Physical Paradigm Research Articles

From Complex Dynamics to Foundational Physics (Part 1)

As of today, Quantum Field Theory (QFT) and General Relativity (GR) are broadly recognized paradigms of foundational physics. There are, however, growing suspicions that both paradigms fail to hold somewhere above the Standard Model (SM) scale and in the realm of primordial cosmology. Evidence collected on multiple fronts indicates that emergence and complexity are universal features of far-from-equilibrium systems with many degrees of freedom. In line with these findings, Part 1 of the report explores the complex dynamics of evolving dimensional fluctuations beyond the SM scale. Part 2 outlines the role of complex dynamics in the nonintegrable sector of particle physics, Dark Matter condensation and the gravitational regime of the early Universe.

Sharkovskii’s theorem and the limits of digital computers for the simulation of chaotic dynamical systems

Chaos is a unique paradigm in classical physics within which systems exhibit extreme sensitivity to the initial conditions. Thus, they need to be handled using probabilistic methods commonly based on ensembles. However, initial conditions generated by digital computers fall within the sparse set of discrete IEEE floating point numbers which have non-uniform distributions along the real axis. Therefore, there are many missing initial conditions whose absence might be expected to degrade the computed statistical properties of chaotic systems. The universality of this problem is enshrined in Sharkovskii’s theorem which is the simplest mathematical statement of the fact that no finite number representation of a chaotic dynamical system can account for all of its properties and shows that the precision of the representation limits the accuracy of the resulting digital behaviour.

Relativity and quantum theory: Under the spell of today’s paradigms

Abstract Thomas S. Kuhn described the development of the (natural) sciences as a specific dynamical process. Periods of piecemeal growth of knowledge based on widely accepted paradigms are interrupted by bursts of revolutionary changes which lead to new paradigms incommensurate with the earlier ones. This process is briefly illustrated by recalling the changes to classical physics brought about by Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity on the one hand and by quantum theory on the other. Both theories represent fundamental paradigms of contemporary physics. They appear unshakeable to the working physicist but according to Kuhn their paradigmatic status is of a temporary nature only. Does Kuhn’s framework help to identify potential future revolutions?

GILBERT SIMONDON AND DIFFERENT SENSES OF “EVOLUTION”

This article explores the influence of Bergsonian ideas on Simondon’s thought. In his main thesis Individuation in Light of Notions of Form and Information, Simondon parts ways with Bergson, in spite of parallel ideas, insofar as he favours a physical paradigm of individuation, applicable to all kinds of dynamic systems. Hence it is not just life that manifests a tendency toward individuation. The Bergsonian influence becomes manifest in Simondon’s complementary thesis On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects, where he applies a quasi-biological, evolutionary schema to technical development. The idea of technical evolution is Simondon’s attempt to bestow a certain autonomy and dignity to technical reality, too often depreciated in his view as a simple tool or extension of organic life. This article pursues the question of how this account of technical evolution fits within the broader schema of the theory of individuation.

Phases and dynamics of few fermionic impurities immersed in two-dimensional boson droplets

We unravel the ground state properties and emergent nonequilibrium dynamics of a mixture consisting of a few spin-polarized fermions embedded in a two-dimensional bosonic quantum droplet. For an increasingly attractive droplet-fermion interaction we find a transition from a spatially delocalized fermion configuration to a state where the fermions are highly localized and isolated. This process is accompanied by the rise of induced fermion-fermion interactions mediated by the droplet. Additionally, for increasing attractive droplet-fermion coupling, undulations in the droplet density occur in the vicinity of the fermions manifesting the back-action of the latter. Following interaction quenches from strong to weaker attractive droplet-fermion couplings reveals the spontaneous nucleation of complex excitation patterns in the fermion density such as ring- and cross-shaped structures. These stem from the enhanced interference of the fermions that remain trapped within the droplet, which emulates, to a good degree, an effective potential for the fermions. The non-negligible back-action of the droplet manifests itself in the fact that the effective potential predictions are less accurate at the level of the many-body wave function. Our results provide a paradigm for physics beyond the reduced single-component droplet model, unveiling the role of back-action in droplets and the effect of induced mediated interactions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physical Therapy Paradigms in Athletic Return to Play After Hip Surgery

Hip arthroscopy has become the predominant surgical approach for managing femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and associated intra-articular pathologies, particularly in athletes. Despite advancements in surgical techniques, rehabilitation protocols, especially those governing return to play (RTP), have not kept pace in terms of specificity and objectivity. This article reviews current practices and introduces a comprehensive, multi-factorial continuum for RTP that extends beyond mere time-based criteria to include an athlete's overall readiness, encompassing both physical and psychological aspects. Through a phased rehabilitation strategy beginning in the preoperative phase and extending through to full return to competition, this paper aims to present a more nuanced continuum for RTP that accounts for an athlete's readiness beyond temporal benchmarks. The phases outlined include preoperative preparation, immediate postoperative care, early rehabilitation, reconditioning, performance enhancement, and final return to play, each phase tailored to integrate clinical milestones with biomechanical and psychosocial factors. This approach advocates for a shift towards personalized rehabilitation protocols that align with the biological healing processes and functional milestones essential for a successful return to sports.

Machian fractons, Hamiltonian attractors, and nonequilibrium steady states

We study the N fracton problem in classical mechanics, with fractons defined as point particles that conserve multipole moments up to a given order. We find that the nonlinear Machian dynamics of the fractons is characterized by late-time attractors in position-velocity space for all N, despite the absence of attractors in phase space dictated by Liouville's theorem. These attractors violate ergodicity and lead to nonequilibrium steady states, which always break translational symmetry, even in spatial dimensions where the Hohenberg-Mermin-Wagner-Coleman theorem for equilibrium systems forbids such breaking. We provide a conceptual understanding of our results using an adiabatic approximation for the late-time trajectories and an analogy with the idea of “order-by-disorder” borrowed from equilibrium statistical mechanics. Altogether, these fracton systems host a paradigm for Hamiltonian dynamics and nonequilibrium many-body physics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Notes on Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation of Historic Cores in the Middle East: A Critical Review, Evaluation and Recommendations

The historic cores in the Middle East (after this referred to as “ME”) region, a fragmented and thoroughly changed region during the 19th and 20th centuries, have many identities and authenticity challenges. Unfortunately, the rapid development rate, economic and rapid urbanisation, fast population increase, conflicts, lack of appreciation and awareness, and increasing market values gradually replace urban heritage buildings with newer, higher-density identity-less structures. This paper attempts to present the features, obstacles, challenges, and opportunities facing the urban built heritage at the historical cores and the neighbourhood within their physical, cultural and social life in the ME. It analyses questions for maintaining identity and authenticity, the future of traditional physical, technical and functional architectural elements paradigms and their contemporary reinterpretation and rethinking conservation from sustainable technical culture to socio-cultural sustainability. The paper investigates several issues related to the conservation concepts of the urban and architectural heritage in the ME. Special attention is given to the decision-making framework in the conservation practice, the destruction of the traditional urban heritage, and the destruction resulting from the ME region's political changes (modernisation). The focus is to identify, discuss and analyse how to deal with the challenges of maintaining the identity and authenticity of their historic urban cores. Finally, guidelines and framework recommendations are made for possible measures that may be taken for social sustainability.

Studying high-energy nuclear physics with machine learning

The research paradigm in physics has evolved through three distinct phases: empirical observation and induction, theoretical modeling and deduction and computational numerical analysis and simulation. We are now situated within a novel epoch wherein the scientific research paradigm is increasingly shaped by the preeminence of large-scale data and artificial intelligence, particularly within the realm of AI for science applications. The advent of high-energy colliders coupled with Monte Carlo simulations has given rise to an unprecedented accumulation of data. Nested within this transformative research paradigm, machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies have been extensively harnessed for the analysis of these vast data sets. Within the domain of high-energy nuclear physics, two prevalent machine learning techniques have emerged: Bayesian analysis and deep learning. The former employs comprehensive fitting methodologies that compare extensive data sets against theoretical models, enabling the extraction of critical information pertaining to the initial nuclear structure, parton distributions, the equation of state governing hot and dense nuclear matter, and the transport coefficients of the quark–gluon plasma, among other parameters. Conversely, the latter capitalizes on the unparalleled pattern recognition capabilities of deep learning to discern robust features from high-dimensional raw data, specifically targeting individual physical parameters. This paper elucidates the fundamental principles of machine learning and delineates its potential to augment high-energy nuclear physics research endeavors.

Layer-Valley Hall Effect under Inversion and Time-Reversal Symmetries

Abstract Hall effects have been the central paradigms in modern physics, materials science and practical applications, and have led to many exciting breakthroughs, including the discovery of topological Chern invariants and the revolution of metrological resistance standard. To date, the Hall effects have mainly focused on a single degree of freedom (DoF), and most of them require the breaking of spatial-inversion and/or time-reversal symmetries. Here we demonstrate a new type of Hall effect, i.e., layer-valley Hall effect, based on a combined layer-valley DoF characterized by the product of layer and valley indices. The layer-valley Hall effect has a quantum origin arising from the layer-valley contrasting Berry curvature, and can occur in nonmagnetic centrosymmetric crystals with both spatial-inversion and time-reversal symmetries, transcending the symmetry constraints of single DoF Hall effect based on the constituent layer or valley index. Moreover, the layer-valley Hall effect is highly tunable and shows a W-shaped pattern in response to the out-of-plane electric fields. Additionally, we discuss the potential detection approaches and material-specific design principles of layer-valley Hall effect. Our results demonstrate novel Hall physics and open up exotic paradigms for new research direction of layer-valleytronics that exploits the quantum nature of the coupled layer-valley DoF.

Harnessing data using symbolic regression methods for discovering novel paradigms in physics

Harnessing data using symbolic regression methods for discovering novel paradigms in physics

Logistics Hub and Route Optimization in the Physical Internet Paradigm

Background: The global logistics industry is facing looming challenges related to labor shortages and low-efficiency problems due to the lack of logistics facilities and resources, resulting in increased logistics delays. The Physical Internet is seen as a way to take logistics into the next generation of transformation. This research proposes a Physical Internet-enabled system that allows multiple companies to efficiently share warehouses and trucks to achieve operational efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Methods: We propose a novel demography-weighted combinatorial optimization model utilizing a genetic algorithm and the Lin–Kernighan heuristic. The model is tested with real data simulations to evaluate its performance. Results: The results show that compared to the existing model presented in a previous study, our proposed model improves location optimality and distributive routing efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions by 54%. Conclusions: By providing a well-founded novel model, this research makes an important contribution to the implementation of the Physical Internet by computing optimal logistics hubs and routes as well as providing a solution to cut CO2 emissions by half.

A quantitative comparison of virtual and physical experimental paradigms for the investigation of pedestrian responses in hostile emergencies

Modern experiments investigating human behaviour in emergencies are often implemented in virtual reality (VR), due to the increased experimental control and improved ethical viability over physical reality (PR). However, there remain questions regarding the validity of the results obtained from these environments, and no full validation of VR experiments has yet appeared. This study compares the results of two sets of experiments (in VR and PR paradigms) investigating behavioural responses to knife-based hostile aggressors. This study quantitatively analyses these results to ascertain whether the different paradigms generate different responses, thereby assessing the use of virtual reality as a data generating paradigm for emergencies. The results show that participants reported almost identical psychological responses. This study goes on to identify minimal differences in movement responses across a range of predictors, noting a difference in responses between genders. As a result, this study concludes that VR can produce similarly valid data as physical experiments when investigating human behaviour in hostile emergencies, and that it is therefore possible to conduct realistic experimentation through VR environments while retaining confidence in the resulting data. This has major implications for the future of this type of research, and furthermore suggests that VR experimentation should be performed for both existing and new critical infrastructure to understand human responses in hostile scenarios.

Classical ‘Spin’ Filtering with Two Degrees of Freedom and Dissipation

Coupling of orbital motion to a spin degree of freedom gives rise to various transport phenomena in quantum systems that are beyond the standard paradigms of classical physics. Here, we discuss features of spin-orbit dynamics that can be visualized using a classical model with two coupled angular degrees of freedom. Specifically, we demonstrate classical ‘spin’ filtering through our model and show that the interplay between angular degrees of freedom and dissipation can lead to asymmetric ‘spin’ transport.

Thinking Backwards about Time

Abstract The concept of time in physics and its connection to consciousness are becoming increasingly problematic. A missing ingredient to both could be retrocausation — the temporal inverse of everyday causation — in which the future influences the past. Apparent evidence for it is in the phenomenon of precognition. Thus far, psychology and physics have assiduously avoided incorporating precognition into their paradigms, even though experimental evidence for it is substantial. Among many noteworthy studies, the Graff–Cyrus experiment is explicated here as an outstanding example of the phenomenon. It is hoped that consciousness, retrocausation, and precognition can be accommodated within the current paradigm of physics, helping bridge the gap to psychology.

Induced gravitational waves from flipped SU(5) superstring theory at nHz

The no-scale flipped SU(5) superstring framework constitutes a very promising paradigm for physics below the Planck scale providing us with a very rich cosmological phenomenology in accordance with observations. In particular, it can accommodate Starobinsky-like inflation, followed by a reheating phase, which is driven by a light “flaton” field, and during which the GUT phase transition occurs. In this Letter, we extract for the first time a gravitational-wave (GW) signal which naturally arises in the context of the flipped SU(5) cosmological phenomenology and is related to the existence of an early matter era (eMD) driven by the flaton field. Specifically, we study GWs non-linearly induced by inflationary perturbations and which are abundantly produced during a sudden transition from the flaton-driven eMD era to the late-time radiation-dominated era. Remarkably, we find a GW signal with a characteristic peak frequency fGW,peak depending only on the string slope α′ and reading as fGW,peak∝10−9(α′α⁎′)4Hz, where α⁎′ is the fiducial string slope being related directly to the reduced Planck scale MPl as α⁎′=8/MPl2. Interestingly enough, fGW,peak lies within the nHz frequency range; hence rendering this primordial GW signal potentially detectable by SKA, NANOGrav and PTA probes at their very low frequency region of their detection bands.

MERF: A Practical HDR-Like Image Generator via Mutual-Guided Learning Between Multi-Exposure Registration and Fusion.

In this paper, we present a novel high dynamic range (HDR)-like image generator that utilizes mutual-guided learning between multi-exposure registration and fusion, leading to promising dynamic multi-exposure image fusion. The method consists of three main components: the registration network, the fusion network, and the dual attention network which seamlessly integrates registration and fusion processes. Initially, within the registration network, the estimation of deformation fields among multi-exposure image sequences is conducted following an exposure-invariant feature extraction phase. This leads to enhanced accuracy by mitigating discrepancies across domains. Subsequently, the fusion network utilizes a progressive frequency fusion module in two distinct stages, addressing color correction and detail preservation within low and high-frequency domains, respectively. To facilitate the mutual enhancement of the registration and fusion networks, we undertake a mutual-guided learning strategy encompassing their physical connection and constraint paradigm. Firstly, a dual attention network bridges the registration and fusion networks, addressing ghosting, which is beyond the scope of registration and facilitates information exchange between input images. Secondly, a meticulously designed generative adversarial network-like iterative training schema guides the overall network framework, thereby yielding high-quality HDR-like images through mutual enhancement. Comprehensive experiments on publicly available datasets validate the superiority of our method over existing state-of-the-art approaches.

The Physical Paradigms of Quantum Dynamics and Topological Geometry: Algebra of Mind/ Matter and Consciousness

The Physical Paradigms of Quantum Dynamics and Topological Geometry: Algebra of Mind/ Matter and Consciousness

Adiabatic connection interaction strength interpolation method made accurate for the uniform electron gas.

The adiabatic connection interaction strength interpolation (ISI)-like method provides a high-level expression for the correlation energy, being, in principle, exact not only in the weak-interaction limit, where it recovers the second-order Görling-Levy perturbation term, but also in the strong-interaction limit that is described by the strictly correlated electron approach. In this work, we construct a genISI functional made accurate for the uniform electron gas, a solid-state physics paradigm that is a very difficult test for ISI-like correlation functionals. We assess the genISI functional for various jellium spheres with the number of electrons Z ≤ 912 and for the non-relativistic noble atoms with Z ≤ 290. For the jellium clusters, the genISI is remarkably accurate, while for the noble atoms, it shows a good performance, similar to other ISI-like methods. Then, the genISI functional can open the path using the ISI-like method in solid-state calculations.

PRINCIPLES OF METAPHYSICS IN THE THEORY OF PHYSICAL STRUCTURES AND IN THE META-RELATIONAL PARADIGM

In the work indicated are, firstly, three main reasons for revision of prevailing ideas about physical reality: inadequacy of the classical space-time in microworld physics, unsuccessful attempts to combine the principles of quantum theory and general relativity and, above all, the presence of the third physical paradigm - relational one. Secondly, shown are the constituents of the latter requiring the use of key metaphysical principles, and thirdly, they have been formulated. Fourthly, the mathematical formalism reflecting the unity of three metaphysical principles has now been proposed. Its foundations were laid in the theories of physical structures by Yu.I. Kulakov et al. Finally, fifthly, shown are basic results of applying the theory of binary systems of complex relations to solve the problems of microworld physics.