New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN • Hacker News Board

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#61

Post by tux3 » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:50 PM UTC

MengerSponge wrote: post #30

whatshisface wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The term "lower energy state" is a funny one, because isn't energy conserved? What's happening is a drop to a more spread out state, where you have several particles making great time flying away from each other instead of one high-energy-density locus in the center. Edit: Just to clarify, the time-variant system exception does not apply in this case. It really is an entropy thing, moreso than an energy thing (which…

Fun fact: in the most general case, energy is not a conserved quantity. https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2010/02/22/energy-...

This is lovely. Wikipedia sent me from energy not being conserved, to time translation symmetry breaking, to time crystals as a source of perpetual motion.

Just need to find a tie-in to 5G and I can write my own time-cube parody website.

(The article is also very interesting, of course!)

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#62

Post by alasdair_ » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:51 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #55

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

Or perhaps the laws of physics that we observe are becoming more complicated over time, as a consequence of some deeper law of physics.

The simulation we all live in is getting a new patch with higher resolution models.

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#63

Post by JetSetWilly » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:52 PM UTC

FinanceAnon wrote: post #50

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

If aliens don't like us, then why wouldn't they just destroy us, rather than troll our physicists and mess with the results? Why would they specifically mess with the particle accelarators at this point? Why not with earlier physics?

Because your interstellar equivalent of the CIA can obtain the political capital to prevent a civilisational rival from emerging via subtle manipulations, but it can't obtain the political capital and consensus needed to commit wholesale genocide.

There's a big difference between the scenarios.

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#64

Post by s5300 » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:52 PM UTC

f6v wrote: post #54

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

It’s a great book, but it suffers from the same old issue. A civilization that is capable of packing a robot into particle by manipulating higher dimensions doesn’t need to take our planet. They could terraform Mars or any other planet they want.

Perhaps we look to be an exceptional vacation spot, and there are space Karen's who desire an "all natural" planet instead of a terraformed one.

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#65

Post by hllooo » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:53 PM UTC

f6v wrote: post #54

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

It’s a great book, but it suffers from the same old issue. A civilization that is capable of packing a robot into particle by manipulating higher dimensions doesn’t need to take our planet. They could terraform Mars or any other planet they want.

iirc the solar system contained the closest planets, which is why they chose it. I don't think it matters if they want mars or earth, there's no way we would let them do that (send a massive military fleet definitely just to mars). they wanted to ensure their technology remained superior by the time they arrived

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#66

Post by midrus » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:53 PM UTC

FinanceAnon wrote: post #50

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

If aliens don't like us, then why wouldn't they just destroy us, rather than troll our physicists and mess with the results? Why would they specifically mess with the particle accelarators at this point? Why not with earlier physics?

Maybe because we're their big brother tv show or just their zoo

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#67

Post by nolok » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:54 PM UTC

FinanceAnon wrote: post #50

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

If aliens don't like us, then why wouldn't they just destroy us, rather than troll our physicists and mess with the results? Why would they specifically mess with the particle accelarators at this point? Why not with earlier physics?

Haven't read those specific books, but "keep the species at the level they were when discovered for preservation" is a very common trope of such things, and usually mapped on how humanity considers that "preserving a species" means keeping it exactly as they were when first discovered.

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#68

Post by alasdair_ » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:54 PM UTC

f6v wrote: post #54

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

It’s a great book, but it suffers from the same old issue. A civilization that is capable of packing a robot into particle by manipulating higher dimensions doesn’t need to take our planet. They could terraform Mars or any other planet they want.

I had the same problem with the books. If the sophon is that omniscient and that powerful, it could do far more than just mess with experiments.

I also never understood the wallfacers - why can’t they communicate via encryption, using a private key stored in each individuals mind alone?

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#69

Post by majkinetor » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:59 PM UTC

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

You spoiled it for me, I am on 1/4 of the first book :S

Re: New exotic matter particle, a tetraquark, discovered at CERN

#70

Post by yarky » Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 6:59 PM UTC

FinanceAnon wrote: post #50

pseudobry wrote: post #42

I recently finished The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, which explore the concept of aliens using their super advanced technology to mess with the results of Earth's particle accelerators, thereby stopping humanity's ability to develop technology based on new physics. Is this discovery exciting? Or are we living in The Three-Body Problem?

If aliens don't like us, then why wouldn't they just destroy us, rather than troll our physicists and mess with the results? Why would they specifically mess with the particle accelarators at this point? Why not with earlier physics?

If you insist on looking at it from our perspective, how about curiosity? Let's see how far they (us) keep trying to make sense out of this nonsense. Trolling in the name of science I guess.

People from North Sentinel Island might ask themselves the same question about us.