What do theoretical physicists actually do?

[Hacker Jack]

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?

 

[pinball1970]

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!

 

[Hacker Jack]

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?

 

[jtbell]

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?

 

[Hacker Jack]

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?

 

[pinball1970]

There are threads on that in here. Just search Muon G2

 

[phyzguy]

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?

 

[pinball1970]

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?