Physics
papers and physics notes
My real hobby is physics. I wrote a few physics
papers:
- The Pioneer Anomaly in the Light of New Data, Slava G. Turyshev and Viktor T. Toth, 0906.0399 [gr-qc], accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews
- Comment on "Modified scalar-tensor-vector gravity theory and the constraint on its parameters" by Deng, et al., J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, 0903.5291 [gr-qc]
- Thermal recoil force, telemetry, and the Pioneer anomaly, Viktor T. Toth and Slava G. Turyshev, 0901.4597 [physics.space-ph], Phys. Rev. D. 79, 043011 (2009)
- Independent analysis of the orbits of Pioneer 10 and 11, Viktor T. Toth, Int. J. Mod. Phys. D18 (2009) 717-741
- Satellite galaxy velocity dispersions in the SDSS and modified gravity models, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, 0901.1927 [astro-ph]
- The running of coupling constants and unitarity in a finite electroweak model, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, 0812.1994 [hep-ph]
- A finite electroweak model without a Higgs particle, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, 0812.1991 [hep-ph]
- The bending of light and
lensing in modified gravity, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, 0805.4774 [astro-ph], accepted for publication in MNRAS
- Fundamental parameter-free
solutions in Modified Gravity, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, 0712.1796 [gr-qc], Class. Quant. Grav. 26 (2009) 085002
- Modified gravity and the origin
of inertia, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, 0710.3415 [gr-qc], MNRAS Letters 395 (2009) L25-L28
- Pioneer Anomaly: Evaluating
Newly Recovered Data, Viktor T. Toth and Slava G. Turyshev, AIP Conf.
Proc. 977, 264-283 (2008)
- Modified Gravity: Cosmology
without dark matter or Einstein's cosmological constant, J. W. Moffat
and V. T. Toth, 0710.0364 [astro-ph]
- Physics Engineering in the
Study of the Pioneer Anomaly, Slava G. Turyshev and Viktor T. Toth,
0710.0191 [physics.space-ph], invited talk at the "IV Physics Engineering International Meeting," Mexico City, Mexico, 15-19 October 2007
- Testing modified gravity with
globular cluster velocity dispersions, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth, ApJ
680, 1158 (2008)
- Study of the Pioneer Anomaly: A scientific detective story, Viktor T. Toth, invited article in The Postgraduate Magazine 2007;1:24-30 (School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne)
- Testing modified gravity with
motion of satellites around galaxies, J. W. Moffat and V. T. Toth,
0708.1264 [astro-ph]
- The Pioneer Anomaly:
Seeking an explanation in newly recovered data, Viktor T. Toth and Slava
G. Turyshev, Can. J. Phys. 84: 1063-1087 (2006)
- The Study of the Pioneer
Anomaly: New Data and Objectives for New Investigation, Slava G.
Turyshev, Viktor T. Toth, Larry R. Kellogg, Eunice. L. Lau, Kyong J. Lee,
Int. J. Mod. Phys. D15 (2006) 1-56
- Tensor manipulation in GPL
Maxima, Viktor T. Toth, cs/0503073
I also wrote many notes over the years. These notes do not contain new discoveries, nor do I believe that I am any better at
explaining things than professional physics educators. These are merely my personal study
notes. That said, some may find them useful. These notes are not formal; although I try to
make sure that the mathematics contained therein is correct, by no means do I attempt to
prove every theorem, and yes, I admit I sometimes make leaps that would be unacceptable in
more formal texts. The real purpose of these notes, then, is to provide an outline, a
roadmap of sorts to help one truly understand what's happening, on the
phenomenological level. Some of these notes, in fact, began their existence as comments in
my somewhat eclectic Day Book:
- About
the de Rham Complex (Mar 9, 2004): differential forms are
essential to modern physics. I can finally make heads or tails of them.
- The
Action Integral (Sep 20, 2004): it's
rare that S is computed explicitly, but when it is, you must know how
to partially differentiate it
- The
Action and the Wave Function (Sep 27, 2004): there's a deep and
mysterious, yet simple relationship between the classical action and
Schrödinger's wave function
- On
the Barometric Formula (June 27, 2007): Is it valid to assume
that a column of air in equilibrium in a gravitational field will be
isothermal?
- Bell's Theorem Rehashed (May 28, 2001): a theorem
that proves that non-locality is an essential ingredient of quantum mechanics
- Cardano's Problem (Jan
1, 2003): not exactly physics per se, but the first instance of a modern algebraic
solution to a difficult practical problem
- Clifford Algebras (Dec
10, 2003; major revision on Feb 11, 2005): they pop up in physics everywhere
- Curved
Spacetime (March 7, 2004): the trick is to find a way to do
calculus in a curved coordinate system. Freshly updated with a derivation of
the curvature tensor.
- E = mc²
is not Einstein's Equation (August 13, 2004): I recently saw an
article that "exposed" Einstein as a "fraud" whose "derivation" of E = mc² was
"flawed".
- On
Eigenvectors and Eigenfunctions (June 20, 2005): A dream about
salted pork
- Families
of Elementary Particles (August 1, 2004): Just a summary of
information that's surprisingly hard to find in one place on the Web
- From
Set Theory to Electromagnetism (February 23, 2005): A tour (or
rather, the brief outline of a tour) in 25 steps
- On
The Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics (Feb 6, 2004): an
imaginary discussion among Physicists
- Kaluza-Klein
Theory (Mar 19, 2004): a simple (but hopefully not simplistic)
derivation
- The
Mythbusters don't always get their numbers right (Apr 15, 2007):
comment on some bad physics in a Mythbusters episode
- The
Numerology of Physical Constants (Aug 29, 2004): some physical
constants are not as fundamental as you were led to believe
- Playing
with the Electromagnetic Field Tensor (Mar 10, 2004, revised
August 28, 2006) reveals that
Maxwell's equations are really basic geometric identities
- The Principle of Gauge Invariance (Nov 20, 2003):
a concept most fundamental to modern physics
- The
Principle of Least Action (July 22, 2004): deriving the equation
of motion in an electrostatic field
- Principles of Elementary Quantum Mechanics (Jan 15, 2003):
a set of notes I wrote defining some of the fundamental concepts in quantum mechanics, and
showing the line of reasoning that leads to the Schrödinger equation
- Quaternions and the Dirac Equation (Mar 13, 2003): an
attempt to reformulate what I know about the Dirac equation using quaternion algebra
- Spinors in Three
Dimensions (Dec 8, 2003): a note on SU(2), SO(3), and spinors
- On
Tensors and their Matrix Representations (Aug 11, 2005): Why the
usual way of representing tensors with matrices can lead one astray
- Thermodynamic
principles (June 29, 2007): An attempt to discuss thermodynamics
without Carnot-cycles or reference to quantum physics
- Why
does dark matter explain anomalous galaxy rotations? (Apr 5, 2006):
An attempt at a "back of the envelope" calculation to estimate, to order of
magnitude, how much dark matter is needed to explain peculiar galaxy
rotation curves.
- Why Is The Speed of Light Constant? (Jun 7, 2003)
This is an attempt to provide a precise, but not too technical explanation (high-school
calculus required)