Τμήμα Φυσικής ΕΚΠΑ. Σεμινάριο Φυσικής

Ημερομηνία: 20/12/2023

Ομιλητής: Prof. Tim Palmer

University of Oxford, UK

Τίτλος: The Geometry of Chaos: The Primacy of Doubt

Περίληψη : In this talk I shall argue that, through meteorologist Ed Lorenz’s discovery of the fractal geometry of chaos, Chaos Theory should be considered the third great theories of 20th Century physics, alongside Quantum Theory and Relativity Theory. Why? Firstly, fractal attractors provide a geometric representation of some of the deepest theorems of 20th Century mathematics. Secondly, this geometry encodes the intermittent instabilities that characterise the occasional breakdown in predictability of many nonlinear systems: from the weather and the motion of planets to the global economy and our health. I discuss the development of practical ensemble prediction tools which enable flow-dependent uncertainties in such nonlinear systems to be forecast and show how this is transforming the way in which humanitarian agencies provide relief to societies at risk of natural disaster. Finally, I will suggest that the geometry of chaos provides a novel way to explain one of the deepest mysteries of quantum physics – its apparent nonlocality. I conclude that such nonlocality does not imply “spooky action at a distance”, but instead signals that our fundamental laws of physics must – like the geometry of chaos – be profoundly holistic.

Διαδικτυακός Σύνδεσμος:

https://uoa.webex.com/uoa/j.php?MTID=md625673d54a5942cd95fbac222d65838

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