How to Simulate a Quantum Field Theory on a Computer

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The idea of simulating a quantum field theory on a computer was not well-established at all. Wilson realized that when you do the first step in putting the theory on a lattice, all the infinities disappear right away. The reason why there ever were infinities, you can think about in terms of Feynman diagrams, right?

Physics is in crisis, what else is new? That's what we hear in certain corners, anyway, usually pointed at "fundamental" physics of particles and fields. (Condensed matter and biophysics etc. are just fine.) In this solo podcast I ruminate on the unusual situation fundamental physics finds itself in, where we have a theoretical understanding that fits almost all the data, but which nobody believes to be the final answer. I talk about how we got here, and argue that it's not really a "crisis" in any real sense. But there are ways I think the academic community could handle the problem better, especially by making more space for respectable but minority approaches to deep puzzles.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/07/31/245-solo-the-crisis-in-physics/

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