Author Archives: woit

Some News, Then More of the Same

Posted on September 11, 2022 by woit

Some News: I’ll be in England later in the month, in Oxford much of the week of the 26th-30th. That week is the week of the 2022 Clay Research Conference and Workshops. The evening of Tuesday the 27th I’ll be … Continue reading →

Posted in Multiverse Mania, Uncategorized | 48 Comments

This and Next Year’s Hype

Posted on September 5, 2022 by woit

I normally try and avoid getting into the vast topic of the hype problem in other subjects than string theory, but a couple things I’ve seen recently make it hard to resist. So, just this once… Quantum Computing Michio Kaku … Continue reading →

Posted in This Week's Hype | 25 Comments

LHC News

Posted on August 24, 2022 by woit

I see today via the LHC Page 1 Vistar that a problem at a cooling tower will cause part of the accelerator to need to be warmed up to room temperature, putting the LHC out of business for the next … Continue reading →

Posted in Experimental HEP News | 2 Comments

Various and Sundry

Posted on August 18, 2022 by woit

A random collection of things that may be of interest: September 17 and 18 I’ll be at the How the Light Gets In Festival in London, participating in discussions of the relation of math and physics, and theories of everything. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Symmetry and Physics

Posted on August 6, 2022 by woit

It’s getting late, but I can’t help myself. Reading too many wrong things about symmetry and physics on Twitter has forced me to do this. And, John Baez says I don’t explain things. So, here’s what the relationship between symmetry … Continue reading →

Posted in Quantum Mechanics | 32 Comments

Glashow Interview

Posted on August 2, 2022 by woit

David Zierler, the oral historian at the American Institute of Physics, has done many in-depth interviews with theoretical physicists in recent years. Today I came across a 2020 interview with Shelly Glashow, which was very interesting in general, and also … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 28 Comments

Before the Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe from the Multiverse

Posted on July 29, 2022 by woit

There’s a new book out this month, Before the Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe from the Multiverse, about which we’re told: One of the world’s most celebrated cosmologists presents her breakthrough explanation of our origins in the multiverse. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Multiverse Mania | 17 Comments

Strings Black Holes 2022

Posted on July 14, 2022 by woit

Each summer for nearly a quarter-century there has been a big yearly conference bringing together the string theory community. I’ve often written about these conferences on the blog, see here. This year’s version will be held next week in Vienna, … Continue reading →

Posted in Strings 2XXX | 31 Comments

ICM 2022

Posted on July 3, 2022 by woit

The 2022 ICM is starting soon, in a virtual version organized after the cancellation of the original version supposed to be hosted in St. Petersburg (for how that happened, see here). The IMU General Assembly is now going on, moved … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 18 Comments

In a Parallel Universe, Another You

Posted on June 21, 2022 by woit

From today’s New York Times, Michio Kaku explains: In physics, the concept of a multiverse is a key element of a leading area of study based on the theory of everything. It’s called string theory, which is the focus of … Continue reading →

Posted in Multiverse Mania, Uncategorized | 28 Comments