some thoughts

[Derkein]

Every now and again, I sit and try to explain my views on physics and reality to someone who is not really interested (a fresh mind) but will ask questions.

The latest effort raised this crucial point.
In the double slit experiment, Prof Cox and many others believe that a photon can be anywhere in the universe, perhaps at the same time, and that the photon may travel via a distant galaxy to the screen where it is eventually seen.

I was asked when running through this horrendous paradox:

How do they know the electron goes via another Galaxy. If the speed of light is a limit that would take millions of years to make the trip? They don't wait that long.
Have they timed any of the photons taking more than the expected time to reach the screen? If anything is possible there should be some.
If they can travel that far that fast, surely some should get there quicker than expected?
When they fired them individually, did any go missing?

What bloody superb questions....

I said a standard answer is that although all those are possible, they are so improbable that we would have to experiment for a looooong time to see them.

response: Sounds bo**ocks to me. sounds more like there a rules and nobodies really seen them broken, so we simply don't understand the rules yet.

.... I had to agree

[Mr Erickson]

The answer to the questions from my understanding is this: The speed of light is measured and its a constant, no matter where you were in the Universe the speed of light remains the same.
Of course its postulated by Bell's theorem that two separate particles that have moved apart even if the distance is a million light years no what each other are doing instantaneously. This suggest that something is breaking the light speed barrier.
As to anything being lost again according to the conventional wisdom of the standard model this is not possible denoted by e=mc2.
It seems to me something very strange is going on, time does not exist, space does not exist and everything in the Universe is connected:


"Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality
you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not
philosophy. This is physics."
Albert Einstein

[Derkein]

Thats another of those unproven theories Mr Erickson - that two particles a million light years apart are still connected, or that everything is entangled from the big bang.
Your views may well be different, but its reasonably clear to me that they aren't.
Even if they were, I'm sure I've already referred to it here - Quantum Divorce

I think once we crack the issues with the double slit experiment, then we are well on the way.
While ever we are dependent on woowoo, whether Cox's version of it, or the 'everything is an illusion/conciousness' version of it, we will get nowhere.

There is little doubt that IF there is a ghost in the machine, then it unquestionably has the ability to manipulate matter, particularly (perhaps only) at a sub atomic level where very little 'effect' is needed to flip things one way or another. But I would think that our current high energy experiments would preclude that interaction.

I still think that those questions posed are both superb, and remain inadequately answered by anyone.

[Mr Erickson]

Thats another of those unproven theories Mr Erickson - that two particles a million light years apart are still connected, or that everything is entangled from the big bang.
Derkein

Bell's theorem has been proven scientifically a number of times by experiment; the first of which was confirmed back in 1981 by Alain Aspect and his French research team:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-11-phy ... alism.html

http://www.physorg.com/news182430388.html


Cosmology brings us face to face with the deepest mysteries
With questions that were once treated only in religion and myth
The desire to be connected with the cosmos Reflects a profound reality
But we are connected; not in the trivial ways That Astrology promises, but in
the deepest ways
Carl Sagan

[Derkein]

Mr Erickson,
Very limited versions of what appears to be quantum entanglement have been shown repeatedly, the most 'impressive' is Chinese in origin and I may have already linked it in a prior post.

These are very limited, in very special circumstances. They do not yet prove distant quantum entanglement (in time or space) is a reality or a significant part of our reality.
Once I see this used for instantaneous communication, even across as short a distance as a continent, let alone millions of light years, I will reconsider.

As I said - google Quantum divorce - which I almost certainly have referred to here in prior posts.

Its a very interesting topic, but its very early days yet to be making the claims these articles 'suggest'.
Mainly media bluster as yet sadly, although the scientists are almost certainly feeding that bluster to ensure funding continues.

Critical bit from your link which shows how 'fiddled' these experiments are:
Also, the test would have to operate at a critical distance between Alice and Bob that is not too large, to minimize photon loss, and not too small, to ensure sufficient separation. Although these requirements are beyond the current experimental set-up due to high loss between the islands, the scientists predict that these requirements may be met in the near future.

[Mr Erickson]

These are very limited, in very special circumstances. They do not yet prove distant quantum entanglement (in time or space) is a reality or a significant part of our reality.
Once I see this used for instantaneous communication, even across as short a distance as a continent, let alone millions of light years, I will reconsider.

These experiments have been done according to the articles I have seen on google, they have made atom to atom communication across short distances, and of course it was splashed all over the news recently that Einstein's light speed limit was violated by 15,000 trials at cern, which they are now checking at other labs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... than-light

[Derkein]

regarding the cern opera results,
I have posted a number of comments regarding this here,
Consider that the ultimate speed limit is considered to be the speed of light in a vacuum.
Neutrinos are chargeless and less affected/slowed than 'photons' by the stuff which is in deep space, let alone the cluttered areas in galaxies .

Note also that they refer to it as breaching local realism rather than FTL communication. That part is also crucial

[Mr Erickson]

Note also that they refer to it as breaching local realism rather than FTL communication. That part is also crucial

What ever is going on, they don't understand it yet my money is on it being a complete illusion, everything is symbiotic and we are everywhere all at once.

[Derkein]

LOL then you are looking over my shoulder as I write this - which would make this conversation pointless if you weren't deluding yourself that you CAN'T see it

[Mr Erickson]

Its not that one cannot see it we can but for some strange reason its happening on another level and we cannot report it to ourselves.
Either humanity is afflicted by severe collective psychosis or all psi experiences are what they seem to be and I go with the latter.