17 found
Order:
  1. Λ and the limits of effective field theory.Adam Koberinski & Chris Smeenk - forthcoming - Philosophy of Science.
    The cosmological constant problem stems from treating quantum field theory and general relativity as an effective field theory. We argue that the problem is a reductio ad absurdum, and that one should reject the assumption that general relativity can generically be treated as an EFT. This marks a failure of naturalness, and an internal signal that EFT methods do not apply in all spacetime domains. We then take an external view, showing that the assumptions for using EFTs are violated in (...)
    Direct download (3 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   7 citations  
  2.  55
    Renormalization group methods and the epistemology of effective field theories.Adam Koberinski & Doreen Fraser - 2023 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 98 (C):14-28.
  3.  84
    Problems with the cosmological constant problem.Adam Koberinski - 2021 - In Christian Wüthrich, Baptiste Le Bihan & Nick Huggett (eds.), Philosophy Beyond Spacetime: Implications From Quantum Gravity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    The cosmological constant problem is widely viewed as an important barrier and hint to merging quantum field theory and general relativity. It is a barrier insofar as it remains unsolved, and a solution may hint at a fuller theory of quantum gravity. I critically examine the arguments used to pose the cosmological constant problem, and find many of the steps poorly justified. In particular, there is little reason to accept an absolute zero point energy scale in quantum field theory, and (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   6 citations  
  4.  73
    The Higgs mechanism and superconductivity: A case study of formal analogies.Doreen Fraser & Adam Koberinski - 2016 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 55:72-91.
    Following the experimental discovery of the Higgs boson, physicists explained the discovery to the public by appealing to analogies with condensed matter physics. The historical root of these analogies is the analogies to models of superconductivity that inspired the introduction of spontaneous symmetry breaking into particle physics in the early 1960s. We offer a historical and philosophical analysis of the analogies between the Higgs model of the electroweak interaction and the Ginsburg-Landau and Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer models of superconductivity, respectively. The conclusion of (...)
    Direct download (4 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   16 citations  
  5.  71
    Q.e.D., Qed.Adam Koberinski & Chris Smeenk - 2020 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 71:1-13.
    Precision testing of the quantum electrodynamics (QED) and the standard model provides some of the most secure knowledge in the history of physics. These tests can also be used to constrain and search for new physics going beyond the standard model. We examine the evidential structure of relationships between theoretical predictions from QED, precision measurements of these phenomena, and the indirect determination of the fine structure constant. We argue that "pure QED" is no longer sufficient to predict the electron's anomalous (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   7 citations  
  6.  24
    Regularizing (Away) Vacuum Energy.Adam Koberinski - 2021 - Foundations of Physics 51 (1):1-22.
    In this paper I formulate Minimal Requirements for Candidate Predictions in quantum field theories, inspired by viewing the standard model as an effective field theory. I then survey standard effective field theory regularization procedures, to see if the vacuum expectation value of energy density ) is a quantity that meets these requirements. The verdict is negative, leading to the conclusion that \ is not a physically significant quantity in the standard model. Rigorous extensions of flat space quantum field theory eliminate (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   5 citations  
  7.  84
    Mathematical developments in the rise of Yang–Mills gauge theories.Adam Koberinski - 2019 - Synthese (Suppl 16):1-31.
    In this paper I detail three major mathematical developments that led to the emergence of Yang–Mills theories as the foundation for the standard model of particle physics. In less than 10 years, work on renormalizability, the renormalization group, and lattice quantum field theory highlighted the utility of Yang–Mills type models of quantum field theory by connecting poorly understood candidate dynamical models to emerging experimental results. I use this historical case study to provide lessons for theory construction in physics, and touch (...)
    Direct download (4 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   6 citations  
  8.  25
    “Fundamental” “Constants” and Precision Tests of the Standard Model.Adam Koberinski - 2022 - Philosophy of Science 89 (5):1255-1264.
    I provide an account of precision testing in particle physics that makes a virtue of theory-ladenness in experiments. Combining recent work on the philosophy of experimentation with a broader view of the scientific process allows one to understand that the most precise and secure knowledge produced in a mature science cannot be achieved in a theory-independent fashion. I discuss precision tests of the muon’s magnetic moment and effective field theory as a means to repurpose precision tests for exploratory purposes.
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   2 citations  
  9.  10
    Phase transitions and the birth of early universe particle physics.Adam Koberinski - 2024 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 105 (C):59-73.
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   1 citation  
  10.  24
    Generalized frameworks: Structuring searches for new physics.Adam Koberinski - 2023 - European Journal for Philosophy of Science 13 (1):1-23.
    Many areas of frontier physics are confronted with the crisis of a lack of accessible, direct evidence. As a result, direct model building has failed to lead to any new empirical discoveries. In this paper I argue that these areas of frontier physics have developed common methods for turning precision measurements of known quantities into potential evidence for anomalies hinting at new physics. This method of framework generalization has arisen as a sort of model-independent method for generalizing beyond known physics (...)
    Direct download (3 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   1 citation  
  11.  37
    Parity violation in weak interactions: How experiment can shape a theoretical framework.Adam Koberinski - 2019 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 67 (64-77):64-77.
    In this paper I will focus on the case of the discovery of parity nonconservation in weak interactions from the period spanning 1947–1957, and the lessons this episode provides for successful theory construction in HEP. I aim to (a) summarize the history into a coherent story for philosophers of science, and (b) use the history as a case study for the epistemological evolution of the understanding of weak interactions in HEP. I conclude with some philosophical lessons regarding theory construction in (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   3 citations  
  12.  12
    Establishing a theory of inflationary cosmology.Adam Koberinski & Chris Smeenk - forthcoming - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  13.  56
    Reconciling axiomatic quantum field theory with cutoff-dependent particle physics.Adam Koberinski - manuscript
    The debate between Fraser and Wallace over the foundations of quantum field theory has spawned increased focus on both the axiomatic and conventional formalisms. The debate has set the tone for future foundational analysis, and has forced philosophers to “pick a side”. The two are seen as competing research programs, and the major divide between the two manifests in how each handles renormalization. In this paper I argue that the terms set by the Fraser-Wallace debate are misleading. AQFT and CQFT (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   1 citation  
  14.  5
    Frameworks in physics: Abstractness, generality, and the role of metaphysics.Adam Koberinski & Doreen Fraser - unknown
    In defending the fundamentality of the open systems view for quantum theory, Cuffaro and Hartmann (2024) articulate an account of frameworks in physics. They argue that the general quantum theory of open systems is a more fundamental framework than standard quantum theory. In this chapter, we articulate an account of frameworks using the examples of quantum field theory and statistical mechanics. We argue that what makes frameworks useful in physics is the combination of generality and abstractness of frameworks. In particular, (...)
    No categories
    Direct download  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  15.  52
    Philosophy of Cosmology.Craig W. Fox, Marie Gueguen, Adam Koberinski & Christopher Smeenk - 2019 - Oxford Bibliographies.
  16. (1 other version)Do the EPR correlations pose a problem for causal decision theory?Adam Koberinski, Lucas Dunlap & William L. Harper - 2017 - Synthese:1-12.
    We argue that causal decision theory is no worse off than evidential decision theory in handling entanglement, regardless of one’s preferred interpretation of quantum mechanics. In recent works, Ahmed and Ahmed and Caulton : 4315–4352, 2014) have claimed the opposite; we argue that they are mistaken. Bell-type experiments are not instances of Newcomb problems, so CDT and EDT do not diverge in their recommendations. We highlight the fact that a Causal Decision Theorist should take all lawlike correlations into account, including (...)
    Direct download (4 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  17.  56
    Theory construction in high-energy particle physics.Adam Koberinski - 2019 - Dissertation, University of Western Ontario
    Science is a process, through which theoretical frameworks are developed, new phenomena defined and discovered, and properties of entities tested. The goal of this dissertation is to illustrate how high-energy physics exemplified the process of theory construction from the 1950s to 1970s, and the promising ways in which it can continue to do so today. The lessons learned from the case studies examined here can inform future physics, and may provide methodological clues as to the best way forward today. I (...)
    Direct download (4 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark