Hans Grassmann

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Hans Grassmann (Bamberg, 21 May 1960) is a German physicist, writer and entrepreneur, who teaches and works in Italy. Grassmann is the author of four books and more than 250 scientific publications, and is the founder and managing director of the research company Isomorph srl.

Contents

His main contributions to physics include the development of a (Tl) calorimeter with a photodiode; developing the analysis of asymmetry in the production of the W particle; a contribution to the discovery of the top quark, the development of a physics theory of information; the design and development of a wind turbine with an external duct; and the realization of the linear mirror for the concentration of solar energy. Grassmann has worked in Italy since 1988.

Life and work

Study of physics

From 1979 to 1984, Grassmann studied physics at the University of Erlangen and the University of Hamburg. For his laurea thesis, he developed a detection method for high energy photons using a scintillating crystal (CsI(Tl)) calorimeter with photodiode readout. Advanced scientific experiments make use of this technology, including the Crystal-Barrel, the BaBar, the CLEO, the Belle experiments and the Glast satellite.

From 1984 to 1988, Grassmann was part of the UA1 experiment at CERN in Geneva, where he wrote his PhD thesis.

From 1987 to 1999, Grassmann worked with the CDF collaboration at the Tevatron collider in the Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab), close to Chicago and at the Superconducting Super Collider laboratory (Dallas).

In 1988 with his student, S. Leone, he developed the study of the asymmetry in production and decay of the W-boson at the Tevatron proton–antiproton collider. W bosons are predominantly produced in collisions of valence quarks; therefore, one can determine the kinematic properties of the up and down quarks in the proton and antiproton from the observation of W production. By analyzing the relative difference in the production of W+ and W− particles, one can substantially reduce the effects of systematic uncertainties in the experimental device. [1] [2]

Since 1988, Grassmann has developed a method for detecting the top quark. [3] The method makes use of the different kinematic properties of production and decay of top quark particles and background events, such as the production of W particles together with hadronic jets. In 1994, this analysis was successfully applied by Grassmann, G. Bellettini and M. Cobal. The top quark was observed in Tevatron collider data. [4] These results were confirmed when the analysis was repeated on a larger data sample. [5]

After the top quark discovery, Grassmann worked on a connection between the classic information theory of Claude Shannon, Gregory Chaitin and Andrey Kolmogorov et al. and physics. [6] From work done by Leó Szilárd, Rolf Landauer and Charles H. Bennett, there is a connection between physics and information theory. Storing or deleting one bit of information dissipates energy; [7] [8] [9] however, neither classic information theory nor algorithmic information theory contain any physics variables. The variable entropy used in information theory is not a state function; therefore, it is not the thermodynamic entropy used in physics. Grassmann made use of existing and established concepts, such as message, amount of information or complexity, but set them in a new mathematical framework. His approach is based on vector algebra or on Boolean algebra instead of probability theory.

Renewable Energies

Grassmann also developed an approach for studying shrouded wind turbines. [10] [11] [12]

The Linear mirror LinearMirror.jpg
The Linear mirror

In 2006 Isomorph undertook the development of a system of mirrors - the so-called Linear mirror - for the concentration of solar energy. This system is a very simple and therefore inexpensive structure, which allows to create a full-scale prototype without the need of outside partners. In 'October 2008, the Linear mirror received its first award from the Italian Physical Society, which honors Alessandro Prest, an employee of the Isomorph, for the presentation of the project. [13]

The mirror came into operation for the first time in autumn 2008, fulfilling all the expectations. [14] In July 2010 the first Linear mirror was installed by the town of Pontebba [15] to provide thermal energy to the local kindergarten. In the same year the town of Pontebba successfully participated to the National contest for the election of the most virtuous municipalities. [16] In April 2011 Hans Grassmann has received the "Nuclear-Free Future Award, with the motivation that the Linear mirror can be able to contribute to the replacement of nuclear power. [17]

In May 2012 the Linear mirror received the Solar keymark certificate by CERTCO DIN (DIN EN 12795-1:2006-06 and DIN EN 12795-2:2006-06). [18] Tests for the Solar Keymark were carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute ISE Freiburg. [19]

Entrepreneurship

In 2004, Grassmann founded Isomorph, which creates scientific concepts, procedures and devices based on physics research. Isomorph's research is independent of the scientific-administrative complex.

Isomorph developed an innovative concentrating mirror system to make economic use of solar energy. It is a simple system and cheap to produce. [20] [21]

Books

Grassmann has explained physics to the general public in books and newspaper articles, noting that "everybody can understand physics. What cannot be understood is not physics." [22] His books about the relationship between science and society are available in several translations.

Related Research Articles

Gluon Elementary particle that mediates the strong force

A gluon is an elementary particle that acts as the exchange particle for the strong force between quarks. It is analogous to the exchange of photons in the electromagnetic force between two charged particles. Gluons bind quarks together, forming hadrons such as protons and neutrons.

Particle physics Branch of physics concerning the nature of particles

Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions and bosons. There are three generations of fermions, but ordinary matter is made only from the first fermion generation. The first generation consists of up and down quarks which form protons and neutrons, and electrons and electron neutrinos. The three fundamental interactions known to be mediated by bosons are electromagnetism, the weak interaction, and the strong interaction.

Weak interaction Interaction between subatomic particles

In nuclear physics and particle physics, the weak interaction, which is also often called the weak force or weak nuclear force, is one of the four known fundamental interactions, with the others being electromagnetism, the strong interaction, and gravitation. It is the mechanism of interaction between subatomic particles that is responsible for the radioactive decay of atoms: The weak interaction participates in nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. The theory describing its behaviour and effects is sometimes called quantum flavourdynamics (QFD); however, the term QFD is rarely used, because the weak force is better understood by electroweak theory (EWT).

Standard Model Theory of particle physics

The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. It was developed in stages throughout the latter half of the 20th century, through the work of many scientists worldwide, with the current formulation being finalized in the mid-1970s upon experimental confirmation of the existence of quarks. Since then, proof of the top quark (1995), the tau neutrino (2000), and the Higgs boson (2012) have added further credence to the Standard Model. In addition, the Standard Model has predicted various properties of weak neutral currents and the W and Z bosons with great accuracy.

Subatomic particle Particle whose size or mass is less than that of the atom

In physical sciences, a subatomic particle is a particle that composes an atom. According to the Standard Model of particle physics, a subatomic particle can be either a composite particle, which is composed of other particles, or an elementary particle, which is not composed of other particles. Particle physics and nuclear physics study these particles and how they interact.

Top quark Type of quark

The top quark, sometimes also referred to as the truth quark, is the most massive of all observed elementary particles. It derives its mass from its coupling to the Higgs Boson. This coupling is very close to unity; in the Standard Model of particle physics, it is the largest (strongest) coupling at the scale of the weak interactions and above. The top quark was discovered in 1995 by the CDF and DØ experiments at Fermilab.

Technicolor (physics) Hypothetical model through which W and Z bosons acquire mass

Technicolor theories are models of physics beyond the Standard Model that address electroweak gauge symmetry breaking, the mechanism through which W and Z bosons acquire masses. Early technicolor theories were modelled on quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the "color" theory of the strong nuclear force, which inspired their name.

Asymmetry Absence of, or a violation of, symmetry

Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry. Symmetry is an important property of both physical and abstract systems and it may be displayed in precise terms or in more aesthetic terms. The absence of or violation of symmetry that are either expected or desired can have important consequences for a system.

In particle physics, the W and Z bosons are vector bosons that are together known as the weak bosons or more generally as the intermediate vector bosons. These elementary particles mediate the weak interaction; the respective symbols are
W+
,
W−
, and
Z0
. The
W±
 bosons have either a positive or negative electric charge of 1 elementary charge and are each other's antiparticles. The
Z0
 boson is electrically neutral and is its own antiparticle. The three particles each have a spin of 1. The
W±
 bosons have a magnetic moment, but the
Z0
 has none. All three of these particles are very short-lived, with a half-life of about 3×10−25 s. Their experimental discovery was pivotal in establishing what is now called the Standard Model of particle physics.

Large Electron–Positron Collider Former particle accelerator at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland

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Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model Simplest supersymmetric extension to the Standard Model

The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is an extension to the Standard Model that realizes supersymmetry. MSSM is the minimal supersymmetrical model as it considers only "the [minimum] number of new particle states and new interactions consistent with phenomenology". Supersymmetry pairs bosons with fermions, so every Standard Model particle has a superpartner yet undiscovered. If discovered, such superparticles could be candidates for dark matter, and could provide evidence for grand unification or the viability of string theory. The failure to find evidence for supersymmetry using the Large Hadron Collider has strengthened an inclination to abandon it.

Compact Linear Collider

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a concept for a future linear particle accelerator that aims to explore the next energy frontier. CLIC would collide electrons with positrons and is currently the only mature option for a multi-TeV linear collider. The accelerator would be between 11 and 50 km long, more than ten times longer than the existing Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) in California, USA. CLIC is proposed to be built at CERN, across the border between France and Switzerland near Geneva, with first beams starting by the time the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has finished operations around 2035.

In particle physics, preons are point particles, conceived of as sub-components of quarks and leptons. The word was coined by Jogesh Pati and Abdus Salam, in 1974. Interest in preon models peaked in the 1980s but has slowed, as the Standard Model of particle physics continues to describe physics mostly successfully, and no direct experimental evidence for lepton and quark compositeness has been found. Preons come in four varieties, plus, anti-plus, zero and anti-zero. W bosons have six preons and quarks have only three.

In particle physics, a generation or family is a division of the elementary particles. Between generations, particles differ by their flavour quantum number and mass, but their electric and strong interactions are identical.

Collider Detector at Fermilab

The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) experimental collaboration studies high energy particle collisions from the Tevatron, the world's former highest-energy particle accelerator. The goal is to discover the identity and properties of the particles that make up the universe and to understand the forces and interactions between those particles.

Drell–Yan process Process in high-energy hadron–hadron scattering

The Drell–Yan process occurs in high energy hadron–hadron scattering. It takes place when a quark of one hadron and an antiquark of another hadron annihilate, creating a virtual photon or Z boson which then decays into a pair of oppositely-charged leptons. Importantly, the energy of the colliding quark-antiquark pair can be almost entirely transformed into the mass of new particles. This process was first suggested by Sidney Drell and Tung-Mow Yan in 1970 to describe the production of lepton–antilepton pairs in high-energy hadron collisions. Experimentally, this process was first observed by J.H. Christenson et al. in proton–uranium collisions at the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron.

DØ experiment

The DØ experiment was a worldwide collaboration of scientists conducting research on the fundamental nature of matter. DØ was one of two major experiments located at the Tevatron Collider at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. The Tevatron was the world's highest-energy accelerator from 1983 until 2009, when its energy was surpassed by the Large Hadron Collider. The DØ experiment stopped taking data in 2011, when the Tevatron shut down, but data analysis is still ongoing. The DØ detector is preserved in Fermilab's DØ Assembly Building as part of a historical exhibit for public tours.

Leptoquarks (LQs) are hypothetical particles that would interact with quarks and leptons. Leptoquarks are color-triplet bosons that carry both lepton and baryon numbers. Their other quantum numbers, like spin, (fractional) electric charge and weak isospin vary among theories. Leptoquarks are encountered in various extensions of the Standard Model, such as technicolor theories, theories of quark-lepton unification (e.g., Pati–Salam model), or GUTs based on SU(5), SO(10), E6, etc. Leptoquarks are currently searched for in experiments ATLAS and CMS at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN.

In particle physics, W′ and Z′ bosons refer to hypothetical gauge bosons that arise from extensions of the electroweak symmetry of the Standard Model. They are named in analogy with the Standard Model W and Z bosons.

History of subatomic physics

The idea that matter consists of smaller particles and that there exists a limited number of sorts of primary, smallest particles in nature has existed in natural philosophy at least since the 6th century BC. Such ideas gained physical credibility beginning in the 19th century, but the concept of "elementary particle" underwent some changes in its meaning: notably, modern physics no longer deems elementary particles indestructible. Even elementary particles can decay or collide destructively; they can cease to exist and create (other) particles in result.

References

  1. ↑ S. Leone (1994). "Lepton charge asymmetry from W± → l±ν at the Tevatron collider" . Retrieved 2009-02-10.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ F. Abe; et al. (1992). "Lepton asymmetry in W-boson decays from pp collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV". Physical Review Letters . 68 (10): 1458–1462. Bibcode:1992PhRvL..68.1458A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.68.1458. PMID   10045137.
  3. ↑ M. Cobal; H. Grassmann; S. Leone (1994). "On exploiting the single-lepton event structure for the top search". Il Nuovo Cimento A . 107 (1): 75. Bibcode:1994NCimA.107...75C. doi:10.1007/BF02813074.
  4. ↑ M. Cobal; H. Grassmann; G. Bellettini (1994). "Search for the top quark at CDF: Studying the structure of events with one lepton, a neutrino and jets" . Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  5. ↑ F. Abe; et al. (1995). "Identification of Top Quark using kinematic variables". Physical Review D . 52 (5): R2605–R2609. Bibcode:1995PhRvD..52.2605A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.52.R2605.
  6. ↑ H. Grassmann. "On the mathematical structure of messages and message processing systems" . Retrieved 2009-02-10.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ L. Szilárd (1929). "Über die Entropieverminderung in einem thermodynamischen System bei Eingriffen intelligenter Wesen". Zeitschrift für Physik . 53 (11–12): 840–856. Bibcode:1929ZPhy...53..840S. doi:10.1007/BF01341281.
  8. ↑ R. Landauer (1961). "Irreversibility and heat generation in the computing process". IBM Journal of Research and Development . 5 (3): 183–191. doi:10.1147/rd.53.0183.
  9. ↑ C. H. Bennett (1982). "The Thermodynamics of Computation – A Review". International Journal of Theoretical Physics . 21 (12): 905–940. Bibcode:1982IJTP...21..905B. doi:10.1007/BF02084158.
  10. ↑ F. Bet; H. Grassmann (2003). "Upgrading conventional wind turbines". Renewable Energy. 28: 71–78. doi:10.1016/S0960-1481(01)00187-2.
  11. ↑ H. Grassmann; F. Bet; G. Cabras; M. Ceschia; D. Cobai; C. DelPapa (2003). "A partially static turbine—first experimental results". Renewable Energy. 28 (11): 1779–1785. doi:10.1016/S0960-1481(03)00061-2.
  12. ↑ H. Grassmann; F. Bet; M. Ceschia; M. L. Ganis (2004). "On the physics of partially static turbines". Renewable Energy. 29 (4): 491–499. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.542.5161 . doi:10.1016/j.renene.2003.07.008.
  13. ↑ Società Italiana di Fisica. "Migliori comunicazioni 2008" . Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  14. ↑ Isomorph srl. "Measurement of the power transfer in a Linear mirror with 20 mirror elements". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  15. ↑ http://www.comune.pontebba.ud.it/Progetto-specchio-lineare.3774.0.html?&L=0%7Ctitolo=Progetto specchio lineare)
  16. ↑ "Ass. dei Comuni Virtuosi". Comunivirtuosi.org. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  17. ↑ "Nuclear-Free Future Award Announcements". Nuclear-free.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-08-17. Retrieved 2013-01-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ↑ http://www.isomorph.it/solutions/renewable-energies/solar-thermal/resolveuid/1da56c7c5ff66e2ca6b054dd73d937e0%5B%5D
  20. ↑ Isomorph srl. "Measurement of the power transfer in a Linear mirror with 20 mirror elements". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  21. ↑ A. Prest, H. Grassmann, "The linear mirror for solar energy exploitation", submitted to Nuovo Cimento Letters on 30-12-2008
  22. ↑ Grassmann, H.: Ahnung von der Materie – Physik für alle., Dumont, 2008, ISBN   978-3-8321-8082-9
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