5 ms·

Another related thing I've wondered is if, similar to how the possible electroweak force un-unified into the electromagnetic force and the weak force, is there

Another related thing I've wondered is if, similar to how the possible electroweak force un-unified into the electromagnetic force and the weak force, is there a scenario where the electromagnetic force (or the weak force) un-unifies into some other sub force ? So I guess like the reverse of the GUT.

_Microft 5y ago
Sounds like you mean electrostatics and magnetostatics.
- thayne 5y ago
  That isn't quite the same thing. Both electrostatic and magnetostatic interactions are mediated by the same boson (photons). Whereas each of the four fundamental forces have their own set of bosons (W and Z bosons for weak, gluons for strong, and the theorized graviton for gravity).
Razengan 5y ago
> un-unified split
- DonHopkins 5y ago
  ified
betterunix2 5y ago
It is certainly possible. What we think of as a long timescale for the age of the universe may be very short in some future epoch where the fundamental forces further split, just as we see the epoch of electroweak unification as being short.
grkvlt 5y ago
i thought about this as well, when i first learned about unification of forces, it seems like an obvious thing to try and reason about, so let's go! [caveat - i'm not a physicist, but] we know forces unify at higher temperatures/energies, and there is no limit to how high temperature can get (maybe? i guess temperature is the same as the mean velocity of the particles, so for particles with mass this cannot exceed c, right?) however the the high energy zone is inaccessible with current technology above a certain level. but in the other direction, we hit a floor at zero kelvin. which we can access, and can therefore test. so we know that going right down to zero kelvin / electron-volts / joules / meteres per second does not split any of the known forces further. this is how we know that they are the fundamental forces, i think.

_Microft 5y ago

Sounds like you mean electrostatics and magnetostatics.

thayne 5y ago
That isn't quite the same thing. Both electrostatic and magnetostatic interactions are mediated by the same boson (photons). Whereas each of the four fundamental forces have their own set of bosons (W and Z bosons for weak, gluons for strong, and the theorized graviton for gravity).

Razengan 5y ago

> un-unified split

DonHopkins 5y ago
ified

betterunix2 5y ago

It is certainly possible. What we think of as a long timescale for the age of the universe may be very short in some future epoch where the fundamental forces further split, just as we see the epoch of electroweak unification as being short.

grkvlt 5y ago

i thought about this as well, when i first learned about unification of forces, it seems like an obvious thing to try and reason about, so let's go! [caveat - i'm not a physicist, but] we know forces unify at higher temperatures/energies, and there is no limit to how high temperature can get (maybe? i guess temperature is the same as the mean velocity of the particles, so for particles with mass this cannot exceed c, right?) however the the high energy zone is inaccessible with current technology above a certain level. but in the other direction, we hit a floor at zero kelvin. which we can access, and can therefore test. so we know that going right down to zero kelvin / electron-volts / joules / meteres per second does not split any of the known forces further. this is how we know that they are the fundamental forces, i think.