On Mon, 6 Jan 2003, blah wrote:
> > Blah wrote quite an excellent post. In fact, I've met few physics PhDs
> > which would have been able to respond so well. So needless to say, my
> > curiosity is peaked concerning who Blah is in "the real world". (Tim May,
>
> Thanks. It's nice to run into physicists and as a physicist, you'll
> appreciate the followup to mr. choate's response, since what he suggests
> is essentially contrary to special relativity.
Please explain how? My assertion that the behaviour of the photon in a
split beam as described by the general model is incomplete is actually
backed up by the postulates of Special & General Relativity. Let's look
at Specials one at a time shall we?
1. Space-Time is a 4-dimensional continuum
In other words you can't talk about 'space' without taking into
consideration 'time'. In the regular view of the split beam where is time
included other than to ask how it can be in two places at one time?
2. The existance of globally inertial frames
This means there are 4-D coordinates in which non-accelerated particles
move in straight lines. In general relativity this is replaced with local
frames. My assertion stands in General Relativity as well.
3. The speed of light is a constant
(we can complicate this with BEC's now but I'll eschew that for the time
being)
4. The laws of physics are the same in any inertial frame
Now which one is inconsistent?
1? No, my statement rests upon the assertion that by talking about the
distance between slits is incomplete unless one includes the time
axis.
2.? I certainly make no statement about non-accelerated particles,
If the photon is not undergoing some sort of acceleration how can
it go through both slits at the same time? Is going through two
slits at once a 'straight line'? Since space-time allows -two-
different sorts of acceleration (one in space, the other in time) we
are left with the question of where the acceleration is taking
place?
3.? I make no statement contrary to this.
In fact I rely on the fact that photons represent the ultimate end
with regard to time-space dilation effects. That time and space are
one from the perspective of a photon. That in fact consideration of
these effects is critical to a correct understanding of what is
actually happening.
The device exists in 4D frame where time and space are not zero. The
photon has one of two views (which it can actually have at the same
time). It either shrinks the 4D space to a point at the origin (ie
the photon), or else spreads the photons position out over the
entire cosmos (this is more like a probability or guide wave at this
point - there is zero problem with changes of state happening
instantly here since it's not a thing but a potential that is being
altered). Now this takes place for -every- photon. That means
that from a photons perspective each and every photon is co-resident
with every other photon. Now if two or more of those photons are
entangled why should it take any 'time' from our perspective
to do anything with regard to dis-entanglement?
4.? Ah, here is where -your- system is in error because the -only-
frame of reference that is considered is the one of the mechanism.
At no point in the standard approach is the view of the photon
considered. There is -nothing- special about the frame of reference
of the split mechanism itself. There are -two- views of this
experiment and they are both valid; the view of the device of the
photon and the photons view of the device. They are not the same.
I'll ask again:
- How big is the cosmos to a photon?
- How does time behave to a photon?
- What is the distance between the slits from the perspective
of the photon?
- How much time does it take the photon to move 'across' the
device?
Surely a physicist as well trained as yourself should find such answers
childs play.
--
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We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I
are going to spend the rest of our lives.
Criswell, "Plan 9 from Outer Space"
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