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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
 Posted - 12/20/2002 : 13:59:43
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As the basic reference for Mirror Matter, I offer this article from Science News: The notion seems to be roughly the same as "handedness" that one finds in many biomolecules. The genesis seems to (at least partly) come from a article published in 1956 by Lee and Yang--awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the article just one year later. It concerned the loss of the generally universally accepted concept of symmetry. Science News says, for examplequote:
"Many physicists were upset by the asymmetry," recalled Robert Adair of Yale University in the February 1988 Scientific American. "I remember feeling that I no longer could hold anything I knew as being certain."
As to the origins of Mirror Matter, Science News writesquote:
In their 1956 journal article, Lee and Yang noted that the symmetry could be restored if a parallel universe existed in which neutrinos rotated in the opposite sense clockwise to that in our world. Considered together, the two worlds would restore the symmetry that appears to be lacking in each. (Emphasis added)
Mirror Matter is invisible and therein lies the rub. ScienceNews writes:quote:
Similarly, a chunk of mirror matter, such as a mirror asteroid, could have a dramatic impact if it collides with Earth. Because it's made of mirror particles, the asteroid wouldn't burn up in Earth's atmosphere. It still could wreak havoc when it struck Earth's surface, however, if mirror photons transform into ordinary ones. In that case, the collision would generate a huge release of energy with nary a trace of a crater. (Emphasis added)
R.Foot's Univ of Melborne web page on Mirror Matter is here: http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au/~foot/
(Edited to delete link to Space.com.)
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Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
Edited by - Computer Org on 10/16/2003 09:13:05
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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
 Posted - 06/09/2003 : 06:44:19 [Permalink]
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Intergalactic collisions? Hmmmmm.
Astroidal impactors on Earth? I think that this subject is one of the seven most-serious problems currently facing us. We are doing next-to-nothing about this problem.
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Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
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welshdean
Skeptic Friend
United Kingdom
172 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2003 : 15:36:59 [Permalink]
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Mmmmm, haven't heard this stuff mentioned for a while, I thought it had been 'put to bed'.
I prefer to lean toward the 'Brane' theory that was suggested by Paul Townsend (Dept of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge). Put briefly a Brane is described thus:
"an object, which appears to be a fundamental ingredient of M-theory, that can have a variety of spatial dimensions. In general, a p-brane is a string, a 2-brane is a surface or membrane etc." For the interested parties out there the above quote is from "The Universe in a Nutshell" Stephen Hawking (Bantam Press - ISBN 0-593-04815-6) |
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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2003 : 07:15:56 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by welshdean
Mmmmm, haven't heard this stuff mentioned for a while, I thought it had been 'put to bed'.
I prefer to lean toward the 'Brane' theory that was suggested by Paul Townsend (Dept of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge).
<snip>
Ahh. I, too, favor the "Brane" theory (--isn't that [roughly] "Inflation Theory"? Out of Princeton Univ. in New Jersey??).
However, I didn't think that the Aussie (Melbourne) view of Mirror Matter was in any conflict with branes, strings, etc. |
Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2003 : 09:03:59 [Permalink]
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By the way:
There may be absolutely nothing in this thought but the "Mirror Matter" as described by Dr. Foot (--for example, astroidal impacts which leave no detectable debris--) may be the perfect place to find the hypothesized "Dark Matter". 
I, at least, (admittedly a very-non-physicist) don't see any conflict between the two concepts. 
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Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9698 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2003 : 01:00:18 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Computer Org
By the way:
There may be absolutely nothing in this thought but the "Mirror Matter" as described by Dr. Foot (--for example, astroidal impacts which leave no detectable debris--) may be the perfect place to find the hypothesized "Dark Matter".
I, at least, (admittedly a very-non-physicist) don't see any conflict between the two concepts.
The "Dark Matter" problem is bigger than that... Even if we had mirror matter, it would still only be a fraction of the Dark Matter/Energy needed to explain observed phenomenon.
And where would the mirror matter be? Would it occupy the same space as ordinary matter, or would it be "evenly" distributed in space.
How would mirror matter interact with gravity? If so, and if there was any larger concentration of mirror matter in the vicinity of Earth, we would have detected it by now, I guess.
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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2003 : 07:00:34 [Permalink]
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Dr. Mabuse:
As the Science News article puts it, "In their 1956 journal article, Lee and Yang noted that the symmetry could be restored if a parallel universe existed...."
From this I assume that such a parallel universe wouldn't exist in our space-time; although as Dr. Foot says, it would/does have effects in our space-time---and, I suppose, we have effects on theirs.
Although it's been many months since I visited there, Dr. Foot's web-site is well worth reading. It's fairly clear (--he's a theoretical physicist--) and lucid----pictures and everything.
R. Foot's Univ. of Melborne web page on Mirror Matter can be found at this link: http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au/~foot/
All in all, a very interesting proposal.
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Edited to add this link giving some late (26 Aug 2003) research tied to your last post, Dr. Mabuse. (Title: "Stongest specific evidence (yet) for mirror matter-type dark matter)
Also: While it may or may not apply, Dr. Foot gives this link to a Softcom story which he calls The biggest 'meteorite' explosion since the 1908 Tunguska event hits siberia again!.
(The Softcom headline reads: "Giant meteorite wrecked huge area of Siberian forest in 2002")
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Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
| Edited by - Computer Org on 10/16/2003 09:01:15 |
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walt fristoe
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2003 : 10:23:57 [Permalink]
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| I read somewhere recently that the matter in this theoretical parallel universe could have gravitational consequences for our own universe, possibly affecting the expansion parameters. My own view is that the accelerated expansion is due, not to the amount of matter/energy in the universe (or lack thereof), but instead to the topological/geometrical shape of space/time. Whether the universe is ultimately toroidal or a "dimpled rubber sheet", the shape would affect the expansion. |
"If God chose George Bus of all the people in the world, how good could God be?"
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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2003 : 06:26:11 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by walt fristoe
I read somewhere recently that the matter in this theoretical parallel universe could have gravitational consequences for our own universe, possibly affecting the expansion parameters.
As I understand Dr. Foot's paper, one of the driving real-world factors is meteor-impact sites which don't leave any "normal universe" matter behind. He seems to be saying that the impactors were mirror-matter from the 'parallel universe' and that while the impactor can't be detected directly, the impact itself was due to the "gravitational consequences".
It's all pretty much over my head, though. |
Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
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