I Failure of Theory
II Different in a different way
Image chirality and parity
III Shopping for shoes
Equation fitted log(1 - CHI) vs. log(radius)
Stereogram Quartz P3221 stereogram
Graph Quartz log(1 - CHI) vs. log(radius)
Stereogram Benzil P3221 stereogram
Graph Benzil log(1 - CHI) vs. log(radius)
Stereogram gamma-Glycine P32 stereogram
Graph gamma-Glycine log(1 - CHI) vs. log(radius)
IV Fitting shoes on feet
Image Optical chirality
V Parity Eötvös experiment
Image Inertial vs. gravitational acceleration
Equation Active mass in composition Eötvös experiments
VI Parity calorimetry experiment
Image Benzil enantiomorphic enthalpies of fusion
List Parity calorimetry experiment outcomes
VII Conclusion
VIII Commentary
YouTube Music video
Image Somebody should look
Galileo Galilei (1638) observed Aristotle (320 BC) was empirically wrong in his predictions. Isaac Newton (1687) modeled observation (neither electricity nor magnetism considered) with geometry and primitive mathematics. A surge of mathematics enabled James Clerk Maxwell (1860) to unify electricity and magnetism. Newton was empirically wrong in his predictions. Albert Einstein was provoked in one corrective direction, 1905 and 1916. Quantum mechanics pursued the other (1920s). Each is validated by nearly 100 years of observation without a single falsification, but are mutually incompatible where they overlap. Something postulated to be true is falsifiable.
The three interior angles of every Euclidean triangle sum to exactly 180°. The three interior angles of every triangle drawn on a sphere (great circles are geodesic straight lines) always sum to more than 180° and can touch 540°. Euclid's Fifth Postulate is deficient. Failure of theory is always an option. Science identifies a problem by observing it, then fixes it.
Contemporary physics imagines a joint origin of gravitation and quantum mechanics in a maximally symmetric, hot and dense genesis that inflated, cooled, and differentiated. Beautiful mathematics shed symmetries through phase transitions and decays, pruning dimensions until the two incompatible models remained. Assumed residual global symmetries are amended case by case to be consistent with common observation of their failures. Failures may be testably deeper than inconvenience and happenstance. They may be fundamental, requiring a rewrite.
The SI standard of mass is a physical artifact, Newton's G cannot be calculated, the Standard Model arrives massless. Supersymmetry's partners refuse to appear, protons do not decay, the Higgs mechanism does not reveal its vector boson. Supergravity, lattice and loop quantum gravity, and above all string and M-theories predict nothing. Physical theory also terrifically failed between Christmas 1956 and New Year's Day 1957.
Tsung Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang forswore the fiat of Weak interaction beautiful symmetry. They proposed the Weak interaction was not mirror-symmetric. They exercised the heterodox temerity to look. Reality is a left foot. Generic weak interactions are sensitive to the difference between a pair of shoes. Physics had only considered socks - and it was incomplete (wrong). Reality was beautiful in a less simple way. Gravitation, the weakest fundamental interaction by 24 orders of magnitude, can be so tested in the massed sector with an extreme pair of shoes. The shoes will fall with measurably different accelerations.
The Big Bang has a big problem. The visible universe is overwhelmingly matter essentially without antimatter. Its creation violated conservation of baryon number and lepton generation number, plus C- and CP-symmetry violations otherwise coupled to beautiful symmetries re Emily Noether's two profound theorems (that fail for discontinuous symmetry parity). The Weak interaction is strictly left-handed. All chiral (non-superposable mirror image) protein amino acids are L-configuration. Empirical reality fundamentally violates parity conservation but physical theory as written does not.
Parity is nonsuperposability of a set of points upon its mirror image along all coordinate axes.
Quantum field theories (QFT) with hermitian hamiltonians are invariant under the Poincaré group containing spatial reflections. Parity is a spatial reflection and parity is not a QFT symmetry. Covariance with respect to reflection in space and time is not required by the Poincaré group of Special Relativity or the Einstein group of General Relativity (GR). Noether's theorems require continuous symmetries or approximation by a Taylor series. Parity is the apostasy. Physics cannot abide a pair of shoes. Somebody should look.
Physical theory can be incomplete without contradiction. Add shoes to its socks when fitting a universal left foot. The vacuum, laboratory local or a billion lightyears' pathlength, is not refractive, dispersive, dichroic, or gyrotropic toward photons to the limits of observation. Massless photons do not configure. The massless sector provides unsuitable falsification tests. The massed sector is germane.
Prevailing classical and quantum gravitation theories postulate (General Relativity) or demand (string theory and BRST invariance) the (weak) Equivalence Principle (EP):
Each of a pair of shoes fit differently upon a left foot. Socks do not care. A massed sector chiral vacuum background - a vacuum left foot - is not excluded by prior observations, for nobody has looked. There is nothing constraining a pair of shoes to validate fashionable theories of gravitation, and every reason to suspect they will not.
All atoms are anonymous unit masses in vacuum free fall. Chemical bonding (covalent, ionic, hydrogen, aromatic stacking, dative, halogen, van der Waals...) is invisible. All observables are differentially inert. No compositions of matter from beryllium marbles to PSR J1903+0327 pulsar (neutron star)-solar star binary display EP (pdf) [Part. Nucl. Phys. 62, 102 (2009)] or GR violation to the limits of experimental and observational error, currently one part in 20 trillion, 5·10-14 difference/average.
GR exactly describes 1.74 solar-mass pulsar PSR J1903+0327 in a 95.17-day 0.437-eccentricity orbit with its 1.05 solar-mass star companion. 27% vs. 1.4·10-4% gravitational binding energy, 1.8·1011 vs. ~30 surface gees, 2·108 gauss vs. ~5 gauss magnetic field, superconductive compressed neutrons and exotica vs. proton-electron plasma; pulsar equatorial spin >11% lightspeed each and all validate the EP within observational error. That leaves nothing to bench test - with one outstanding exception: spacetime geometry tested with atomic mass distribution geometry as chemically and macroscopically identical, opposite geometric parity test masses.
Gravitation physics does not discern chemically and macroscopically identical, opposite geometric parity atomic mass distributions (e.g., Green's function). Physics does not know if opposite shoes vacuum free fall differently - a massed sector EP parity violation - perhaps because such metaphoric shoes when reduced to practice are chemistry. Euclidean geometry appeared by 300 BC. Nikolai Lobachevsky solved the triangle problem in 1829. The limits to knowledge may be insular failures of vision.
The Big Bang launched with an intense massed sector chiral pseudoscalar vacuum background. Its dilution powered cosmic inflation; the Weak interaction froze out left-handed; matter dominated antimatter as broken symmetry forced baryon number and other conservation violations during false vacuum decay. Biological homochirality was universally biased by residual chiral anisotropic vacuum background long thereafter. Quantized gravitation theories require supplementing Einstein-Hilbert action with a parity-violating Chern-Simons term. Remember the triangles, take the hint.
Identical anonymous points (atoms) self-similarly, periodically array in 3-space as 230 crystallographic space groups. 65 Sohncke space groups contain chiral mass configurations. 11 pairs of Sohncke space groups are themselves enantiomorphic, forcing opposite geometric parity (chirality in all directions) independent of contents (pdf). Three pairs of enantiomorphic Sohncke space groups contain no conflicting or racemic screw axes. They are our shoe boxes.
That was a qualitative argument. Mathematician Michel Petitjean published (pdf) an exact calculation of parity divergence of a set of anonymous unit mass points in space (atoms in crystal lattice) from ab initio theory with his QCM software. Parity divergence is measured on a scale of CHI = 0 (achiral) to 1 (perfect parity divergence). It is accompanied by diagnostics COR (symmetry correlations from graph theory) and DSI (direct symmetry index - a set's similarity to itself). All proposed test masses below qualify as the most extreme case:
log(1-CHI)= -2[log(radius)] + [(180-) (
)/60] -
The number of atoms in a solid ball of crystal lattice trivially passes billions by a mere 5000 Å radius. It is infeasible to calculate CHI vs. radius for every radius increment that adds at least one atom to the ball. Nevertheless, as sampling density increases toward every added atom sampled the equation becomes exact.
Space groups P3121 and P3221: The quartz group includes quartz, [Eur. J. Mineralogy 2 63 (1990), J. Solid State Chem. 36 371 (1981)], berlinite and analogues, cinnabar, tellurium, metallic selenium, others. Opposed solid single crystals of right- and left-handed quartz enable a parity-conserving Eötvös experiment sensitive to EP parity violation. Quartz' atoms are densely packed, 79.64 atoms/nm3.
Benzil, C6H5-(C=O)-(C=O)-C6H5, is achiral when molten, gas phase, or dissolved. Solid state crystal lattice forces twist and stack benzil molecules into homochiral helices, space groups P3121 or P3221 [Acta Cryst. B43 398 (1987)].
A parity-destroying (by melting the crystal lattice) calorimetry experiment measures divergent vacuum insertion energies plus EP parity violation as single crystals' divergent enthalpies of fusion, shoes fitted into the vacuum left foot then melted into identical socks. Benzil's atoms are densely packed, 93.43 atoms/nm3.
Space groups P3112 and P3212: These lamellar solids (like pages in a book) grow large single crystals poorly and machine with difficulty. CrCl3.
Space groups P31 and P32: Glycine gamma-polymorph [Acta Crystallogr. B36 115 (1980)] mesitylglyoxylic acid, 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid, 1,2,4-thiadiazole-3,5-dicarbonitrile. Hydrogen atoms can have large thermal ellipsoids in crystal lattices and thus uncertain positions. gamma-Glycine's atoms are very densely packed, 127.07 atoms/nm3.
A chiral vacuum background appears in two independent ways. Right and left shoes fall through it differently. Right and left shoes insert into it with different energies. The former is a parity Eötvös experiment requiring exotic apparatus, 90 days, and PhD staff. Both together are a parity calorimetry experiment requiring two differential scanning calorimeters (DSCs), 2 days, and technicians.
EP violation as divergent rather than parallel trajectories disturbingly defines a privileged direction in space. EP violation as divergent acceleration magnitudes is unremarkable. Chiral vacuum viscosities for configuration reflect chiral medium refractive indices for polarization. Shine linearly polarized light through a chiral medium. Its plane of polarization sums two propagating opposite chirality circularly polarized components. They have different refractive indices in a chiral medium. The propagation of one component is retarded versus the other, the medium being a foot divergently interacting with right and left shoes. The sum, the plane of polarization, progressively rotates.
Vacuum free falling QCM-qualified test masses will similarly detect a differential vacuum viscosity. Atomic mass distributions in space groups with left-handed screw axes 32, 43, 65, and 64 will vacuum free fall as expected. Their enantiomorphs with right-handed screw axes 31, 41, 61, 62 will diverge. Screw axes 21, 42, and 63 are racemic. Mixed chirality and racemic screw axes are counterproductive toward maximally parity divergent pairs of shoes.
EP parity divergence is geometric not compositional or electronic.
Optical chirality (time-reversal even, imaginary part of the
complex gyrotropy tensor) is progressive rotation of the plane of
linearly polarized light with passage through a medium. It is an
artifact of orbitals and interrogation frequency (J. Chem.
Phys. 65(4) 1522 (1976); J. Appl. Cryst. 19 108 (1986)).
2-Norbornanone has []D
= 29.8° cm3/g-dm. 2-Norbornenone has
[]D
= 1146.° cm3/g-dm. The molecules are
superposable
except for olefinic hydrogens. Silver thiogallate, AgGaS2 with
non-polar achiral tetragonal space group I-42d, has 522°/millimeter
optical rotation along [100] at 497.4 nm (Appl. Cryst. 33 126
(2000)). -Quartz
has no measurable optical chirality 56.16° from crystallographic
[0001] (Ann. Phys. (Leipzig) 20 703 (1934)).
An Eötvös torsion pendulum is a symmetric ~6 cm diameter rotor vertically suspended from a meter of ~20 micrometer diameter tungsten filament (a hair is 50 micrometers diameter) in an isolated ultra-high vacuum chamber. It carries two mass-balanced and moments of inertia-balanced sets of 1800-opposed test masses totaling ~40 grams. EP violation exerts nanoscopic periodic torque with interferometric rotation detection as the Earth gravitationally orbits the sun (mg, gravitational test mass) and inertially rotates about its axis (mi, inertial test mass). EP composition tests null to 2|mg - mi|/|mg + mi| = 5·10-14 difference/average sensitivity.
Geocenter orbital acceleration varies from 0.6133 cm/sec2 03 January 2010 perihelion (day/month/year: 03/01/11, 05/01/12, 02/01/13) to 0.5737 cm/sec2 06 July 2010 aphelion (04/07/11, 05/07/12, 05/07/13) averaging 0.5930 cm/sec2 at one astronomical unit. Given World Geodetic System 1984, 44.95° latitude affords maximum 1.693 cm/sec2 horizontal component of Earth's inertial spin at sea level. Sea level gravity there is 980.6 cm/sec2 (differentially inactive in these experiments). Small imposed accelerations demand large contrasted property concentration and divergence for detectable EP violation of any kind.
An Eötvös experiment contrasts net active mass. Nuclear binding energy is the largest studied composition divergence but it is a very small fraction of total mass. Weighted for isotopic abundance,
p = 938.271998 MeV n = 939.565330 MeV Be = 6.462844 MeV/baryon binding energy Mg = 8.265129 MeV/baryon binding energy Ti = 8.714634 MeV/baryon binding energy [Ti - Be]/[(30.9300n + 26p)/56.9300] = 0.002398 [Mg - Be]/[(17.3202n + 16p)/33.3202] = 0.001919
Atomic mass distribution in 3-space defines a geometric parity test mass. Ignoring electrons entirely, quartz is 0.99973 active mass. Parity Eötvös experiments are 400 to 500 times as sensitive as the best composition Eötvös experiments for the same test mass total loading.
If opposite geometric parity quartz single crystals fall through the vacuum differently, a time-varying Eötvös torsion balance net output will obtain as with a (never observed) successful composition experiment. Controls are each quartz geometric parity run against achiral amorphous fused silica test masses. Space groups P3121 or P31 (gamma-glycine), geometric right shoes, will display most of the EP parity violation. Space groups P3221 and P32, geometric left shoes, will fall (approximately) unremarkably.
A parity Eötvös experiment is geometric parity-conserving. A parity calorimetry experiment is geometric parity-destroying. It melts opposite shoes into identical achiral socks. A time-varying EP parity violation is summed with a constant differential chiral vacuum background insertion,
All Eötvös experiments detect 2|mg -
mi|/|mg + mi| divergence. Parity
calorimetry experiments detect |mg -
mi|c2 plus chiral vacuum insertion
difference. Benzil's 
Hfusion
(enthalpy of fusion) is 112 J/g. A 5·10-14
relative Eötvös signal is
E = (5·10-17 kg)(299,792,458 m/sec)2
E = 4.49 joules
4% relative Hfusion
DSC precision is 0.1%. A borderline detectable parity Eötvös experiment output is 40 times DSC baseline sensitivity. A parity EP experiment has 400 to 500 times the relative active mass of the best composition Eötvös experiment. State of the art composition Eötvös experiment sensitivity is 5·10-14 relative. Unremarkable parity calorimetry experiment sensitivity is 16,000 to 20,000 times better, 3·10-18 relative.
Two horizontally abutted DSCs' sample ports define a north-south
line. Each holds a ~3 mm diameter ~17 mg benzil single crystal
sphere with sample carriers crimped against sublimation. One
sample port consistently contains one crystal in space group
P3121 and the other sample port one crystal in
P3221. ?Hfusion are simultaneously run. New crystals
run at half-hour intervals for 24 hours inclusive local time. If
Hfusion is not equal to 0 within
experimental error, repeat the run the next day with east-west
alignment. Hfusion will have a six
hour phase shift on the second day. Calibration and controls are
Hfusion of finely powdered racemic benzil.
A parity calorimetry experiment in benzil has four possible outcomes:
Hfusion = 0.
Enantiomorphic single crystal Hfusion are
identical to that of powdered racemic benzil. Values do not
change versus time of day and N-S or E-W geographic orientation.
Hfusion will be different from that of
powdered racemic benzil, Hfusion is not equal to 0.
Hfusion not equal to 0 will appear.
Quantum gravitation theories have been mathematically fertile and physically sterile, process without product. As Euclid's Fifth Postulate proved to be insufficient, so perhaps massed sector vacuum isotropy. It is a broad short path to test for the "impossible" by physics and by chemistry.
The observed universe and its contents require fundamental odd-parity processes and structure, as do studied quantum gravitation theories. Two sensitive massed sector vacuum chiral background tests are proposed using existing equipment and commercial materials. The Equivalence Principle can fall to geometric parity violation through vacuum chiral anisotropy in the massed sector. Chemically identical, opposite parity atomic mass distributions in Einstein's elevator will misbehave. Conservation of angular momentum - isotropic vacuum plus Noether's theorems - will selectively fail. Somebody should look.
What does Uncle Al think of academic physicists who eschew challenging spacetime geometry with opposite parity test mass geometries? They are cowards and worse - managers and bureaucrats covering their bums and thereby procuring performance bonuses for pursuing process not product. Scientists pursue discovery. Discovery is product.
Young Marlon Brando was grizzly. His studio plugged actors into scripts, making movies and money. Grizzly Brando was a singing gangster in Guys and Dolls. The toughest US criminals were gelded in a Salvation Army meeting. A song said it all,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7kzsZreG0o
in part,
I sailed away on that little boat to Heaven
And by some chance found a bottle in my fist,
And there I stood, nicely passin' out the whiskey,
But the passengers were bound to resist...
For the people all said, "Beware!
You're on a heavenly trip."
People all said, "Beware!
"Beware you'll scuttle the ship;"
And the Devil will drag you under
By the fancy tie 'round your wicked throat;
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down,
Sit down you're rockin' the boat.
A perceptible analogy springs forth...
I loaded quartz in that balanced Eötvös
rotor
And by some chance found a signal in its chart,
And there it hung, rotor torquing out the scandal,
But the physicists all were loathe to take part...
For professors all said, "Beware!
You're on a gravity trip."
The profs all said, "Beware!
Keep your hands off scholarship."
And a chemist will drag you under
By the fancy shoes on his wicked feet.
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down,
Sit down you're rockin' the boat.
21st century academic scientific success is the number of grant
funding applications approved - zero risk, zero innovation,
least-publishable bits, PERT-charted inevitability; a
punctiliously spreadsheeted business plan woven of Official
Truth. Academic scientific success is perfect process
uncontaminated by insubordinate perfidies of product except as
predicted insignificant infinitesimal increments or safely
untestable theory spun from faery dust.
More's the pity and póg mo thóin.
Somebody should look.
To return to Uncle Al Outrage Central, click here
