3 ms·

You don’t even need to be a physicist to see that they haven’t introduced anything new physics wise in the last 5 decades. Alcubierre drive maybe?

whatshisface 5y ago
Off the top of my head, they've made progress in quark-gluon plasma, discovering the AdS/CFT correspondence, and practical techniques for quantum computing. There's been enormous progress in computational methods, too. There's also been something very interesting going on with twistors. Oh, and 50 years ago quantum field theory was not on a formally sound footing, but now it is (not completely but it's closer). There's also a lot of progress in renormalization (RG group flow). Oh, and don't forget about fifty years of Moore's law. We have solid state to thank for that. I'm sure I could think of more if I gave it more time. The truth is that there have been no earthshattierng paradigm shifts in the last fifty years, but that's OK because they tend to happen once every couple centuries.
- pdonis 5y ago
  > discovering the AdS/CFT correspondence This should not be counted as progress unless and until it actually makes experimental predictions that are confirmed.
  - whatshisface 5y ago
    It's used to study quark-gluon plasma but I can't tell you how fruitfully because that would require understanding it.
    - pdonis 5y ago
      > It's used to study quark-gluon plasma I'm not aware of any predictions it has made regarding quark-gluon plasma that can't be made equally well without it.
- analog31 5y ago
  Maybe a minor note, but all units of measurement are now free of artifact based standards.
Iwan-Zotow 5y ago
> Alcubierre drive maybe? this is old physics, just another solution of the GR
- ben_w 5y ago
  Yes and no. Yes, warp drives are “just another solution” to the Einstein field equations. No, saying “just” in that way is like saying any given computer program is “just” another solution to the Church-Turing thesis. Alcubierre introduced a novel and interesting category of solutions that people hadn’t thought of before.
lyaa 5y ago
Topological materials are relatively new and increasingly promising for both technological and pure science reasons.
salty_biscuits 5y ago
Fractional quantum hall effect is a massive one. All the action is in condensed matter. Somehow less newsworthy despite being closer to practical applications than high energy physics.

whatshisface 5y ago

Off the top of my head, they've made progress in quark-gluon plasma, discovering the AdS/CFT correspondence, and practical techniques for quantum computing. There's been enormous progress in computational methods, too. There's also been something very interesting going on with twistors. Oh, and 50 years ago quantum field theory was not on a formally sound footing, but now it is (not completely but it's closer). There's also a lot of progress in renormalization (RG group flow). Oh, and don't forget about fifty years of Moore's law. We have solid state to thank for that. I'm sure I could think of more if I gave it more time. The truth is that there have been no earthshattierng paradigm shifts in the last fifty years, but that's OK because they tend to happen once every couple centuries.

pdonis 5y ago
> discovering the AdS/CFT correspondence This should not be counted as progress unless and until it actually makes experimental predictions that are confirmed.
- whatshisface 5y ago
  It's used to study quark-gluon plasma but I can't tell you how fruitfully because that would require understanding it.
  - pdonis 5y ago
    > It's used to study quark-gluon plasma I'm not aware of any predictions it has made regarding quark-gluon plasma that can't be made equally well without it.
analog31 5y ago
Maybe a minor note, but all units of measurement are now free of artifact based standards.

Iwan-Zotow 5y ago

> Alcubierre drive maybe? this is old physics, just another solution of the GR

ben_w 5y ago
Yes and no. Yes, warp drives are “just another solution” to the Einstein field equations. No, saying “just” in that way is like saying any given computer program is “just” another solution to the Church-Turing thesis. Alcubierre introduced a novel and interesting category of solutions that people hadn’t thought of before.

lyaa 5y ago

Topological materials are relatively new and increasingly promising for both technological and pure science reasons.

salty_biscuits 5y ago

Fractional quantum hall effect is a massive one. All the action is in condensed matter. Somehow less newsworthy despite being closer to practical applications than high energy physics.