Speaker: Joan Vaccaro
Affiliation: Griffith University

Abstract

Time in modern physics remains enigmatic at the deepest level. It has an asymmetric direction that points from causes to effects, low to high entropy, and small to ever expanding universe, and is typically studied using time-symmetric dynamics (i.e. physical laws) in combination with time-asymmetric boundary conditions (as initial and final states). However, the weak interaction, which is responsible for the violations of the discrete symmetry of charge conjugation (C), parity inversion (P), and time reversal (T) in hadrons, represents a time-asymmetric dynamical law. T violation, in particular, has the potential to offer fresh insight into the nature of time beyond what can be gleaned from the time-asymmetric boundary conditions. I will describe my attempt to address this, and show how T violation may underlie Lorentz invariance.

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Venue

Parnell Building (07)
Room: 222