CHAPTER TEN
Quantum Field Theory
Quantum field theory is the study of the quantum mechanical interaction of elementary particles and
fields. Quantum field theory applied to the understanding of electromagnetism
is called quantum electrodynamics (QED), and it has proved spectacularly
successful in describing the interaction of light with matter. The
calculations, however, are often complex. They are usually carried out with the
aid of Feynman diagrams, simple graphs that represent possible variations of
interactions and provide an elegant shorthand for precise mathematical
equations. Quantum field theory applied to the understanding of the strong
interactions between quarks and baryons and mesons is called quantum
chromodynamics (QCD )
10.1
Fundamental Forces and intermediaries
Particles that transmit forces
|
Name |
Force |
Relative Strength |
Range (m) |
Spin |
Electric |
Mass |
Observed? |
|
Graviton |
Gravity |
10-41 |
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
Not yet |
|
Photon |
Electromagnetic Interaction |
10-3 |
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
Yes |
|
Gluon g |
Strong Interaction Between quarks |
1 |
10-15 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Indirectly |
|
W+ |
Weak Interaction
between neutrino and nucleus |
10-16 |
10-17 |
1 |
+1 |
80 |
Yes |
|
W- |
1 |
-1 |
80 |
Yes |
|||
|
Z0 |
1 |
0 |
91 |
Yes |
|||
|
Higgs |
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
> 78 |
Not yet |
In 1966 Peter Higgs (University of Edinburgh)
proposed that the universe was full of a field called a HIGGS FIELD.
Disturbances in this field as particles move through it cause objects to have
mass. The field consists of countless Higgs Bosons that act like a kind of
cosmic fluid and Higgs particles that
'cling’ to the objects that move through space they drag which is what appear as mass.
As we go up from the gross mass into
elementary particles and sub-elementary particles the strength of the force
increases rapidly.
10.2 Vacuum Zero Point Sea
One of the early consequences of Quantum physics was the prediction
of an underlying sea of zero-point
energy at every point in the universe.
All of space must be filled with electromagnetic zero-point fluctuation
creating a universal sea of zero-point energy. This is an enormous amount of
energy, which cannot be easily used.
One way to avoid this infinite amount of energy in QM calculation was
the renormalization process where this constant energy was subtracted and used
as the reference level. The presence of
zero-point fluctuations has been verified experimentally with very accurate
measurements of the Lamb Shift (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/quantum/lamb.html
), other atomic energy level shifts, the magnetic moment of the electron, and
the recent measurement of Cassimir force.(http://physicsweb.org/article/world/15/9/6)
The energy fluctuations in quantum vacuum are converted into particles of
matter called virtual particles.
10.3 Vacuum Fluctuations, Virtual Particles and the Origin of the Universe
“There
is a still more remarkable possibility, which is the creation of matter from a
state of zero energy. This possibility arises because energy can be both
positive and negative. The energy of motion or the energy of mass is always
positive, but the energy of attraction, such as that due to certain types of
gravitational or electromagnetic field, is negative. Circumstances can arise in
which the positive energy that goes to make up the mass of newly created
particles of matter is exactly offset by the negative energy of gravity of
electromagnetism. For example, in the vicinity of an atomic nucleus the electric
field is intense. If a nucleus containing 200 protons could be made (possible
but difficult), then the system becomes unstable against the spontaneous
production of electron-positron pairs, without any energy input at all. The
reason is that the negative electric energy can exactly offset the energy of
their masses.
In
the gravitational case the situation is still more bizarre, for the
gravitational field is only a space warp - curved space. The energy locked up
in a space warp can be converted into particles of matter and antimatter. This
occurs, for example, near a black hole, and was probably also the most
important source of particles in the big bang. Thus, matter appears
spontaneously out of empty space. The question then arises, did the primeval
bang possess energy, or is the entire universe a state of zero energy, with the
energy of all the material offset by negative energy of gravitational
attraction?
It is possible to settle the issue by a
simple calculation. Astronomers can measure the masses of galaxies, their
average separation, and their speeds of recession. Putting these numbers into a
formula yields a quantity, which some physicists have interpreted as the total
energy of the universe. The answer does indeed come out to be zero within the
observational accuracy. The reason for this distinctive result has long been a
source of puzzlement to cosmologists. Some have suggested that there is a deep
cosmic principle at work, which requires the universe to have exactly zero
energy. If that is so the cosmos can follow the path of least resistance,
coming into existence without requiring any input of matter or energy at all.
(Davies, Paul. 1983. God and the New Physics London: J.M. Dent & Sons.)
Steven Weinberg of Harvard and Ya. B.
Zel'dovich in Moscow suggest that the universe began as a perfect vacuum and
that all the particles of the material world were created from the expansion of
space out of the vacuum fluctuation where virtual particles materialized to
form the cosmos we now know as universe.
1.4 String, Super String, and M-Theory
The
large number of classifying and unifying the elementary particles with their
properties gave rise to the String
Theory. Here the myriad of particle
types is replaced by a single fundamental building block, a `string'.
These strings can be closed, like loops, or open. . As the string moves through
time it traces out a tube or a sheet, according to whether it is closed or open
in time. The strings can vibrate freely.
In a closed loop however, certain
modes can exists without decay forming real particles. In these systems one
mode of vibration, or `note', makes the string appear as an electron, another
as a photon and so on. The first great
achievement of String Theory was its ability to explain to quantum gravity.
The
original String Theory could explain on the particles with integer spins or
Bosons Hence additional introduction on
Supersymemtry gave rise to the Super String Theory with more degrees of freedom
( ten dimensions in all) and hence were able to accommodate Fermions also. It is also possible to mix up fermions and
bosons to produce Heterotic String Theories.
A mother of all theories of string could then be developed called
M-theory in eleven dimensions of vacuum from which all other forms of string
theories could be obtained as subsets.
Thus in String
theory in the framework of quantum
field theory particles are no more
points but strings in multidimensional space. Then all fundamental particles
can be considered to be modes of vibrations in the string and the particles'
intrinsic charge, mass and spin arise as features of the world at various
dimensions of the existence of the string. Thus the gross matter is nothing but
the conglomeration of modes of vibrations of the vacuum.
Many
people especially the media went ballistic on this “Theory of Everything”. But those who are involved in the research
are aware of its vast limitations.
“The TOE phrase is very misleading on several counts. First of all, the theory
is not yet fully formulated, and when it is (which might still take decades) it
is not entirely clear that it will be the last word in fundamental physics.
Furthermore,
even if the theory is a complete description of quantum dynamics, it seems
unlikely that it will also provide a theory of initial conditions, which is
another key ingredient required to explain why we observe the particular
universe that we do.
But
even if a theory of initial conditions is also obtained, there will still be
much about this universe that cannot be explained. Many things, such as our
very existence, are a consequence of the inherent quantum indeterminacy of
nature. I believe that cannot be overcome. Maybe that is just as well, because
if we had old-fashioned classical determinism, the future would be fully
determined, which would undermine our humanity.”
http://www.theory.caltech.edu/people/jhs/strings/string11.html
John Schwarz
10.5 The Word Became Flesh
To summarize: In Elementary Particle Physics uncertainty
offers explanation for reaction between elementary particles by means of
virtual particles. The virtual particles are subatomic
particle whose existence violates the principle of conservation of energy but
is allowed to exist for a short time by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. In
intense fields virtual particles will materialize to give real material
particles, which have extremely short lives and abnormal properties. These are
observed in many cloud chamber and liquid chamber experiments. Intense reactions
are permissible in nature provided they are within the space of
uncertainty. The extra energy required
for these processes are available from the vacuum. In fact the modern tendency is to assume that the elementary
particles are the vortices and disturbances in this sea. In this model matter is nothing but the
presence of waves, vortices and disturbances in the Vacuum. This reminds us of creation in Genesis.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth
[776 'erets eh'-rets: from an unused root probably meaning to be
firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,
field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world. Fermi Level?]
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form8414 ;
[8414 tohuw to'-hoo: from an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation
(of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in
vain:--confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain,
vanity, waste, wilderness.]
and void922
[922 bohuw bo'-hoo: from an unused root (meaning to be
empty); a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin:--emptiness,
void. Calmness over the Fermi Sea?] ;
and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
Gen 1:3 And God
said, Let there be light: and there was light.
In the String Theory we have
a clear exposition of how vibrations are the root form of creation of
particles. Word indeed is foundation of cosmic realities.
Thus the creation was the
process of Word becoming flesh. Ongoing
creative process were also the vortices being created by the Word within the
vaccum and the various fundamental and higher harmonics of strings form the
building blocks of all matter. Unlike
the indication of Sound as Word, the biblical Word is the translated in the New
Testament Greek as of Logos and John describes the same as:
Prajapati vai idam asit:
In the beginning was God
Tasya vag dvitya asit;
with whom was the Vak (Word)...
Vag vai paramam Brahma;
and the Vak (Word) is Brahman"
"All things were made
by him." (John i. 3.)
"By the word of God the heavens were of old." (2 Peter iii. 5.)
"By the Word of God were the heavens made, and all the host of
them by the Breath of his mouth." (Ps. 33: 6.)
Thus it is the vibratory
consciousness of God that created everything by creating the vortices and waves
in the Fermi Sea and the music of the universe created the universe.
This was the basic teaching
of St.Thomas the scientist disciple of Jesus.
It was Thomas who wrote AUM the
trinity symbol in all the eight churches he established in Kerala. It has become the center of all Indian tradition
even today.
Man being made in the image
of God is given the same creative power, which can cause vibrations and waves
in the fermi sea and causes events to be created by collapsing the state
function.
All religions recognize
these phenomena of coherence of consciousness.
The mystics among them particularly concentrate on this effect. In Christianity the creation is entirely
through the Word of God. It is the
reverberation of the cosmic vacuum that appears as matter in creation.
History describes such intense periods of activity when
abnormal events took place. We look back into history and wonder at the
occurrences of such impossible events. These strange miracles and crisis points
are the materialization of the virtual so that it produces a new situation,
which changes the history of mankind. It is not difficult to see such crisis
situations described in the Bible. The first crisis situation was the fall. The
tower of Babel, the Universal Flood and finally the Cross-, followed the fall
in succession. Other situations like Sodom and Gomorrah, the liberation of
Israel, the Captivity of Israel etc. are of less intense local situations.
Signs, wonders and miracles are therefore possible if one
can create a vortex or disturbance in the Fermi Sea. A whole teaching of faith in action follows this line of
argument.
Vortex Formation in a Fluid