The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether and the Unification of Forces

Grand unification theories have long been a holy grail in science, and in our search for an elegant theory of the universe we must consider everything from quarks to black holes. The two main concepts we will explore here are the “Grid” and the “Core”—the grid is a conceptual descendant of ether, that mysterious substance once believed filled empty space. Some physicists theorize that space is highly structured by the grid, and the substance from which all physical matter is formed. Core theory, on the other hand, provides a “theory of everything”-reconciling gravity with electromagnetism and the strong and week nuclear forces. While the most promising theory, it is not “elegant” nor can it be reconciled with string theory; yet with it we are moving toward a fully unified theory of Nature.

Speaker Details

Frank Wilczek won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004 for work he did as a graduate student at Princeton University when he was 21 years old, on the properties of color gluons, which hold atomic nuclei together. He is known for the discovery of asymptotic freedom, the development of quantum chromodynamics, the invention of axions and the exploration of new kinds of quantum statistics (anyons). He is the author of Longing for the Harmonies, an exposition of modern physics and New York Times Notable Book of the Year and many other books, essays and articles.

Date:
Speakers:
Frank Wilczek
Affiliation:
Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics, MIT