

Summary: Scientists at the BICEP2 collaboration at the South Pole have detected signal that confirm theories of the rapid expansion of the universe immediately after the big bang. If validated by other experiments (which is likely to happen as the signal found is actually stronger than predicted) this confirms a super-rapid expansion within the first instants of the universe before "slowing down" to rapid expansion. What they found were twists in Cosmic Radiation Background that could have only been produced by gravitational waves.

So what does this mean? These signals tell astronomers that gravity was present during this time in which quantum effects dominated the, then very tiny, universe. This gives us greater hope that the Four Fundamental Forces can be one day combined into a unified Theory of Everything which could better describe conditions at the big bang.


BBC News
Minute Physics video explaining the discovery
Discussion on background and implications
Video of the founding scientists hearing the news
SciShow

Smorgasbord of Articles

I have not had much time of late to write up, or even read some of these articles and while I hope to catch up over my break, I do not wish to deprive you of them any longer than necessary. So here are a bunch of potentially interesting articles.

Quantum 'world record' smashed
New invisibility cloak type designed
Physics probes 'splashback' problem
Freak space rock spins dusty trail
India Mars probe makes first burn
Olympic torch in first spacewalk
Laser ripping apart spacetime to create ghosts
New Super-Black Material
Superconducting video camera seeing in living color

Planck Length

Summary: Below I have linked you to a beautiful article in Fermilab Today answering the question "It is said that the Planck length is the smallest length possible. Is that true? If so, why?" It's not particularly news, but if you are in any way interested in physics or quantum mechanics then i is a worthwhile read.


Fermilab Today