Chapter 1129 - Something Big Is Brewing in the World of Physics
Chapter 1129 Something Big Is Brewing in the World of Physics
The controversy regarding the Grand Unified Theory of algebra and geometry had yet to subside when the Lunar Hadron Collider conference was about to begin.
The breaking news came one after another, and people were overwhelmed.
People outside of academia might have felt different as the Grand Unified Theory and the lunar collider weren’t as relevant to them as the Phantom System.
However, anyone in academia could feel an enormous amount of changes and breakthroughs.
It was as if the things they were discussing just yesterday, were already irrelevant today. They had to face and adapt to new problems.
Numerous PhD students had their graduation postponed. Some of them by force, some by their own volition. After all, the Grand Unified Theory had changed too many things about the algebraic geometry field.
Many students began to suffer from anxiety, having to rely on medication to relieve fatigue and stress.
On the other hand, Jin Ling University, the birthplace of the Grand Unified Theory, began to offer a course on the Grand Unified Theory.
Students had to line up just to register for the course, even those that had already signed up had to pay an extra fee to stay in the course.
The physics community had a similar situation.
The completion of the Lunar Hadron Collider did not have a huge impact on Jin Ling University, but it did impact the ILHCRC.
Just a year ago, or even half a year ago, it was quite difficult to get an opportunity to visit or work at CERN.
However, the physics scene had changed since then.
Every day, the ILHCRC would receive tens of thousands of applications from all over the world. People wanted to work here, hold lectures, go on academic exchanges, etc. There were also experiment related applications, and people wanted to use the powerful Lunar Hadron Collider to verify some of their particle physics conjectures.
Luo Wenxuan was the one reviewing the applications. Even though he traveled around the world with Professor Witten, he was still quite surprised at the applications.
He didn’t even know there were so many people in the world researching physics.
Do we really need that many physicists in the world?
He started to have doubts in his mind.
The conference was scheduled to be on December 18th.
Even though it was only one week away from Christmas, no one had any complaints.
It was an honor to get the opportunity to participate in this grand conference.
Two months ago, when the ILHCRC first applied to use the International Convention and Exhibition Center as their venue, the entire particle physics community already had their attention turned toward this groundbreaking event.
Scholars had been lining up for months just to join this conference…
…
The Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.
Professor Deligne was sitting inside a rustic and ordinary office. He stared at a piece of paper, which was half-filled with calculations, and he frowned and began contemplating.
It had been a week since the report ended.
He was thinking about a problem over the past few days, and he hadn’t come any closer to solving it.
I guess this is what happens when you get old.
Professor Deligne sighed and shook his head.
Even though his knowledge didn’t decline as fast as his eyesight, he could already begin feeling the powerlessness of old age.
He was about to put this problem aside and make himself a cup of coffee when he suddenly heard a knock outside the office door.
Professor Deligne put down his pen and sighed. He took off his glasses and spoke in a clear voice.
“It’s unlocked, come in.”
When the door opened, a skinny old man with a receding hairline walked in with a smile.
“My old friend, I heard you’re back from China?”
“I came back a few days ago,” Professor Deligne said to Witten. He thought that Witten probably didn’t have anything important to discuss. He put on his glasses and began reading the half-written draft paper again.
Witten noticed his movements, and he asked curiously, “What are you researching?”
Deligne: “The paper on the unification of algebra and geometry… The one that caused a sensation in the academic community. I recommend you read it. Even though I know you’re not researching mathematics, I’m willing to bet that it will help your research.”
Witten: “Didn’t you come back from China? Have you still not finished reading it yet?”
“This isn’t a paper you can just read and understand.”
Professor Deligne smiled and looked emotional as he said, “This forty-page paper unifies algebra and geometry, and it also proposes a series of propositions, most of them unproven… Not only did he solve a century-old problem, but he also gave us a guide for the next century or even millennium of mathematics.”
Witten asked curiously, “So you’re studying Lu Zhou’s list of conjectures?”
“I just think these problems are interesting, so I’m taking a look.” Professor Deligne frowned and said, “What are you doing here?”
Witten smiled and said, “Nothing, I’m just here to see my old friend before I leave on a business trip, and… remind him of our bet.”
Deligne looked at the old man’s smug smile and couldn’t help but feel annoyed. He opened his drawer and took out a notebook.
“Take it.”
Witten was ecstatic to take over this notebook on the research on Goldbach’s conjecture, and he began flipping through the pages.
Even though Witten hadn’t researched the field of number theory, no one knew the value of this notebook better than him.
“It’s so clean… Is it a duplicate?”
Professor Deligne said, “Next time you go to China, you can stop by Jinling and ask him this question in person.”
“Haha, I’m just kidding.” Witten smiled for a second and said, “Speaking of which, I’m going to China soon.”
Deligne: “The collider is complete?”
Witten nodded and spoke with a smile.
“Yeah.”
“I can’t believe it,” Deligne said. “They really built a collider on the moon.”
Witten smiled and spoke emotionally.
“The power of technology is fascinating… If only I was born a few decades later, or maybe fifty years later, my problems will all be solved.”
Professor Deligne spoke with a disapproving look.
“Don’t worry, there will always be problems in mathematical physics waiting for you.”
Witten paused for a second and spoke.
“You’re right.”
Mathematics was constantly changing.
While old problems were solved, new problems were born.
The same was for physics.
Ever since the Yang-Mills Equations and the electrostrong interaction were solved, Witten had noticed something.
As long as Lu Zhou continued to research physics.
The field of physics was bound to go through a revolution.