Breaking Laws For Science: When And How?

In the world of science and engineering, it is believed that laws exist to be broken. Lan Yang, a professor of electrical and systems engineering, asserts that breaking old laws is necessary to push the boundaries of science and engineering and open up different insights, scenarios, structures, and possibilities. This notion is exemplified by the numerous laws of physics that have been broken over the centuries, as well as the active breaking of laws in the present day. The breaking of scientific laws is not only acceptable but encouraged, as it indicates that there is more to learn about the universe and allows for progress and a more sophisticated understanding of nature.

To gain new insights, scenarios, structures and possibilities

This notion is supported by the fact that many laws of physics have been broken over the centuries, and some are actively being broken in the present day. This is a positive development, as it indicates that there is still more to learn about the universe. The word "law" in physics is loosely defined and can refer to observed properties of the natural world or fundamental ideas that form sprawling theories of the cosmos. However, all scientific knowledge, even the most important laws, is provisional and based on evidence. If the evidence changes, the laws can be torn down and replaced with new knowledge.

For example, Bode's Law, proposed in 1715, stated that each planet should be roughly twice as far away from the Sun as the next planet inwards. However, this law was broken after the discovery of Neptune. Similarly, Newton's law of universal gravitation, while revolutionary, was found to be incomplete as it could not completely describe the orbit of Mercury. It was later extended by Einstein's theory of general relativity.

In the field of optics, Yang and her team are working to break two venerable physical laws: time-reversal symmetry and reciprocity. They aim to explore novel ways in which light waves can propagate in next-generation technologies, with potential impacts in various fields such as public health, computation, and communications. By breaking these laws, they hope to create new system structures with enhanced functionality.

To find unexpected phenomena or activities

For example, consider the work of Lan Yang, a professor of electrical and systems engineering. Yang received a grant to investigate the takedown of two well-established physical laws: time-reversal symmetry and reciprocity. By breaking these laws, Yang and her team aim to discover new ways of working with light and sound, ultimately creating system structures with enhanced functionality.

In most physical systems, time-reversal symmetry and reciprocity are inherent. Time-reversal symmetry suggests that there is no fundamental difference between forward and backward motions in time, similar to how a film can be run from beginning to end and then rewound. Reciprocity, on the other hand, involves a return journey from one point to another and back again.

By challenging these established laws, Yang and her multidisciplinary team aim to induce nonreciprocal light transport and break time-reversal invariance. They will employ mathematical tools and phenomena, such as magnetism, to achieve their goal of breaking the old laws and ushering in new discoveries.

This approach of breaking laws to find unexpected phenomena is not unique to Yang's work. Over the centuries, many laws of physics have been broken, and new discoveries have been made as a result. Breaking the laws can lead to a deeper understanding of the universe and the development of new theories and applications. It is through this process of challenging and updating our knowledge that science progresses and becomes more sophisticated.

To create new functionality

Breaking the Laws of Science to Create New Functionality

The laws of science are not set in stone; they are meant to be broken to push the boundaries of science and engineering and open up new insights, scenarios, structures, and possibilities.

A scientific law is a description of an observed phenomenon, often in the form of a mathematical statement. However, it does not explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it. That is where scientific theories come in—they provide the explanation for a phenomenon.

The laws of science are not absolute, and there may not even be any absolute physical laws. They are based on repeated experiments or observations and can be contradicted, restricted, or extended by future observations. They are also constantly being tested experimentally to increasing degrees of precision, which is one of the main goals of science.

With that in mind, here are some ways in which the laws of science can be broken to create new functionality:

• Nonreciprocity and Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking: Time-reversal symmetry states that what goes around comes around—there is no fundamental difference between the forward and backward motion in time. Lan Yang, a professor of electrical and systems engineering, received a grant to investigate novel ways in which light waves can propagate in next-generation technologies. Her team aims to break the natural state to find unexpected phenomena or activities by violating time-reversal symmetry and inducing nonreciprocal light transport. This could lead to new functionality in system structures, with potential impacts in public health, computation, information processing, and communications applications.
• Quantum Uncertainty Principle: The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to simultaneously know, with high precision, two properties of a particle. This principle breaks the laws of classical physics, as it introduces uncertainty into the position and momentum of particles. It has become a cornerstone of quantum physics and has led to a better understanding of the wave-particle duality of particles.
• Symmetry Breaking: The law of symmetry is sometimes broken, and this can lead to new mathematical concepts and a better understanding of the environment around black holes. For example, the concept of "white holes" is a theoretical idea that explores what would happen if there was no mass within the event horizon of a black hole.
• New Physical Laws: In some cases, new physical laws may be required to explain complex natural systems. For example, the "law of increasing functional information" proposed by Jonathan Lunine and colleagues suggests that complex natural systems evolve towards states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity. This law expands Darwin's theory of evolution, which was primarily applied to life on Earth, to other massively complex systems like planets, stars, atoms, and minerals.
• Breaking Laws at the Edge of the Universe: A controversial study by scientists at the University of New South Wales found discrepancies in the fine structure constant, which describes how subatomic particles interact with each other. The study suggests that the laws of physics may break down at the edges of the universe, potentially altering our understanding of the universe and indicating the presence of a "directionality" in the universe.
• Axion Bomb: By creating an "axion bomb" that holds a charge by combining coupled axion and electromagnetic fields and then dropping it into an evaporating black hole, it may be possible to break the fundamental law of conservation of charge. This idea challenges the notion that "physics breaks down in a singularity," suggesting that it may be possible to take charge into a singularity.

These examples demonstrate that breaking the laws of science can lead to new functionality and a deeper understanding of the universe. It is important to note that the laws of science are flexible and subject to change as new discoveries and observations are made.

To make new discoveries

Breaking scientific laws can lead to the discovery of new phenomena or activities that were previously unexpected. For instance, in most physical systems, time-reversal symmetry and reciprocity are observed, but by breaking these laws, scientists can create system structures with new functionalities. This approach can lead to significant advancements in multiple areas, such as nanoscale diodes, isolators, and circulators in fiber optical networks.

It is worth noting that the term "law" in physics has a flexible definition and can refer to different concepts. Some laws describe consistent observations about the natural world, while others are fundamental ideas that form the basis of complex theories. However, it is essential to remember that scientific knowledge, even the most fundamental laws, is provisional and subject to change based on new evidence. As we gain new insights, we update our understanding of physics, discard outdated laws, and continue our pursuit of knowledge.

Throughout history, there have been instances where old laws have been broken, and new laws of physics have emerged. For example, Bode's law, proposed in 1715, stated that each planet should be roughly twice as far from the Sun as the next planet inwards. However, after the discovery of Neptune, this law was discredited. Similarly, Newton's law of universal gravitation, while groundbreaking, was found to have shortcomings and was later extended by Einstein's theory of general relativity.

The process of breaking scientific laws is not limited to physics but applies to various fields, including chemistry and the Earth sciences. In chemistry, for instance, the law of conservation of mass was once considered fundamental, but modern physics revealed that it is energy that is conserved, leading to new discoveries in nuclear chemistry. Thus, breaking scientific laws is a powerful tool for making new discoveries and advancing our understanding of the world.

To progress and improve our understanding of nature

Science is a process of constant discovery and evolution. Breaking laws in science is often necessary to progress and improve our understanding of nature.

The laws of physics, for instance, are not set in stone. Many have been broken over the centuries, and some are actively being broken today. This is a positive development as it indicates that there is still more to learn about the universe. The word "law" in physics is loosely defined and can refer to observed truths about the natural world or fundamental ideas underpinning complex theories. However, all scientific knowledge, even the most important laws, is provisional and based on evidence. If the evidence changes, we update our understanding of physics, discarding or modifying laws as needed.

For example, Newton's law of universal gravitation was a groundbreaking step in understanding gravity and the wider universe. It states that the gravitational attraction between two objects is proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. However, it could not completely describe the orbit of Mercury, and Einstein later provided a more universal description with his theory of general relativity. While Newton's law still works in most cases, it needs to be "broken" and replaced with relativity in more extreme scenarios, such as around black holes or when calculating GPS coordinates.

Lan Yang, a professor of electrical and systems engineering, received a grant to investigate the takedown of two physical laws: time-reversal symmetry and reciprocity. Time-reversal symmetry suggests that there is no fundamental difference between forward and backward motions in time, similar to how a film can be rewound. Reciprocity involves returning from one point to another and back again, like light propagation in both directions in an optical fibre. Yang and her team aim to explore new ways of working with light and sound to create system structures with new functionalities enabled by non-reciprocity in wave transport and broken time-reversal invariance. By breaking these old laws, they hope to unlock new insights and possibilities in next-generation technologies, with potential impacts in public health, computation, information processing, and communications.

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