THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Department of Physics Colloquium Constraints on our Universe as a Numerical Simulation Dr. Martin Savage University of Washington Bostrom has argued that unless we are living in a simulation, our descendants will almost certainly never run an ancestor simulation. While we are at the very earliest stages of performing simulations of simple systems with the fundamental laws of nature, the constraint of finite computational resources in a simulation of the universe would manifest itself as deviations of basic observables from naive expectations. Guided by how present day simulations of the strong and electromagnetic interactions, performed with lattice gauge theories, we discuss observables, such as the distribution of the highest energy cosmic rays and the magnetic moment of the muon, that could reveal an underlying discretization of space- time - consistent with a numerical simulation. TIME: 3:45-4:35 pm, Thursday the 4 th of February 2016 (refreshments: 3:30pm) PLACE: B1220 Lehman Auditorium, SEH building, GWU 800 22nd Street, N.W. (Use 22 nd street entrance) METRO STATION: GWU/FOGGY BOTTOM (BLUE & ORANGE LINES)
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THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Department of Physics Colloquium
Constraints on our Universe as a Numerical Simulation Dr. Martin Savage
University of Washington
Bostrom has argued that unless we are living in a simulation, our descendants will almost certainly never run an ancestor simulation. While we are at the very earliest stages of performing simulations of simple systems with the fundamental laws of nature, the constraint of finite computational resources in a simulation of the universe would manifest itself as deviations of basic observables from naive expectations. Guided by how present day simulations of the strong and electromagnetic interactions, performed with lattice gauge theories, we discuss observables, such as the distribution of the highest energy cosmic rays and the magnetic moment of the muon, that could reveal an underlying discretization of space-time - consistent with a numerical simulation.
TIME: 3:45-4:35 pm, Thursday the 4th of February 2016 (refreshments: 3:30pm)
PLACE: B1220 Lehman Auditorium, SEH building, GWU 800 22nd Street, N.W. (Use 22nd street entrance)
METRO STATION: GWU/FOGGY BOTTOM (BLUE & ORANGE LINES)
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