What do theoretical physicists actually do?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the roles and activities of theoretical physicists, particularly regarding their employment, the nature of their work, and how they engage with experimental results. Participants explore the balance between personal interest and professional responsibilities, as well as the resources available for theoretical work, such as arXiv and specific experimental results like those from the Muon g-2 experiment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether theoretical physicists primarily work on personal interests during their free time or if their professional work aligns with their interests.
  • Another participant humorously suggests that the lifestyle of theoretical physicists has changed since Einstein's time, implying a more modern approach to their work.
  • There is a discussion about the types of work theoretical physicists might engage in, including addressing experimental results without theoretical models, refining existing models, or proposing fundamental changes to established laws.
  • Participants inquire about the storage and availability of experimental results for theorization, specifically questioning the role of arXiv in this context.
  • One participant expresses difficulty in finding specific experimental results (Muon g-2) on arXiv and asks about the general availability of experimental data to the public.
  • Responses indicate that arXiv accepts both experimental and theoretical papers, and there are suggestions to search for existing threads on the Muon g-2 results within the forum.
  • Another participant points out that the Wikipedia page for Muon g-2 contains links to relevant papers and results, suggesting it as a resource for further information.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the nature of theoretical physicists' work and the resources available for theorization. There is no consensus on the specifics of how theoretical physicists engage with experimental results or the best sources for accessing this information.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific experimental results and resources, but there are limitations in the discussion regarding the clarity of data availability and the specific roles of platforms like arXiv. The conversation reflects uncertainty about the accessibility of experimental data to the general public.

Hacker Jack
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What are they employed to do most of the time? I read that Albert Einstein was working at a patent office when he came up with his theories. So do theoretical physicists work on stuff they are interested in their free time as opposed to when they are at work?
 
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Hacker Jack said:
What are they employed to do most of the time? I read that Albert Einstein was working at a patent office when he came up with his theories. So do theoretical physicists work on stuff they are interested in their free time as opposed to when they are at work?
Yes in their spare time they hang around bars drinking, smoking pipes pondering theories reading note books.
9-5 similar stuff but in the office.

No seriously, things have changed quite a bit since 1905. We have a few theoretical guys on here.
Give you an insight? @PeroK laughed so he will know!
 
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Ok so I found this question on quora and one of the answers said (in relation to what I am asking) that "There are experimental results without a theoretical model. They can work on that or they could work on previously existing models to apply necessary corrections thereby making them better. Or they could bring about a drastic change to the most fundamental laws".

What I am wondering which is related to my question I think is where are these experimental results stored for theoretical physicists to theorize about. Is that what the website arXiv is for or is that where the theories are put in for peer review?
 
Hacker Jack said:
where are these experimental results stored for theoretical physicists to theorize about. Is that what the website arXiv is for or is that where the theories are put in for peer review?
Surely arXiv accepts experimental as well as theoretical papers? :wideeyed:
 
I looked for Muon g 2 experiment results on arXiv but couldn't find it but Wikipedia says results published April 2021. Do you know where physicists keep their experiment data... Is it available to general public like me. Are there theoretical physicists who look at the muon g 2 experimental results and try and theorize something for it?
 
There are threads on that in here. Just search Muon G2
 
As for the Muon g2 results, the Wikipedia page has many links to papers and results. This page linked from the Wikipedia page, for example, summarizes the experimental and theoretical results. What are you looking for that isn't here?
 
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phyzguy said:
As for the Muon g2 results, the Wikipedia page has many links to papers and results. This page linked from the Wikipedia page, for example, summarizes the experimental and theoretical results. What are you looking for that isn't here?
12 months on, what is the view? Waiting for LHC?
 

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