CP Violation
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:47 pm
A topic I like to discuss with people. I'm not really making a statement as for my own personal view of the issue, more opening the arena to hear other people's opinions.
It's one of the most ancient philosophies, perhaps in fact -the most-, of human kind - you've all heard it. There's always and equal and opposite. It even seems logical. Eastern mysticism embraces this as you see in the yin and yang, the Hindu school of Samkhya takes a likewise road. Duality can even be seen in our base physics.
Most people I know would agree that duality is a fundamental aspect of our very existence.
So what happens when it’s not?
In physics, there is something known as CP violation. CPT Symmetry (C; change conjugation P; parity, T; time reversal invariance) is, in it’s most basic and broken down form, exactly as I’ve explained above. We have a problem: there is more matter than antimatter in this universe. Much more. Since matter and antimatter theory is based on particle theory, I’m going to use that to explain. All charged particles with half-integer spin have antimatter counterparts of opposing parity and charge. When these two little things come together, they can annihilate.
It annihilates both, though. Not just the antiparticle. Each release their mass energy in some way and fade away.
So is the universe, then, naturally imbalanced?
Newton has told us not to think of the universe as clockwork. I’ve generally agreed. Yet, my naïve human weakness wants a sense of balance that science, by current accounts, tells me there isn’t.
I’ve considered, is it possible the universe itself is balanced, just.. not necessarily here? I mean, a universe is kinda big. But it’s more likely an answer I can’t possible come up with or better yet comprehend.
Anyway, thoughts?
ps. Keep in mind that this is the intelligent discussions section.. so while I humour those who feel I am arrogant in posting here, I have less qualms about posting as I have with reading drivel. Thank you for your kind consideration.
It's one of the most ancient philosophies, perhaps in fact -the most-, of human kind - you've all heard it. There's always and equal and opposite. It even seems logical. Eastern mysticism embraces this as you see in the yin and yang, the Hindu school of Samkhya takes a likewise road. Duality can even be seen in our base physics.
Most people I know would agree that duality is a fundamental aspect of our very existence.
So what happens when it’s not?
In physics, there is something known as CP violation. CPT Symmetry (C; change conjugation P; parity, T; time reversal invariance) is, in it’s most basic and broken down form, exactly as I’ve explained above. We have a problem: there is more matter than antimatter in this universe. Much more. Since matter and antimatter theory is based on particle theory, I’m going to use that to explain. All charged particles with half-integer spin have antimatter counterparts of opposing parity and charge. When these two little things come together, they can annihilate.
It annihilates both, though. Not just the antiparticle. Each release their mass energy in some way and fade away.
So is the universe, then, naturally imbalanced?
Newton has told us not to think of the universe as clockwork. I’ve generally agreed. Yet, my naïve human weakness wants a sense of balance that science, by current accounts, tells me there isn’t.
I’ve considered, is it possible the universe itself is balanced, just.. not necessarily here? I mean, a universe is kinda big. But it’s more likely an answer I can’t possible come up with or better yet comprehend.
Anyway, thoughts?
ps. Keep in mind that this is the intelligent discussions section.. so while I humour those who feel I am arrogant in posting here, I have less qualms about posting as I have with reading drivel. Thank you for your kind consideration.
). later, as it began to cool down, some of the symmetries were broken. also information has been created (that's what allows for the local organization of matter into more complicated systems without breaking the 2nd law of thermodynamics).