Tiny Geometries

the mysterious structures latent in the Universe

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Tiny Geometries

 

     …partially inspired by Ray Lynch’s wonderful piece of music “Tiny Geometries” on his album “Deep Breakfast”.

(see, for example, http://www.last.fm/music/Ray+Lynch/_/Tiny+Geometries)

 

 

Tiny geometries,

At existence’s core,

Time and space intermixed,

Seething evermore¹.

With bits of time

And bits of space

No further divisible²

This the secret, this the door,

To wherefores still invisible³.

 

 

Through superposition,

Dawns reality⁴.

The rare near impossible,

The norm, certainty⁵.

Dimensions saved,

Held from collapse

Through time irreversible.

Space of no utility,

Both back and forth traversable⁶.

 

 

In shrunken dimensions

Particles arise⁷

Tremors in loops of string

All structure supplies⁸.

What hidden laws,

What mysteries

Ordain the permissible?

Will we through knowledge glean the Whys,

Or sigh, things inexplicable?

 

 

 

 

©2009, Richard Puetter

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

Notes

 

 

Dear reader, this is another “physics” poem. Sorry, but they appeal to me so much. There are many popular writings that will help those unfamiliar with these topics. Topics covered here are quantum gravity, string theory, and the making of Universes through the superposition of all possible states. There are good articles on Wikipedia on these topics and in the science magazine Scientific American. I am also willing to answer to the best of my ability  questions sent to me via e-mail.

 

Very best regards,

 

Rick

 

 

^[1]The properties of matter are currently thought to be determined by geometric structures in miniscule "folded-dimensions". So, on the microscopic scale, tiny geometries determine all. Time and space always intermix because of special relativity, but on the smallest scales, time can "briefly" run backwards and be reversible (cause and effect need not be time-ordered at least not for short periods), i.e., "effects" can actually precede "causes".

 

^[2]There is a smallest unit of time, the Planck time (roughly 5.4x10^-44 sec), and a smallest unit of space (Planck length, approximately 1.6x10^-33 cm), the distance light travels in a Planck time.

 

^[3]In quantum mechanics time and space are continuous, i.e., there is no smallest unit of either quantity, which is convenient since quantum field equations can then be functions of a continuous coordinate system. However, in quantum gravity, time and space themselves must be quantized. This poses serious problems since now standard tricks cannot be used to write down the field equations as the coordinate system itself is discrete.

 

^[4]Reality is a superposition of all possible states. One approach in trying to understand the properties of our 4-dimensional Universe (I’m referring to 1 time dimension and 3 space dimensions and momentarily ignoring rolled up small dimensions from which matter may be comprised--see note [7]), is to form a superposition of all possible 4-dimensional universes, and then take the average as this should provide a accurate picture of reality.

 

^[5]This is a common tautology in statistical mechanics. Since the average of the superposition of all possible states is the most likely reality (by astronomically large probabilities, i.e., a certainty), the nature of reality reflects the typical state in the ensemble of all possible states. So the norm reflects the average (i.e., reality) and one will never see a reality characteristic of an atypical state.

 

^[6]Studies that try to understand the properties of our 4-dimensional space-time have found that without one of the dimensions (i.e., what we call time) being irreversible, the average of the ensemble of all possible Universes typically collapses to lower dimensional structures.  So it seems that one of the only ways quantum mechanically to build a 4-dimensional universe is to have one of the dimensions irreversible, e.g., one can only go forward and not back in this dimension, just like we have with time. Indeed, this may be the single, most important property that distinguishes space and time. In space, you can go back and forth. In time, you cannot.

 

^[7]In modern string theory the particles of matter are made up of strings that live in “folded-up” dimensions, i.e., dimensions that are microscopically small and which have not participated in the expansion of the Universe as have our more familiar 3 spatial dimensions.

 

^[8]Vibrations in the string structures of string theory and the geometric properties of these strings are now thought to give rise to all of the different families of fundamental particles.

Author's Note

6-5-6-5-4-4-7-7-8 meter, abcbdefbf rhyme, with f repeating identically in all three verses. Yep, pretty complicated, just like Nature.

I will answer manyantler's questions here since I think there will be others interested in the answers as well.

First, I'd like to comment on Zeta-Reticuli, which is a double star (binary) system in our galaxy. It is not a galaxy of it's own. Galaxies have hundreds of millions to tens of billions of stars. So a two-star system doesn't qualify as a galaxy. Also, binary star systems are very common. Single stars, like our sun, are in the minority. Double stars, triple stars, quadruple star, etc. happen all the time. When star systems form, the massive systems generally form more than one star. When the system isn't massive enough to form multiple stars, solar systems form out of what's left over. So it is thought that lower mass stars, like our sun, will generally be found with solar systems (planets). In the more massive systems, those with multiple stars, any planets in solar systems are likely to be thrown out of the system by gravitational interaction with the stars of the system. So these would most likely not have planets except way out, past the orbits of the multiple star systems (in such systems the multiple stars orbit around each other).

Now as to how we know the age of our sun, that is rather simple actually. Scientist have extremely good models of stellar structure and stellar evolution. We can predict from first principles all of the different kinds of stars that we see in the sky. We know how massive they are, how hot they are, and how long they live before they turn into a supernova. Extensive observations of clusters of stars can see all of the different kind of stars and can see that the more massive stars have already turned off of the main sequence (this is when stars burn hydrogen in their cores) and have gone into the red-giant phase. This is exactly as predicted by our models and we can use this to date the age of globular clusters (large groupings of stars that have all formed at roughly same time). This precise agreement with theory gives great confidence that we know what is going on in stars. We can also look at the heavy elements produced in stars in their normal burning cycle and in the supernovae phase. This, too, agrees with theory and is another check that we have it right. So from all of this we know that our sun is roughly 5 billion years old. This also agrees well with our independent dating of the age of the earth at roughtly 4.5 billion years old. So this is yet another independent check that we understand the structure and evolutionn of stars. So in another 5 billion years our sun will also turn off the main sequence (it will have exhausted all the hydrogen in its core) and begin to expand and become a red-giant, engulfing the earth (our orbital distance will actually be inside the sun). However before that happens, in about 2-3 billion years, our galaxy, the Milky Way, will have collided with Andromeda, the other large galaxy in our local group of about 20 or so galaxies. This collision will probably knock the sun out of its orbit in our galaxy, but it would probably be too weak to strip off the planets from the sun (at least the inner planets). The collision will be generally disruptive of the galaxy and as the stars from each of the two colliding galaxies coalesce, a new, combined, bigger galaxy will form. From observations, astronomers can see that this is a common occurance in the Universe. Galaxies collide all the time and it is an extremely violent event.

Reviews

[Greg Close]

Rick - really like the style and love the topic. Nothing like a poem about subatomic particles to get my juices flowing. This actually reminded me of a Rush lyric by Neil Peart for the song Natural Science (Permanent Waves, rel. 1980). For no particular reason, just in general flow of the rhythm and the deft but accessible scientific bent of the subject matter.

[Zahra]

Wonderful physics poem. :-) loved it. Thanks for sharing

[eatmills]

Rick, I really enjoyed this piece, I mean I love math/scientific poetry, I love the fact that you used a numerical structure, it's the footnotes that dragged me down. I really don't care to know the meaning of every context of the word. You've turned a beautiful poem into a scientific textbook excerpt, unless that is what you meant to do then good on you and a fool on me.

2+2=5

[E. L. Foley]

The discipline of your footnoting is truly impressive!

[Fran Marie]

Well Rick, you neer disappoint us with your physic writes, it's like going to school
we do indeed glean some type of knowledge even tho~ we may have our own opinions and views on time this is a very interesting piece~i like watching the time machine everytime it comes on TV~ amazing stuff to think about~

Great WritE!!

[Vain Apocalypse]

Rick, when it comes to marrying old arts with new concepts on nature, you are the undisputed master here. I've long had a theory that scientists make the best poets, and you are living evidence of that. Each word in this is nearly perfectly chosen. That should come as no surprise; the footnotes reveal the quantity of thought that's been put into each line. Yes, the meter and rhyme are whimsically inconsistent and unpredictable (not unlike the subject matter), but it still manages to read smoothly with aspects that are both musical and profound.

[emmajoy]

As before you lost me about the second word! I've read this six times now, Rick, but am determined to understand just one tenth of it .. and I will.

Forgive the delay in answering your request to review, I allowed forty requests to mount up and left the most complex until the end .. foolish. I see that you're away, perhaps by the time you return I'll be able to leave some form of review.

In the meantime, I can at least say that to write something of this depth in meter form is even more exceptional. Will return.

[LisetteCanWrite!]

This was really creative and spellbinding.. and science is truly life. Myself I am a cursed protege .. of a great struggle between religion and science... as are so many these days.. I found this highly educational.. which gives it a purpose beyond just a simple everyday writing. The likes of which should be celebrated.. if this could only be incorporated into the science books it may peak interest to those who are challenged by the subject.

This is a brilliant masterpiece in my eyes.. it does not convey the regular emotions I seek in poetry in normal cirucumstances.. yet I find it a compelling piece of written art.. questioning what I felt to be the DNA sequence, atoms, chromosomes, matter and so much more.. you went way deeper than just the simple forms of science through this.. I truly loved it! REALLY .. great written wordsmithing with rhythm and flow .. certainly not an easy task! Bravo and saving to favorites!

[Charles D. Moorer]

I am a believer in the big bang theory so it works for me. Steven Hawking would like this poem very much, as I do.

[insanity]

Congrats on taking 1st place in the Time contest. Not only did you write a stellar poem but managed to captivate the readers enough to get the interested in the scientific aspect of this which you delightfully explained. Thanks for sharing this and congratulations on your win.