Proceedings Of The Conference In Honour Of The 90th Birthday Of Freeman Dyson

Professor Freeman Dyson, a great physicist, thinker and futurist, has been very active in scientific, literary and public policy activities throughout his career. As a tribute to him on the occasion of his 90th birthday and to celebrate his lifelong contributions in physics, mathematics, astronomy, nuclear engineering and global warming, a conference covering a wide range of topics was held in Singapore from 26 to 29 August 2013. Distinguished scientists from around the world, including Nobel Laureate Professor David Gross, joined Professor Dyson in the celebration with a festival of lectures. This memorable volume collects an interesting lecture by Professor Dyson, Is a Graviton Detectable?, contributions by speakers at the conference, as well as guest contributions by colleagues who celebrated Dyson's birthday at Rutgers University and Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. About Freeman Dyson Freeman John Dyson FRS, born December 15, 1923, is an eminent English-born American physicist, mathematician, and futurist. He is famous for his work in quantum electrodynamics, solid-state physics, mathematics, astronomy and nuclear engineering, as well as a renowned and best-selling author. He has spent most of his life as a professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, taking time off to advise the US government and write books for the public. He has won numerous notable awards including the Enrico Fermi Award, Templeton Prize, Wolf Prize, Pomeranchuk Prize, and Henri Poincaré Prize. Contents:Invited Lectures:Is a Graviton Detectable? (F Dyson)Dark Energy and Dark Matter in a Superfluid Universe (K Huang)Scaling the Universe (N E Frankel)The Relativity of Space–Time–Property (R Delbourgo)Monopole Condensation and Mass Gap in SU(3) QCD (Y M Cho)Quantum Structure of Field Theory and Standard Model Based on Infinity-Free Loop Regularization/Renormalization (Y-L Wu)Tenth-Order QED Contribution to the Electron g – 2 and High Precision Test of Quantum Electrodynamics (T Kinoshita)The MoEDAL Experiment at the LHC — A New Light on the High Energy Frontier (J L Pinfold)Leptonic CP Violation and Leptogenesis (S T Petcov)What If the Higgs Has Brothers? (N-P Chang)Heisenberg Uncertainty Relation Revisited — Universality of Robertson's Relation (K Fujikawa)Quantum Systems Based Upon Galois Fields — From Sub-Quantum to Super-Quantum Correlations (L-N Chang, Z Lewis, D Minic and T Takeuchi)A Solvable Model of Interacting Many Body Systems Exhibiting a Breakdown of the Boltzmann Equation (B H J McKellar)Yang–Baxter Equation, Majorana Fermions and Three Body Entangling States Quantum Entanglements and Applications to Physics (M-L Ge, L W Yu, K Xue and Q Zhao)Overview of the Study of Complex Shapes of Fluid Membranes, the Helfrich Model and New Applications (Z-C Ou-Yang and Z C Tu)The Importance of Being Integrable: Out of the Paper, into the Lab (M T Batchelor)Freeman in 1948 (C DeWitt-Morette)Carbon Humanism: Freeman Dyson and the Looming Battle Between Environmentalists and Humanists (P F Schewe)'Dear Professor Dyson': Twenty Years of Correspondence Between Professor Dyson and Undergraduate Students (D E Neuenschwander)Freeman Dyson: Some Early Recollections (M Longuet-Higgins)Guest Contributions:Stability and Variability (J L Lebowitz)Freeman Dyson (E H Lieb)Why Has Global Warming Paused? (W Happer)Parallel Session:Deformed Coherent State for Multiparticle Production Mechanism (W Y Wang, Q Leong, W K Ng, A Dewanto, A H Chan and C H Oh)Noncommutative Space-Time from Quantized Twistors (J Lukierski and M Woronowicz)Similarity Solutions of Fokker–Planck Equations with Time-Dependent Coefficients and Fixed/Moving Boundaries (C-L Ho)Fermion Quantum Field Theory in Black Hole Spacetimes and Information Loss (S A B Ahmad)MESTIF — A Study of the Characteristics of Matter-Energy, Space-Time and Information-Field (J A K Tan)Superluminal Propagation and Acausality of Nonlinear Massive Gravity (S Deser, K Izumi, Y C Ong and A Waldron)An Astronomer's View on Climate Change (D C Morton)A Quantum Fluctuation Operator for Deep N-Well MOSFET Flicker Noise Modeling (E Png)Yang–Mills Field as a Subset of Covariant Derivative — A Unified Yang–Mills Field and Higgs Field (W S Gan)The DGP Model Revisited (K F Ng and S C C Ng)A Search for Primordial Vortex Remnants in the SDSS (A Yang, Z-J Ong and A H Chan)The High-Redshift Galaxy Counts-in-Cells from the COSMOS Survey (F F Foo, A Yang and A H Chan)Fundamental Constraints on Physical Systems Due to Their Own Gravitation (S K Kauffmann)Freeman Dyson and Gravitational Spin Precession (N D Hari Dass) Readership: Academics and students interested in high energy physics, astrophysics, cosmology, and condensed matter physics. Keywords:Freeman Dyson;Quantum Field Theory;High Energy Physics;Cosmology;Graviton;Topological Insulator

"Freeman Dyson has designed nuclear reactors and bomb-powered spacecraft; he has studied the origins of life and the possibilities for the long-term future; he showed quantum mechanics to be consistent with electrodynamics and started cosmological eschatology; he has won international recognition for his work in science and for his work in reconciling science to religion; he has advised generals and congressional committees. An STS (Science, Technology, Society) curriculum or discussion group that engages topics such as nuclear policies, genetic technologies, environmental sustainability, the role of religion in a scientific society, and a hard look towards the future, would count itself privileged to include Professor Dyson as a class participant and mentor. In this book, STS topics are not discussed as objectified abstractions, but through personal stories. The reader is invited to observe Dyson's influence on a generation of young people as they wrestle with issues of science, technology, society, life in general and our place in the universe. The book is filled with personal anecdotes, student questions and responses, honest doubts and passions"--

This thesis focuses on the recent firewall controversy surrounding evaporating black holes, and shows that in the best understood example concerning electrically charged black holes with a flat event horizon in anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime, the firewall does not arise. The firewall, which surrounds a sufficiently old black hole, threatens to develop into a huge crisis since it could occur even when spacetime curvature is small, which contradicts general relativity. However, the end state for asymptotically flat black holes is ill-understood since their curvature becomes unbounded. This issue is avoided by working with flat charged black holes in AdS. The presence of electrical charge is crucial since black holes inevitably pick up charges throughout their long lifetime. These black holes always evolve toward extremal limit, and are then destroyed by quantum gravitational effects. This happens sooner than the time required to decode Hawking radiation so that the firewall never sets in, as conjectured by Harlow and Hayden. Motivated by the information loss paradox, the author also investigates the possibility that “monster” configurations might exist, with an arbitrarily large interior bounded by a finite surface area. Investigating such an object in AdS shows that in the best understood case, such an object -- much like a firewall -- cannot exist.

Presents a step-by-step explanation of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity through a series of diagrams rather than equations.

Since his undergraduate days in Cambridge, George Yeo has spoken and written much in and out of government. Many remember the things which he said or wrote years ago. This book is a compilation of some of his best speeches and writings which were selected by Asad Latif and Lee Huay Leng in consultation with him. The book has a rather unusual title because there are many aspects to George Yeo which makes him difficult to classify. As a student leader, he was radical but conciliatory. In the Singapore Armed Forces, he was atypical, moving from the Army to the Air Force before becoming Director of Joint Operations and Planning. In politics, he is fondly remembered by artists, journalists, doctors, businessmen and foreign diplomats, and by his colleagues and constituents. His own staff said he had a curious mind. They complained that he rarely used the drafts which they had prepared for him. George Yeo describes himself as a Taoist even though he is a Roman Catholic and is now on the Papal staff. Buddhists are surprised he championed the revival of Nalanda University as an international project. He remains close to Singaporeans of different races and religions even though he has a deep sense of his own ancestral roots and religion. In politics, he has been described both as a liberal and a conservative. In his Parliamentary maiden speech, he spoke of the importance of democracy but has repeated many times that democracy is only a means and not an end in itself. He has a deep interest in history which partly explains his seeing the re-emergence of China and India earlier than most others. The bonsai and the banyan are metaphors he uses for Singapore. Singapore is a city-state and must never have an inflated view of itself. The bonsai describes Singapore modestly, but he adds that the bonsai can be intensely interesting and valuable. The banyan provides shade and we are grateful for it, but too much makes us weak. As for the Tao, that perhaps is what gives unity to his many interests. Contents:Singapore and PoliticsCulture and ValuesMedia and Social MediaGeopoliticsAppendices Readership: The general public, policy-makers and academics keen on Asian politics and international relations. Keywords:George Yeo;Singapore;Politics;Economy;PAP;General ElectionReviews: "This is a wonderful book by one of the foremost statesmen and social thinkers of our time. Though the themes covered display a huge variety in this wide-ranging collection of essays and speeches by George Yeo, there is a foundational interest in Asia's vast possibilities that motivates his illuminating and powerful reflections." Amartya Sen Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences “Every reader will take away something from the collection … I thought I knew what made me personally appreciate him as a political figure. The fuller picture revealed in his speeches shows us someone who is searching deeply and widely for answers to the human condition. This is someone we should all want to know better.” Professor Wang Gungwu Chairman of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and East Asian Institute "As can be seen in this splendid collection of speeches and commentaries, George Yeo's knowledge is wide-ranging as well. He can speak informatively about everything from the arrival and impact of the Internet in traditional societies to the role of city-regions in a globalized world to the woes and wonders of multi-ethnic and multi-religious polities. The reader will be well-rewarded by delving into this rich depository of insights and ideas." Nicolas Berggruen Chairman of the Berggruen Institute and Berggruen Holdings "This thick tome by George Yeo may help you pass your General Paper exams. His views can be unconventional and unexpected. For some, this book could be a collection of quotable quotes. For others, hopefully a challenge to rise and make Singapore a great home for us all." Mothership.sg Singaporean digital news agency “George Yeo's thinking is clear, consistent, and, at times, controversial. It is underpinned by a deep knowledge of history. This collection of speeches provides timely insight into the development of Singapore — and food for thought on some of today's most challenging issues.” Sunday Morning Post "It demonstrates the breadth of knowledge, depth of thinking, and the rare penmanship that communicates his perspectives in a style both lucid and succinct … The gems of wisdom in this book were crystallized by an avid scholar of international relations, philosophy, public policy, and area studies, who embodies the ideals of a scholar-statesman with notable achievements in military, academia, politics, religion and business." Asian Journal for Public Affairs