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Robert L. Oldershaw

Motivated by my observational studies of nature and my confidence in General Relativity, I started developing a discrete self-similar cosmological paradigm (i.e., a discrete fractal cosmology) in 1976. I continue in these efforts to this day. The name of the theory/paradigm is Discrete Scale Relativity.

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140 Followers | 31 Following | 1 Co-author | —Total Views | 30 Public Mentions

Papers

cosmic ray advance.docx

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The Physicists And The AI Experiment – A Fable

Prologue In 2019, after a long period of stagnation in theoretical physics characterized by the s... more Prologue In 2019, after a long period of stagnation in theoretical physics characterized by the successive failures of Grand Unification, String Theory, Supersymmetry, Particle Dark Matter, and Dark Energy, as well as the persistent incompatibility of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, physicists turned to the rapidly developing technology of neural net AI to give them help in determining where theoretical efforts had gone astray, and to try a novel approach to figuring out how the progress toward a more unified physics could be rebooted. Continuing the amazing progress in AI that had been achieved since the turn of the millennium, a team of computer scientists, AI specialists and physicists created an advanced AI system that exceeded human abilities in terms of speed, data storage capacity, pattern recognition and mathematical analysis. The system was given the name " Ava " in reference to the advanced AI in the 2015 movie " Ex Machina ". Three physicists who will remain anonymous, but will be called Edward, Victor and Phillip, were the first theorists to have a discussion with Ava after the research team had provided her with all available observational and experimental data concerning particle physics, atomic

Views

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES.docx

In 1933, not long after Pauli postulated the existence of the neutrino in order to preserve conse... more In 1933, not long after Pauli postulated the existence of the neutrino in order to preserve conservation of energy in beta decay processes, Niels Bohr raised the following question: " What is the difference between [neutrinos] and the quanta of gravitational waves? " At that time the neutrino was thought to have no mass or charge, and travel at the speed of light with almost no interaction with matter. These unusual properties were also theoretically predicted for gravitational waves. Subsequently, physicists have concluded that neutrinos have spin = 1/2, and that they can " flavor-shift " between different types of neutrinos. The latter phenomenon suggests that neutrinos have tiny masses and therefore cannot have v = c. So it would look like Bohr's question has been answered. While both gravitational waves and neutrinos should be ubiquitous in the cosmos, and can travel through gas, dust, stars, planets and whole galaxies largely unimpeded, they are thought to differ in spin (1/2 versus 2), mass, and speed. On the other hand, nature has a history of serving up results that were previously considered " impossible ". So maybe it is not unreasonable to take another look at Bohr's question. My interest in this question stems from a theory I have worked on for 40 years or so, called Discrete Scale Relativity [ http://www3.amherst.edu/~rloldershaw ]. For our present concern with gravitational waves and neutrinos, we need to mention DSR's main principle of discrete cosmological self-similarity. Roughly speaking this principle proposes that the cosmos is organized into discrete hierarchy of cosmological Scales, like the Atomic Scale, the Stellar Scale, and the Galactic Scale, which are all highly self-similar to one another. DSR also predicted in 1987 (Astrophys. J. 322, 34-36, 1987) that the dark matter was composed of stellar mass black holes. This prediction was largely ignored in favor of WIMP candidates, but the positive MACHO and LIGO results, combined with 30 years of negative results for WIMPs, has given increasing credibility to the idea that stellar-mass primordial black holes will solve the dark matter enigma. In 2015 the LIGO collaboration observed gravitational waves for the first time, and now in conjunction with the VIRGO collaboration, several more gravitational wave events have been detected and characterized. So far the results have vindicated Einstein's General Relativity in all respects. It is now virtually certain that the cosmos is pervaded by astronomical numbers of these ghostly oscillations of space-time that are generated whenever stellar-mass ultracompact objects (black holes and neutron stars) interact strongly. The GWs travel at light speed, they have no

Views

NATURE'S STARTLING CLUE -- CONFORMAL SYMMETRY

Views

Predictions of Discrete Scale Relativity

Expanded and edited list of 15 definitive predictions made by Discrete Scale Relativity. Addition... more

Views

Discrete Scale Relativity

The possibility that global discrete dilation invariance is a fundamental symmetry principle of n... more The possibility that global discrete dilation invariance is a fundamental symmetry principle of nature is explored. If the discrete self-similarity observed in nature is exact, then the Principle of General Covariance needs to be broadened in order to accommodate this form of discrete conformal invariance, and a further generalization of relativity theory is required.

Views

A Review Of Mass Estimates For Galactic Dark Matter Objects

Empirical mass estimates for galactic dark matter objects, published between December 1991 and Ma... more Empirical mass estimates for galactic dark matter objects, published between December 1991 and May 1999, are presented in tabular and graphical forms. Trends in the data are identified and uncertainties are discussed. Similarities among various stellar and dark matter mass functions are noted, and a possible identification of the galactic dark matter objects is suggested.

Views

Hadrons As Kerr-Newman Black Holes

The scale invariance of the source-free Einstein field equations suggests that one might be able ... more The scale invariance of the source-free Einstein field equations suggests that one might be able to model hadrons as “strong gravity” black holes, if one uses an appropriate rescaling of units or a revised gravitational coupling factor. The inner consistency of this hypothesis is tested by retrodicting a close approximation to the mass of the proton from an equation that relates the angular momentum and mass of a Kerr black hole. More accurate mass and radius values for the proton are then retrodicted using the geometrodynamic form of the full Kerr-Newman solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations. The radius of an alpha particle is calculated as an additional retrodictive test. In a third retrodictive test of the “strong gravity” hypothesis, the subatomic particle mass spectrum in the 100 MeV to 7,000 MeV range is retrodicted to a first approximation using the Kerr solution of General Relativity. The particle masses appear to form a restricted set of quantized values of the Kerr solution: (sqrt n)(M), where values of n are a set of discrete integers and M is the revised Planck mass. The accuracy of the 27 retrodicted masses averages 98.4%. Finally, the new atomic scale gravitational coupling constant suggests a radical revision of the assumptions governing the Planck scale, and leads to a natural explanation for the fine structure constant.

Views

The Hidden Meaning Of Planck's Constant

A new cosmological paradigm based upon global discrete scale invariance proposes a radical revisi... more A new cosmological paradigm based upon global discrete scale invariance proposes a radical revision in our understanding of atomic scale dynamics. The discrete fractal scaling of this paradigm predicts a very large and discrete scale-dependence for gravitational coupling factors. The alternative gravitational scaling leads to revised values for the Planck mass, Planck length and Planck time, which appear to be more unified and physically comprehensible than is the case with the conventional Planck scale values. The fundamental interrelationship of the revised Planck mass, the corrected gravitational constant for atomic scale systems, the reduced Planck’s constant and the velocity of light suggests a hidden meaning for Planck’s constant. Within the context of the discrete fractal cosmological paradigm, Planck’s constant is revealed as the fundamental unit of gravitational action for atomic scale systems. Implications for atomic scale dynamics are briefly outlined.

Views

The Meaning of the Fine Structure Constant

A possible explanation is offered for the longstanding mystery surrounding the meaning of the fin... more A possible explanation is offered for the longstanding mystery surrounding the meaning of the fine structure constant. The reasoning is based on a discrete self-similar cosmological paradigm that has shown promise in explaining the general scaling properties of nature’s global hierarchy. The discrete scale invariance of the paradigm implies that “strong gravity” governs gravitational interactions within atomic scale systems. A new atomic scale gravitational coupling constant (G-1) is derived with a value of  1038 G0 , where G0 is the conventional Newtonian gravitational constant. G-1 is then used to calculate a revised Planck scale. Given G-1 and the revised Planck mass, one can demonstrate that within the context of the discrete self-similar paradigm the fine structure constant is the ratio of the strengths of the unit electromagnetic interaction and the unit gravitational interaction within atomic scale systems.

Views

cosmic ray advance.docx

Views

The Physicists And The AI Experiment – A Fable

Prologue In 2019, after a long period of stagnation in theoretical physics characterized by the s... more Prologue In 2019, after a long period of stagnation in theoretical physics characterized by the successive failures of Grand Unification, String Theory, Supersymmetry, Particle Dark Matter, and Dark Energy, as well as the persistent incompatibility of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, physicists turned to the rapidly developing technology of neural net AI to give them help in determining where theoretical efforts had gone astray, and to try a novel approach to figuring out how the progress toward a more unified physics could be rebooted. Continuing the amazing progress in AI that had been achieved since the turn of the millennium, a team of computer scientists, AI specialists and physicists created an advanced AI system that exceeded human abilities in terms of speed, data storage capacity, pattern recognition and mathematical analysis. The system was given the name " Ava " in reference to the advanced AI in the 2015 movie " Ex Machina ". Three physicists who will remain anonymous, but will be called Edward, Victor and Phillip, were the first theorists to have a discussion with Ava after the research team had provided her with all available observational and experimental data concerning particle physics, atomic

Views

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES.docx

In 1933, not long after Pauli postulated the existence of the neutrino in order to preserve conse... more In 1933, not long after Pauli postulated the existence of the neutrino in order to preserve conservation of energy in beta decay processes, Niels Bohr raised the following question: " What is the difference between [neutrinos] and the quanta of gravitational waves? " At that time the neutrino was thought to have no mass or charge, and travel at the speed of light with almost no interaction with matter. These unusual properties were also theoretically predicted for gravitational waves. Subsequently, physicists have concluded that neutrinos have spin = 1/2, and that they can " flavor-shift " between different types of neutrinos. The latter phenomenon suggests that neutrinos have tiny masses and therefore cannot have v = c. So it would look like Bohr's question has been answered. While both gravitational waves and neutrinos should be ubiquitous in the cosmos, and can travel through gas, dust, stars, planets and whole galaxies largely unimpeded, they are thought to differ in spin (1/2 versus 2), mass, and speed. On the other hand, nature has a history of serving up results that were previously considered " impossible ". So maybe it is not unreasonable to take another look at Bohr's question. My interest in this question stems from a theory I have worked on for 40 years or so, called Discrete Scale Relativity [ http://www3.amherst.edu/~rloldershaw ]. For our present concern with gravitational waves and neutrinos, we need to mention DSR's main principle of discrete cosmological self-similarity. Roughly speaking this principle proposes that the cosmos is organized into discrete hierarchy of cosmological Scales, like the Atomic Scale, the Stellar Scale, and the Galactic Scale, which are all highly self-similar to one another. DSR also predicted in 1987 (Astrophys. J. 322, 34-36, 1987) that the dark matter was composed of stellar mass black holes. This prediction was largely ignored in favor of WIMP candidates, but the positive MACHO and LIGO results, combined with 30 years of negative results for WIMPs, has given increasing credibility to the idea that stellar-mass primordial black holes will solve the dark matter enigma. In 2015 the LIGO collaboration observed gravitational waves for the first time, and now in conjunction with the VIRGO collaboration, several more gravitational wave events have been detected and characterized. So far the results have vindicated Einstein's General Relativity in all respects. It is now virtually certain that the cosmos is pervaded by astronomical numbers of these ghostly oscillations of space-time that are generated whenever stellar-mass ultracompact objects (black holes and neutron stars) interact strongly. The GWs travel at light speed, they have no

Views

NATURE'S STARTLING CLUE -- CONFORMAL SYMMETRY

Views

Predictions of Discrete Scale Relativity

Expanded and edited list of 15 definitive predictions made by Discrete Scale Relativity. Addition... more

Views

Discrete Scale Relativity

The possibility that global discrete dilation invariance is a fundamental symmetry principle of n... more The possibility that global discrete dilation invariance is a fundamental symmetry principle of nature is explored. If the discrete self-similarity observed in nature is exact, then the Principle of General Covariance needs to be broadened in order to accommodate this form of discrete conformal invariance, and a further generalization of relativity theory is required.

Views

A Review Of Mass Estimates For Galactic Dark Matter Objects

Empirical mass estimates for galactic dark matter objects, published between December 1991 and Ma... more Empirical mass estimates for galactic dark matter objects, published between December 1991 and May 1999, are presented in tabular and graphical forms. Trends in the data are identified and uncertainties are discussed. Similarities among various stellar and dark matter mass functions are noted, and a possible identification of the galactic dark matter objects is suggested.

Views

Hadrons As Kerr-Newman Black Holes

The scale invariance of the source-free Einstein field equations suggests that one might be able ... more The scale invariance of the source-free Einstein field equations suggests that one might be able to model hadrons as “strong gravity” black holes, if one uses an appropriate rescaling of units or a revised gravitational coupling factor. The inner consistency of this hypothesis is tested by retrodicting a close approximation to the mass of the proton from an equation that relates the angular momentum and mass of a Kerr black hole. More accurate mass and radius values for the proton are then retrodicted using the geometrodynamic form of the full Kerr-Newman solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations. The radius of an alpha particle is calculated as an additional retrodictive test. In a third retrodictive test of the “strong gravity” hypothesis, the subatomic particle mass spectrum in the 100 MeV to 7,000 MeV range is retrodicted to a first approximation using the Kerr solution of General Relativity. The particle masses appear to form a restricted set of quantized values of the Kerr solution: (sqrt n)(M), where values of n are a set of discrete integers and M is the revised Planck mass. The accuracy of the 27 retrodicted masses averages 98.4%. Finally, the new atomic scale gravitational coupling constant suggests a radical revision of the assumptions governing the Planck scale, and leads to a natural explanation for the fine structure constant.

Views

The Hidden Meaning Of Planck's Constant

A new cosmological paradigm based upon global discrete scale invariance proposes a radical revisi... more A new cosmological paradigm based upon global discrete scale invariance proposes a radical revision in our understanding of atomic scale dynamics. The discrete fractal scaling of this paradigm predicts a very large and discrete scale-dependence for gravitational coupling factors. The alternative gravitational scaling leads to revised values for the Planck mass, Planck length and Planck time, which appear to be more unified and physically comprehensible than is the case with the conventional Planck scale values. The fundamental interrelationship of the revised Planck mass, the corrected gravitational constant for atomic scale systems, the reduced Planck’s constant and the velocity of light suggests a hidden meaning for Planck’s constant. Within the context of the discrete fractal cosmological paradigm, Planck’s constant is revealed as the fundamental unit of gravitational action for atomic scale systems. Implications for atomic scale dynamics are briefly outlined.

Views

The Meaning of the Fine Structure Constant

A possible explanation is offered for the longstanding mystery surrounding the meaning of the fin... more A possible explanation is offered for the longstanding mystery surrounding the meaning of the fine structure constant. The reasoning is based on a discrete self-similar cosmological paradigm that has shown promise in explaining the general scaling properties of nature’s global hierarchy. The discrete scale invariance of the paradigm implies that “strong gravity” governs gravitational interactions within atomic scale systems. A new atomic scale gravitational coupling constant (G-1) is derived with a value of  1038 G0 , where G0 is the conventional Newtonian gravitational constant. G-1 is then used to calculate a revised Planck scale. Given G-1 and the revised Planck mass, one can demonstrate that within the context of the discrete self-similar paradigm the fine structure constant is the ratio of the strengths of the unit electromagnetic interaction and the unit gravitational interaction within atomic scale systems.

Views

Reductionism Is The Ultimate Problem

Brief discussion of why theoretical physics has not solved several 40-year-old problems.

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Radio Background Anomalies and Black Holes.docx

More evidence for large populations of stellar-mass primordial black holes, which probably consti... more

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FRBs Explained.docx

A possible model to explain the mysterious fast radio bursts recently detected.

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JA Wheeler Prophetic.docx

A prophetic vision of Wheeler's and a possible realization of that vision.

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A Little Scientific " Magic "

Discrete self-similar scaling for the cosmos.

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WE CAN DO BETTER

Perhaps it is time for a revolutionary change of paradigms.

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The Dark Matter Mass Spectrum

We start with the mass spectrum for subatomic nuclei. This mass spectrum just needs to be rescale... more We start with the mass spectrum for subatomic nuclei. This mass spectrum just needs to be rescaled to give us the primary mass spectrum for the dark matter. Discrete Scale Relativity proposes that these mass spectra are exactly self-similar with the nuclear masses scaled up by a factor of 1.70 x 10 56.

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Einstein, Gravitation, and Singularities

Recently Lehmkuhl [ https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.09872 ] has posted a very interesting paper on Ein... more

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Trump's Greatest Theory

A little satire

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The Substandard Model Of Particle Physics

The Standard Model of particle physics is our best conventional model for what is going on at sub... more

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