ChatEinstein's theory of relativity abolished universal cosmic simultaneity, relegating the 'present moment' to a subjective human illusion; spatio-temporal indeterminism and branching space-times construct a rigorous, relativity-proof definition of the present.
Human beings experience time as an active, unfolding flow: the past is settled, the future is open, and reality happens in the present moment.
However, Einstein's special and general relativity showed that the simultaneity of distant events is relative to the observer's motion, leading physicists to embrace the 'block universe' where past, present, and future coexist eternally.
This paper in Foundations of Physics introduces an ontologically objective definition of the present through spatio-temporal indeterminism. Utilizing branching space-times and local indeterministic quantum events, the authors prove that an objective frontier of becoming can coexist with the local invariance of relativity.
Formulating a relativity-proof notion of time bridges quantum indeterminism with gravitational geometry, offering profound theoretical insights for quantum gravity and the physics of temporal consciousness.
Defining a Relativity-Proof Notion of the Present via Spatio-temporal Indeterminism
In this paper we describe a novel approach to defining an ontologically fundamental notion of co-presentness that does not go against the tenets of relativity theory. We survey the possible reactions to the problem of the present in relativity theory, introducing a terminological distinction between a static role of the present, which is served by the relation of simultaneity, and a dynamic role of the present, with the corresponding relation of co-presentness. We argue that both of these relations need to be equivalence relations, but they need not coincide. Simultaneity, the sharing of a temporal coordinate, need not have fundamental ontological import, so that a relativizing strategy with respect to simultaneity seems promising. The notion of co-presentness, on the other hand, does have ontological import, and can therefore not be relativized to an observer or to an arbitrarily chosen frame. We argue that a formal representation of indeterminism can provide the structure needed to anchor the relation of co-presentness, and that this addition is in fact congenial to the notion of dynamic time as requiring real (indeterministic) change. The resulting picture is one of an extended dynamic present, implying a formal distinction between static (coordinate) simultaneity and dynamic co-presentness. After working out the basics of our approach in the simpler framework of branching time, we provide our full analysis in the framework of branching space-times, which allows for a formal definition of modal correlations. The spatial extension of the dynamic present can reach as far as the modal correlations do. In the limit, the dynamic present could extend across a maximal space-like hypersurface.
Ontic structural realists claimed modern physics dissolved material objects into pure mathematical relations; rigorous metaphysical analysis proves that physical dispositions and properties require a minimal objecthood foundation to exist.
Philosophers of science long characterized laws of nature as exceptionless, universal mathematical truths; practicing chemists operate with mechanistically grounded, ceteris paribus regularities that describe real molecular transformations.
Building peptides in liquid solution required painstaking, months-long crystallization after every single amino acid addition; Bruce Merrifield anchored growing peptide chains to insoluble plastic beads, allowing unreacted chemicals to be washed away in seconds. This ingenious solid-phase paradigm automated the chemical assembly of proteins and laid the foundation for modern peptide therapeutics like GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
Traditional mass spectrometry used harsh electron beams that shattered delicate biological proteins into unrecognizable debris; John Fenn used an electrified mist to gently levitate giant biomolecules intact into the vacuum chamber. By generating multiply charged ions from liquid droplets, Electrospray Ionization enabled precision mass spectrometry of entire intact proteins and founded modern proteomics.
Simulating electronic structures of complex molecules historically stalled under crushing computational scaling bottlenecks; ORCA 5.0 unlocks multi-scale quantum chemistry through domain-based pair natural orbitals and ultra-fast linear-scaling solvers.
Standard chemical synthesis produced equal mixtures of left-handed and right-handed molecular twins, where one enantiomer healed while the mirror image caused severe side effects; Sharpless epoxidation selectively synthesizes pure, single-handed chiral molecules using catalytic titanium complexes. This monumental catalytic breakthrough unlocked the safe, industrial manufacturing of single-enantiomer pharmaceuticals.
Atmospheric climate models struggled to quantify how trace gases dissolve into clouds and aerosol droplets; this comprehensive compendium of thousands of Henry's law solubility constants establishes the international standard for multi-phase atmospheric modeling.
Classical physics assumed physical interactions must obey local realism; quantum nonlocality proves entangled particles share correlations that shatter classical causal limits without signaling.
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