Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal John Moffat on Modified Gravity, Theories of Everything, and meeting Schrödinger
Aug 20, 2020
John Moffat, an 88-year-old physicist championing modified gravity (MOG) and alternative theories, dives into complex topics with clarity. He discusses how MOG aligns with observational data and challenges conventional ideas about dark matter. Moffat shares insights on the struggles of quantum gravity and criticizes existing theories of everything, including string theory. He recounts historical encounters with luminaries like Feynman while revealing his ongoing work and non-technical writing to make these ideas accessible to the public.
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Modified Gravity
- Einstein's theory of general relativity uses a symmetric tensor, but any tensor can be decomposed into symmetric and antisymmetric parts.
- Moffat's work uses the antisymmetric part, which is typically ignored, to modify gravity.
The Process of Physics
- In theoretical physics, start by guessing an idea.
- Then, formulate it mathematically, ensure consistency, and test it experimentally, discarding it if it doesn't fit the data.
Meeting Hawking
- Moffat's student, Neil Cornish, applied to be Stephen Hawking's assistant.
- Hawking's first words to Cornish, via computer, were about Cornish's disbelief in black holes.
