# Ken Chan 時光機 2.2

1. 當時他眾多職位之中，全部是真的嗎？

2. 即使全部是真的，有多少是實職？又有多少，只是名銜而已？

3. 即使全部是實職，有多少需要親力親為？又有多少，只是出主意、提意見而已？

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— Me@2019-09-30 01:09:36 PM

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# Infinity War

— 信報財經月刊

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2019.09.29 Sunday ACHK

# Problem 13.6b

A First Course in String Theory | Topology, 2 | Manifold, 2

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13.6 Orientifold Op-planes

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In the mathematical disciplines of topology, geometry, and geometric group theory, an orbifold (for “orbit-manifold”) is a generalization of a manifold. It is a topological space (called the underlying space) with an orbifold structure.

The underlying space locally looks like the quotient space of a Euclidean space under the linear action of a finite group.

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In string theory, the word “orbifold” has a slightly new meaning. For mathematicians, an orbifold is a generalization of the notion of manifold that allows the presence of the points whose neighborhood is diffeomorphic to a quotient of $\displaystyle{\mathbf{R}^n}$ by a finite group, i.e. $\displaystyle{\mathbf{R}^n/\Gamma}$. In physics, the notion of an orbifold usually describes an object that can be globally written as an orbit space $\displaystyle{M/G}$ where $\displaystyle{M}$ is a manifold (or a theory), and $\displaystyle{G}$ is a group of its isometries (or symmetries) — not necessarily all of them. In string theory, these symmetries do not have to have a geometric interpretation.

— Wikipedia on Orbifold

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In mathematics, a manifold is a topological space that locally resembles Euclidean space near each point. More precisely, each point of an $\displaystyle{n}$-dimensional manifold has a neighborhood that is homeomorphic to the Euclidean space of dimension $\displaystyle{n}$.

— Wikipedia on Manifold

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In topology and related branches of mathematics, a topological space may be defined as a set of points, along with a set of neighbourhoods for each point, satisfying a set of axioms relating points and neighbourhoods. The definition of a topological space relies only upon set theory and is the most general notion of a mathematical space that allows for the definition of concepts such as continuity, connectedness, and convergence. Other spaces, such as manifolds and metric spaces, are specializations of topological spaces with extra structures or constraints.

— Wikipedia on Topological space

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2019.09.26 Thursday ACHK

# Pointer state, 2

Eigenstates 3.2

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Microscopically, a state can be definite or indefinite. Even if it is indefinite, the overlapping of superpositions of states of a lot of particles, or the superposition of a lot of system-microstates gives a definite macrostate.

If a state is definite, it is corresponding to one single system-macrostate directly.

I am referring to the physical definition, not the mathematical definition.

— Me@2012-12-31 09:28:08 AM

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If a microstate is definite, it is called an “eigenstate”. It is corresponding to one single system-macrostate directly.

However, the microstate is NOT the macrostate. The microstate is just corresponding to that macrostate.

— Me@2019-09-20 07:02:10 AM

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In quantum Darwinism and similar theories, pointer states are quantum states, sometimes of a measuring apparatus, if present, that are less perturbed by decoherence than other states, and are the quantum equivalents of the classical states of the system after decoherence has occurred through interaction with the environment. ‘Pointer’ refers to the reading of a recording or measuring device, which in old analog versions would often have a gauge or pointer display.

— Wikipedia on Pointer state

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In quantum mechanics, einselections, short for environment-induced superselection, is a name coined by Wojciech H. Zurek for a process which is claimed to explain the appearance of wavefunction collapse and the emergence of classical descriptions of reality from quantum descriptions.

In this approach, classicality is described as an emergent property induced in open quantum systems by their environments. Due to the interaction with the environment, the vast majority of states in the Hilbert space of a quantum open system become highly unstable due to entangling interaction with the environment, which in effect monitors selected observables of the system.

After a decoherence time, which for macroscopic objects is typically many orders of magnitude shorter than any other dynamical timescale, a generic quantum state decays into an uncertain [in the sense of classical probability] state which can be decomposed into a mixture of simple pointer states. In this way the environment induces effective superselection rules. Thus, einselection precludes stable existence of pure superpositions of pointer states. These ‘pointer states’ are stable despite environmental interaction. The einselected states lack coherence, and therefore do not exhibit the quantum behaviours of entanglement and superposition.

Advocates of this approach argue that since only quasi-local, essentially classical states survive the decoherence process, einselection can in many ways explain the emergence of a (seemingly) classical reality in a fundamentally quantum universe (at least to local observers). However, the basic program has been criticized as relying on a circular argument (e.g. R. E. Kastner). So the question of whether the ‘einselection’ account can really explain the phenomenon of wave function collapse remains unsettled.

— Wikipedia on Einselection

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Here I simply review the basic approach to ‘deriving’ einselection via decoherence, and point to a key step in the derivation that makes it a circular one.

— Ruth E. Kastner

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We should not derive einselection via decoherence. Instead, they should be regarded as different parts or different presentations of the same theory.

In other words, “einselection” and “decoherence” are synonyms.

— Me@2019-09-21 05:53:53 PM

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There has been significant work on correctly identifying the pointer states in the case of a massive particle decohered by collisions with a fluid environment, often known as collisional decoherence. In particular, Busse and Hornberger have identified certain solitonic wavepackets as being unusually stable in the presence of such decoherence.

— Wikipedia on Einselection

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# 無限旅程 3.2

The main use of doing academic works is to enlarge your personal world.

Just like travel: travel in itself is useless, unless you are going to live there.

— Me@2011.10.11

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… or the travel experience travels with you.

— Me@2019-09-15 10:53:15 PM

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# 財政自由 1.2

（問：那就即是話，要在還年青時，就賺到一生夠用的金錢？

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（問：但是，財政自由，又可以如何實現呢？）

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（問：依靠「售賣時間」而來的收入，就為之「主動收入」？

（問：有自動生成收入的話，就當然十分高興。但是，那些「自動收入」，又從何而來呢？

— Me@2019-09-10 08:33:38 PM

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# 事件實在論，更正

Event Realism | 事件實在論 6.1

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exist = can be found

— Me@2013.09.25

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If the consequences of an event cannot be found anymore, that event no longer exists.

— Me@2019.09.05

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The surprising implications of the original delayed-choice experiment led Wheeler to the conclusion that “no phenomenon is a phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon”, which is a very radical position. Wheeler famously said that the “past has no existence except as recorded in the present“, and that the Universe does not “exist, out there independent of all acts of observation”.

— Wikipedia on Wheeler’s delayed choice experiment

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「事件」並不完全「實在」。

— Me@2019-09-05 09:08:41 PM

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# A Tale of Two L’s

Lagrange’s equations are traditionally written in the form

$\displaystyle{\frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}t} \left ( \frac {\partial L}{\partial \dot{q}} \right ) = \frac {\partial L}{\partial q}}$

or, if we write a separate equation for each component of $\displaystyle{q}$, as

$\displaystyle{\frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}t} \left ( \frac {\partial L}{\partial \dot{q^i}} \right ) = \frac {\partial L}{\partial q^i}}$

In this way of writing Lagrange’s equations the notation does not distinguish between $\displaystyle{L}$, which is a real-valued function of three variables $\displaystyle{(t, q, \dot q)}$, and $\displaystyle{L \circ \Gamma[q]}$, which is a real-valued function of one real variable $\displaystyle{t}$.

— Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics

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2019.09.04 Wednesday ACHK

# Quantum observer 2

Consistent histories, 6.2 | Relational quantum mechanics, 2 | Eigenstates 2.3.2.2

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Would an observer see itself being in a superposition?

In a sense, tautologically, an observer is not a superposition of itself, because “an observer” can be defined as “a consistent history”.

an observer ~ a consistent history

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Because “state” is expressed in RQM as the correlation between two systems, there can be no meaning to “self-measurement”.

— Wikipedia on Relational quantum mechanics

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Would an observer see itself being in a superposition?

When we say that “before observation, observable B is in a superposition of some eigenstates”, you have to specify

1. it is a superposition of what?

2. it is a superposition with respect to what apparatuses or experimental setups?

— Me@2018-02-05 12:45 AM

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# The Time Machine

This is the place.

So it is.

_But there’s nothing here.

Well, it was different then. My laboratory was all around here. The kitchen was up there where that tree is. Not that Mrs. Watchit ever let me go in there.

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I don’t know what to tell you, sir. He’s been gone this whole week.

_And you’ve no idea where he went?

No, sir.

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_[Alexander] This would be my greenhouse. There was a garden outside.

Gren’tormar’tas?

Yes.

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_Sir?

I’m glad he’s gone.

Maybe he’s finally found some place where he can be happy.

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This was my home.

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His home.

— The Time Machine (2002 film)

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2019.09.01 Sunday ACHK

# Ken Chan 時光機 2.1

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1.1 除了是物理補習天王外，

2.1 他宣稱有在大學教書。是教授、講師，還是其他，我就不知道。我忘記了，他有沒有講過。

2.2 他在大學做研究。據我理解，他當時研究的是有關激光的實驗物理。

2.3 他有時要往大陸作學術演講。

3.1 然後，他亦是某某什麼工程學會的主席。

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— Me@2019-08-30 09:31:52 PM

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