- philphysmunich - lists.lrz.de

PHIL-PHYS-READING-GROUP: first meeting
by Erik Curiel Oct. 25, 2013

Oct. 25, 2013

The first meeting of the München area philosophy of physics reading group will take place on Nov 06, 14:15-16:00, in Ludwigstrasse 25 (LMU), room D4c. (To get to room D4c, enter through the southernmost entrance to Ludwigstrasse 25, take the nearest elevator to floor D, which is above floor 5. If you're in an elevator that does not go to floor D, you're on the wrong side of the building.) For the first part of the session, I will give a brief review of Killing horizons in relativistic spacetimes. The remainder (and larger part) of the session will be a group discussion of the paper "The Thermodynamics of Black Holes" by Bob Wald (http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9912119) I attach a copy to this email. The group will then continue to meet every second week thereafter, with the next readings to be announced after each session. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Hope to see you there! Yours, Erik -- Erik Curiel Postdoctoral Fellow Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie Fakultät für Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft Ludwigsstrasse 31 80539 München, Deutschland http://strangebeautiful.com

1 0

New Book Series on Philosophy of Physics and Mathematics
by Dean Rickles Oct. 24, 2013

Oct. 24, 2013

The following might be of interest to this list’s subscribers: Philosophy of Physics and Mathematics Series editors: Elaine Landry and Dean Rickles The editors of a new book series on issues in the philosophy of mathematics and physics are seeking proposals for monographs or edited collections. Recent years have seen a surge of interest in new topics discussed by philosophers of mathematics and physics, including issues relating to the way in which these intersect. Titles in this series will cover a range of exciting themes, including the applicability of mathematics; mathematical modelling; category theory; the nature of mathematical proofs; computability; climate physics; econophysics; quantum information; quantum gravity; time machines; singularities; and emergence. For more information please contact the editors (Prof. Landry for philosophy of mathematics proposals and Prof. Rickles for philosophy of physics proposals). For full details on how to submit a proposal, see: http://www.pickeringchatto.com/publish/send-us-a-proposal

1 0

PHIL PHYS READING GROUP: suggested topics and readings for black hole stuff
by Erik Curiel Oct. 22, 2013

Oct. 22, 2013

I attach a list of suggested readings for the philosophy of physics reading group this term, collected under 4 topics: 1. Laws of Black Hole Mechanics and Thermodynamics 2. Black Hole Entropy 3. Hawking Radiation, Black-Hole Evaporation and Information 4. Black Holes in Quantum Gravity At the first meeting, we will decide on the order in which we want to cover the topics, how much time to spend on each topic, which readings to cover for each topic, and who will be in charge of leading discussion for each chosen reading. Please come prepared to offer your thoughts on all this. I hope to see all of you there. Yours, Erik -- Erik Curiel Postdoctoral Fellow Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie Fakultät für Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft Ludwigsstrasse 31 80539 München, Deutschland http://strangebeautiful.com

1 0

Reading Group Philosophy of Physics
by Dardashti, Radin Oct. 21, 2013

Oct. 21, 2013

So this time with complete information: The Reading Group will take place Wednesdays at 2pm c.t. in Ludwigstr.25, room D4C. Best, Radin _______________________________________ Dear all, The Topic of this terms Philosophy of Physics Reading Group is: Black Holes, Information and Thermodynamics. starting next week (Oct.23) the Reading Group will take place bi-weekly. The Location is Ludwigstr.25, Room D4C. (To get there, take the southern entry of Ludwigstr.25, i.e. the one closer to Odeonsplatz, and grab the elevator to the D floor, which is one above the 5th floor. Then follow the signs.) The first session will be introductory. Topics and reading material will be discussed. Hope to see many of you there. Best wishes, Radin

2 1

Michael Krämer at LMU, October 23, 2013
by Michael Cuffaro Oct. 18, 2013

Oct. 18, 2013

Dear all, please join us for the following: Speaker: Michael Krämer (RWTH Aachen) Wednesday 23rd October 2013 Ludwigstr.31 Room E021 Time: 6 to 8 pm Title: Searches for the Higgs and new physics at the Large Hadron Collider Abstract: I will review the physics of the Large hadron Collider LHC, including the recent discovery of a Higgs particle, and the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. While the talk focusses on the physics, I will also mention various philosophical questions which are being addressed in the context of an interdisciplinary research group on the "Epistemology of the LHC". Best wishes, -- Michael Cuffaro Postdoctoral Fellow Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie Fakultät für Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1 80539 München, Deutschland http://www.michaelcuffaro.com

1 0

Foundations of Quantum Mechanics Seminar
by Dardashti, Radin Oct. 17, 2013

Oct. 17, 2013

Dear all, our "Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" joint seminar with Stanford continues next week with Stephan Hartmann (MCMP). He will talk about "The use of non-monotonic Upper and Lower Probabilities in Quantum Mechanics". Location: Martiusstr.4, Room 104. Time: Monday Oct. 21, 6pm (s.t.) If you have no access to the dropbox folder yet, feel free to email me. Best wishes, Radin

1 0

Philosophy of Physics Reading Group
by Dardashti, Radin Oct. 17, 2013

Oct. 17, 2013

Dear all, The Topic of this terms Philosophy of Physics Reading Group is: Black Holes, Information and Thermodynamics. starting next week (Oct.23) the Reading Group will take place bi-weekly. The Location is Ludwigstr.25, Room D4C. (To get there, take the southern entry of Ludwigstr.25, i.e. the one closer to Odeonsplatz, and grab the elevator to the D floor, which is one above the 5th floor. Then follow the signs.) The first session will be introductory. Topics and reading material will be discussed. Hope to see many of you there. Best wishes, Radin

1 0

"Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" Seminar with Stanford University starting on the 14th Oct.
by Dardashti, Radin Oct. 10, 2013

Oct. 10, 2013

Dear all, Starting on the 14th of October we will be having a joint seminar with Stanford on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. We will meet every Monday at 6pm sharp (s.t.) in Martiusstr.4, room 104, where we have the equipment for video-conferencing. (NOTE: The room is different from the room originally announced on the LSF-System). The first speaker will be Tom Ryckman (Stanford) on "Measuring and Manipulating individual Quantum Systems". If you are interested in attending please email me (Radin.Dardashti(a)lrz.uni-muenchen.de) so I can invite you to the dropbox folder where relevant literature for each session will be shared. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. Best wishes, Radin

1 0

Talk by James Owen Weatherall at MCMP (Fri. 19. July)
by Dardashti, Radin July 13, 2013

July 13, 2013

Speaker: James Owen Weatherall (UC Irvine) Friday 19th July 2013 Ludwigstr.31 Room E021 Time: 6 to 8 pm Title: Inertial Motion, Explanation, and the Foundations of Classical Space-time Theories. Abstract: There is an influential view in physics and philosophy of physics, originating with Einstein and Eddington, that holds that general relativity is distinctive in the history of physics because it can be used to "explain" inertial, or unforced, motion. In this talk, I will describe how a reformulation of Newtonian gravitation may be used to provide insight into claims concerning the (allegedly) distinctive explanatory resources of relativity theory. I will then argue that Newtonian gravitation can be understood to explain inertial motion in much the same way as general relativity. However, a careful comparative study of the status of inertial motion in the two theories reveals that neither explanation is as clean or straightforward as adherents to the view noted above believe. I will conclude by presenting a view about the interdependencies of the central principles of physical theories that I will argue provides some insight into a sense in which inertial motion is explained in both of these theories.

1 0

Talk by Michael Stoeltzner at MCMP (Wed. 17. July)
by Dardashti, Radin July 11, 2013

July 11, 2013

Speaker: Michael Stoeltzner (South Carolina) Wednesday 17th July 2013 Ludwigstr.31 Room E021 Time: 6 to 8 pm Title: Feynman Diagrams as Models Abstract: While Feynman considered his diagrams as pictorial representation of (real and virtual) physical processes, Dyson took then as a mere bookkeeping tool for mathematical expressions in a perturbation series. This split perspective has persisted since, especially when Feynman diagrams gradually extended their sway into modern particle physics. I argue that the modern debates on models in science can build a bridge between both perspectives by granting Feynman diagrams some explanatory autonomy and representative features. While a single Feynman diagram remains isomorph to a mathematical expression, it also represents a family of diagrams that model a measurable physical effect.

1 0