The Forgotten Geometry: A New Path to Unification

SPONSOR: As a listener of TOE, you can now enjoy full digital access to The Economist. Get a 20% off discount by visiting: https://www.economist.com/toe Peter Woit is a theoretical physicist and mathematician, currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at Columbia University. Peter is known for his work in quantum field theory and representation theory, particularly for contributions to the understanding of gauge theories. In addition to his academic work, Woit is the author of "Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law," where he critically examines string theory while advocating for alternative approaches in the quest for a unified physical theory. TOE'S TOP LINKS: - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Become a YouTube Member Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org SPONSORS (check them out): - THE ECONOMIST: As a listener of TOE, you can now enjoy full digital access to The Economist. Get a 20% off discount by visiting: https://www.economist.com/toe - INDEED: Get your jobs more visibility at https://indeed.com/theories ($75 credit to book your job visibility) - HELLOFRESH: For FREE breakfast for life go to https://www.HelloFresh.com/freetheoriesofeverything Links: ⁠- Peter Woit’s first appearance on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z3JYb_g2Qs - ⁠Peter Woit’s book on Quantum Theory and Representations: https://amzn.to/3TcD3es - Peter Woit’s Papers - https://inspirehep.net/literature?sort=mostrecent&size=25&page=1&q=a%20P.Woit.1 - Peter Woit’s Blog - https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/ - Peter Woit’s book “Not Even Wrong”: https://amzn.to/3X8c1pS - Slides from Talk ("Rethinking the Foundations of Physics: What is unification?"): https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/unification.pdf - Other "Rethinking the Foundations" talks: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlOYgTu7P4nfjYkv3mkikyBa Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:31 - Overview of Unification in Physics and the Standard Model 05:11 - Historical Development of the Standard Model and its Success 07:00 - Introduction to General Relativity and its Challenges 09:32 - Unanswered Questions in the Standard Model (U1, SU2, SU3) 13:12 - Technical Issues in Quantum Field Theory and General Relativity 17:24 - The Rise of Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) 21:07 - Challenges and Failures of GUTs (Proton Decay) 25:43 - Abandonment of GUTs and Introduction of Supersymmetry 26:45 - Basics of Supersymmetry and Its Predictions 31:28 - Failure of Supersymmetry (No Evidence for Superpartners) 32:08 - Supergravity, Kaluza-Klein Theories, and Extra Dimensions 35:52 - String Theory and the Unification Paradigm in the 1980s 39:00 - Experimental Failures and the Lack of Evidence for String Theory 41:00 - Ongoing Pursuit of Failed Theories and Resistance to New Ideas 47:09 - The Shift in Attitudes Towards Unification Efforts in Physics 48:13 - Introduction to Peter Woit's New Ideas on Unification 52:32 - The Role of Four-Dimensional Geometry and Spinors in Unification 58:11 - Wick Rotation and Differences Between Euclidean and Minkowski Space-Time 1:03:05 - Technical Challenges in Wick Rotation and Quantum Field Theory 1:09:01 - Unique Aspects of Spinors in Euclidean vs. Minkowski Space-Time 1:14:38 - The Dirac Operator and its Role in Space-Time Symmetry 1:18:02 - Relation to Supersymmetry and the Right-Handed Nature of Space-Time 1:22:04 - Connection to Gravity and Loop Quantum Gravity (Ashtakar Variables) 1:27:33 - Outro / Support TOE Support TOE: - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch #science #physics #stringtheory #math