Recent content by nickyrtr

OK, that helps. If you double G, then (1/G) is cut in half, but the Ricci curvature is four times stronger, so the Lagrangian is doubled. Is that right?

I have started reading about the Lagrangian in General Relativity, in relation to the Einstein-Hilbert action, and there is something that does not make sense to me. The Lagrangian is split into two pieces, one derived from the Ricci curvature and the other labeled L_matter, so far so good...

Take some unstable particle species, and put two of them into an exotic atom or exotic molecule, such that the two bound particles fully occupy a 1s orbital. For example, two negative muons orbiting an alpha particle, or two mesons orbiting a massive baryon. Decay of either orbiting particle...

Did the US really lose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Saddam and the Taliban were both removed from control of their respective states relatively quickly, and they still haven't got it back. That's an important difference from Vietnam.

Keep in mind that a career in Physics is very hard these days, as the universities produce many times more Physics PhDs than there are job openings for research physicists.

How do you make this judgement for a candidate who has never worked in finance before?

Small companies are a good idea, I might try approaching some that don't even have advertised job openings. What do you mean by SME? I've only seen that term used to describe an individual subject matter expert. I might be able to get a postdoc position, but it would likely require...

Thanks for the ideas. Here is another: an Electrician. A Physics degree provides some of the background needed, in understanding the theory behind electricity. Does anyone know how the job prospects are nowadays in this field?

My research was in statistical analysis of large scientific data sets, collected with an experimental apparatus, though I was not directly involved in operating the apparatus. I used the skills I already had developed previously in software development to write the codes for my research...

I finished a Physics PhD in middle age, mostly just for the love of learning about Physics. The wisdom of that choice is questionable, but it's done now so no going back. I'd hoped to return to my previous career in software development, but at nearly age 50 I find that line of work is hard to...

With all the changes in the economy in recent years, it's not uncommon to see much older students going back to school because their previous profession is no longer in demand. There is some age discrimination, but at 29 you will still be viewed as very young compared to applicants attempting a...

That's the case with most every job opening, unfortunately. Interesting, exciting jobs attract the most people and so they are the most competitive. Jobs that are mostly boring are a lot easier to get into.

What is Ukraine's interest in keeping Crimea? The population there is more closely aligned to Russian culture, and Ukraine has other sea ports like Odessa. A deal where Ukraine cedes Crimea to Russian sovereignty, in exchange for favorable economic terms, could be a win for both countries...

It works if the alpha emitter and its inert backing film is a substantial fraction of the spacecraft mass. Say that for every kg of Po-210 there is 1 kg of inert film and 1 kg of payload. Also assume that the alpha emissions are not perfectly collimated, so that only 50% of the maximum...

What about curvature? That is a local property of spacetime, and I thought it was the property associated with Hawking radiation. Say you have a particle detector in a curved region of spacetime, such as near a black hole. Particle-antiparticle pairs popping out of the vacuum have a certain...