Who is the top physicist skeptical of gravitons?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around identifying leading physicists who are skeptical of the existence of gravitons, exploring the broader implications of quantum gravity theories and their interpretations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the existence of a leading physicist who does not believe in gravitons, suggesting that skepticism may not be widely held among contemporary physicists.
  • One participant humorously suggests Isaac Newton as a leading skeptic, although others challenge the relevance of this claim given the historical context.
  • Another participant notes that while popular approaches to quantum gravity do not explicitly rule out gravitons, they may not be fully developed to model gravitational waves.
  • A different viewpoint asserts that effective field theory is a robust framework for quantum gravity that includes gravitons, emphasizing that high-energy phenomena do not necessarily alter low-energy physics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the relevance of historical figures like Newton in the context of modern physics, and there is no consensus on who the leading skeptic of gravitons might be. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the identification of a contemporary physicist who fits this description.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the definitions of "leading" physicists and the criteria for skepticism about gravitons. The conversation also reflects varying interpretations of quantum gravity theories and their implications.

Quantum Bum
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Who would you say is the leading physicist, if any, who does not believe in gravitons?
 
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We don't have a real theory of quantum gravity yet, so people are not sure. But it's an interesting question. Share it with us if you found the answer.
 
Quantum Bum said:
Who would you say is the leading physicist, if any, who does not believe in gravitons?
I would say he/she is leading in something that has not much to do with gravitons.
 
Quantum Bum said:
Who would you say is the leading physicist, if any, who does not believe in gravitons?

Newton.

There are other physicists who don't believe in gravitons but he is probably the leading one.
 
I don't think any of the popular approaches to quantum gravity specifically say the energy of gravitational waves is not quantized (the basic definition of a "graviton", see the last section here), though some may not be developed to the point where they can model gravitational waves. Anyone know of any non-crankish approaches to quantum gravity which actually rule out gravitons?
 
unusualname said:
Newton.

There are other physicists who don't believe in gravitons but he is probably the leading one.

I am certain that quantum mechanics appeared recently (compared to Newtons time) i.e wave /particle duality. So it's a little far fetched to mention Newton.Also I assume that by 'leading' OP means of the current ,modern age.I apologize if I am mistaken. Regards,
ibysaiyan
 
We do have a very good theory of quantum gravity, it's called effective field theory. And it has gravitons.

Whatever happens at high energy makes no difference to low energy physics. This is why can describe the world very well without knowing the real fundamental degrees of freedom.

Pion QCD for example is the same. It is not renormalizable, but we can use it as an effective field theory to make accurate predictions about QCD.
 

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