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Category: physics – Page 161

Numerical simulations of planetesimal formation reproduce key properties of asteroids, comets

With simulations that go into finer details than ever before, Brooke Polak of the University of Heidelberg and Hubert Klahr at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) have modeled a key phase in the formation of planets in our solar system: the way that centimeter-size pebbles aggregate into so-called planetesimals tens to hundreds kilometers in size. The simulation reproduces the initial size distribution of planetesimals, which can be checked against observations of present-day asteroids. It also predicts the prevalence of close binary planetesimals in our solar system.

In a new study published on arXiv and accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, astrophysicists Brooke Polak from the University of Heidelberg and Hubert Klahr from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy used simulations to derive key properties of so-called planetesimals—the intermediate-size bodies from which planets formed in our solar system roughly 4.5 billion years ago.

Using an innovative method for simulating planetesimal formation, the two researchers were able to predict the initial size distribution of planetesimals in our solar system: how many are likely to have formed in the different “size brackets” between roughly 10 km and 200 km.

DeepMind’s ChatGPT-Like AI Writes Amazing Screenplays!

❤️ Check out Weights & Biases and sign up for a free demo here: https://wandb.com/papers.

📝 The paper “Co-Writing Screenplays and Theatre Scripts with Language Models: An Evaluation by Industry Professionals” is available here:
https://deepmind.github.io/dramatron/details.html.

My latest paper on simulations that look almost like reality is available for free here:
https://rdcu.be/cWPfD

Or this is the orig. Nature Physics link with clickable citations:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-022-01788-5

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A computer scientist explains why even AI has computational limits

There are two aspects to a computer’s power: the number of operations its hardware can execute per second and the efficiency of the algorithms it runs. The hardware speed is limited by the laws of physics. Algorithms—basically sets of instructions —are written by humans and translated into a sequence of operations that computer hardware can execute. Even if a computer’s speed could reach the physical limit, computational hurdles remain due to the limits of algorithms.

These hurdles include problems that are impossible for computers to solve and problems that are theoretically solvable but in practice are beyond the capabilities of even the most powerful versions of today’s computers imaginable. Mathematicians and computer scientists attempt to determine whether a problem is solvable by trying them out on an imaginary machine.

First observation of de Broglie-Mackinnon wave packets achieved by exploiting loophole in 1980s theorem

University of Central Florida College of Optics and Photonics researchers achieved the first observation of de Broglie-Mackinnon wave packets by exploiting a loophole in a 1980s-era laser physics theorem.

The by CREOL and Florida Photonics Center of Excellence professor Ayman Abouraddy and research assistant Layton Hall has been published in the journal Nature Physics.

Observation of optical de Broglie–Mackinnon wave packets highlights the team’s research using a class of pulsed laser beams they call space-time wave packets.

Cybernetic Theory: The Code of Reality & Our Future as Cybergods | Talk

CYBERNETIC THEORY: THE CODE OF REALITY & OUR FUTURE AS CYBERGODS: presenting my published works in a recent talk. Topics include evolutionary cybernetics, computational physics, consciousness, philosophy of mind, cybernetic theory, Omega Point cosmology, physics of time, simulation theory, Global Mind, AGI, VR, Metaverse, Cybernetic Singularity, transhumanism, posthumanism, cybernetic immortality, synthetic telepathy, mind-uploading, neurotechnologies, Fermi Paradox, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, the Argument for Cybertheism, and more.

The main 45-minute slide presentation is followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. This presentation is in Russian with slides and subtitles in English.

Russian-American futurist Alex M. Vikoulov presents his published works in a talk titled CYBERNETIC THEORY: THE CODE OF REALITY & OUR FUTURE AS CYBERGODS at the Rotary Club, The Grand Autograph Hotel, Novosibirsk, Russia, on July 19, 2022. The main 45-minute slide presentation is followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. This presentation is in Russian with slides and subtitles in English (for subtitles turn on caption in settings).

Author publications referenced:

The Syntellect Hypothesis: Five Paradigms of the Mind’s Evolution (2020), available as a Kindle eBook, paperback, hardcover and Audible audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/Syntellect-Hypothesis-Paradigms-Minds…atfound-20

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Green comet’s new “anti-tail” seemingly breaks the laws of physics

Astrophotographers spotted what looks like a third tail flowing in front of, instead of behind, the glowing comet.

The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which last flew by Earth 50,000 years ago when Neanderthals still coexisted with humans, has been gradually making its way across the night sky over the last few days.

What’s more, as per a LiveScience report, this “anti-tail” appears to be flowing in the wrong direction and is, therefore, seemingly breaking the laws of physics.

NASA

Many astronomers have captured images of the glowing space rock, and one new image shows the comet grew an unusual third tail.

Joelle Elbez-Uzan — Head, Nuclear Safety Office — DEMO Fusion Reactor — EUROfusion

Is the Head, Nuclear Safety Office, overseeing the development of the DEMO Fusion Reactor (https://euro-fusion.org/programme/demo/), at EUROfusion.

DEMO (DEMOnstration Power Plant) refers to a proposed class of nuclear fusion experimental reactors that are intended to demonstrate the net production of electric power from nuclear fusion.

EUROfusion is a consortium of national fusion research institutes located in the European Union, the UK, Switzerland and Ukraine. It was established in 2014 to succeed the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) as the umbrella organization of Europe’s fusion research laboratories.

Prior to this role, Ms. Elbez-Uzan spent over a decade at the ITER Organization as Head of the Division of Nuclear Safety.

ITER (the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is being built in southern France where upon completion of construction of the main reactor and first plasma, planned for late 2028, it will be the world’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment and the largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor.

Prior to this role, Ms. Elbez-Uzan spent several years as Deputy Head of the Nuclear Safety Department, at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas: defense and security, low carbon energies (nuclear and renewable energies), technological research for industry, and fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

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New Research Could Link Evolution of Complex Life to Genetic “Dark Matter”

Octopuses have fascinated scientists and the public with their remarkable intelligence, from using tools to engaging in creative play, problem-solving, and even escaping from aquariums. Now, their cognitive abilities may provide significant insight into understanding the evolution of complex life and cognition, including the human brain.

An international team of researchers from Dartmouth College and the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) in Germany has published a study in the journal Science Advances.

<em>Science Advances</em> is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal that is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). It was launched in 2015 and covers a wide range of topics in the natural sciences, including biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, materials science, and physics.