1621: Fixion - Revision history

172.68.3.127: /* Table of Phenomena */ grammar fix

2024-12-14T06:28:24Z

‎Table of Phenomena: grammar fix

172.68.34.19: /* Table of Phenomena */ grammar fix

2024-12-14T06:23:29Z

‎Table of Phenomena: grammar fix

DKMell: minor fixes

2024-09-24T22:07:15Z

minor fixes

172.69.134.23: /* Explanation */

2023-10-19T19:45:38Z

‎Explanation

Wilh3lm: Peryton microwave oven citation

2023-07-27T15:31:05Z

Peryton microwave oven citation

FaviFake: Fixed another broken link

2023-05-22T08:37:09Z

Fixed another broken link

FaviFake: Fixed broken link (was a redirect)

2023-05-22T08:01:56Z

Fixed broken link (was a redirect)

Purah126: https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy

2023-04-02T15:24:05Z

https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy

Natg19: /* Transcript */ cat

2023-01-11T23:29:29Z

‎Transcript: cat

172.70.100.154: Fixed the redlink

2022-10-29T03:12:54Z

Fixed the redlink

@@ Line 107: / Line 107: @@
 || No arrow.
 || {{w|Snowball Earth}} is the theory that the whole planet was covered in ice at some point. To melt all that ice by the {{w|greenhouse effect}} would require far more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than seems plausible. However, if volcanoes were to deposit black soot on the surface of the ice, it would start absorbing heat more efficiently (in scientific terms, the Earth's {{w|albedo}} would decrease) and that would also make the planet heat up.
-|| There are {{w|Snowball_Earth#Scientific_dispute|scientific dispute}} regarding the theory for a Snowball Earth. There is no conclusive evidence that it ever occurred, but those in favor have presented lots of {{w|Snowball_Earth#Evidence|evidence}}…
+|| There are {{w|Snowball_Earth#Scientific_dispute|scientific disputes}} regarding the theory for a Snowball Earth. There is no conclusive evidence that it ever occurred, but those in favor have presented lots of {{w|Snowball_Earth#Evidence|evidence}}…
 |-
 | Transports neutrinos faster than light, but only on certain days through one area of France

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 |-
 | Spontaneously emits dark energy
-|| Two arrows points to two dotted lines going out left and downwards below the first solid line. It is thus two mediating particles that go out from the Fixion.
+|| Two arrows point to two dotted lines going out left and downwards below the first solid line. It is thus two mediating particles that go out from the Fixion.
 || Prior to the 1990s, most {{w|cosmologists}} expected that the universe's expansion after the Big Bang would either slow down or stay constant. In 1998, cosmologists discovered that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating. Under {{w|Einstein|Einstein's}} theory of {{w|general relativity}}, the observed acceleration predicts that ordinary matter and dark matter make up about 30% of the universe's total energy, with the rest coming in the form of "{{w|dark energy}}." The nature of dark energy is not certain. However, the leading candidate is that space itself has intrinsic energy (either constant or variable), and so as space expands, the energy of the universe increases.
 || Again, Nobel Prize territory.

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 || An arrow points to the very first part of the main line.
 || Our best measurements of the universe predict that visible matter is only about one-twentieth of the matter in the universe; the remaining matter is "{{w|dark matter}}" that cannot be seen. The leading candidates for dark matter are {{w|weakly interacting massive particles}} (WIMPs). These would be new, undiscovered forms of matter which barely interact except through gravity and thus give off little or no light. Some of the dark matter is likely made up of {{w|Massive compact halo objects}} (MACHOs); effectively dead stars too dim to see. MACHOs are probably only a minority of the dark matter, however. Studies of two colliding galaxy clusters suggest that dark matter can pass through other matter without slowing down, unlike ordinary matter. Moreover, calculations of the elements produced during the {{w|big bang}} - which match the observed distribution of elements in the universe very precisely - don't leave room for enough additional {{w|protons}} and {{w|neutrons}} to form the dark matter.
-|| No. Proving the nature of dark matter will most likely win someone a {{w|Nobel Prize}}.
+|| No. Establishing the nature of dark matter will most likely win someone a {{w|Nobel Prize}}.
 |-
 | Confines quarks and gluons
 || An arrow points to the very first part of the main line.
-|| {{w|Quark confinement}} means that we never see particles with {{w|color charge}} (i.e. {{w|quark}}s and {{w|gluon}}s) on their own. They only exist in groups that cancel out the color charge. Try to separate the groups, and the energy you add will instead cause new particles to pop into existence. Quarks are also referenced in  [[474: Turn-On]], [[1418: Horse]] and in [[1731: Wrong]].
+|| {{w|Quark confinement}} means that we never see particles with {{w|color charge}} ({{w|quark}}s and {{w|gluon}}s) on their own. They exist only in groups that cancel out the color charge. Try to separate the groups, and the energy you add will instead cause new particles to pop into existence. Quarks are also referenced in  [[474: Turn-On]], [[1418: Horse]] and in [[1731: Wrong]].
 || The basic facts of confinement are well understood, but some of the details are too complicated to tease out.
 |-
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 || An arrow points to the first solid line into the main line, from left and upwards. This is thus a solid particle merging with the Fixion.
 || {{w|Magnetic monopoles}} (e.g., a north charge without a south charge) should exist according to many {{w|Grand Unified Theory|grand unified theories}} (GUTs) and {{w|String theory|string theories}}, but none have ever been seen.
-|| No! Despite claims that pop up in the news every year, creating a monopole-like state in the magnetic spins of a crystal is not the same as creating a real monopole.
+|| No. Despite claims that pop up in the news every year, creating, say, a monopole-like state in the magnetic spins of a crystal is not the same as creating a real monopole.
 |-
 | Suppresses antimatter in early universe
 || No arrow.
 || The universe today is made almost entirely of matter. {{w|Antimatter}} and matter are identical, except that the charges are opposite. Antimatter and matter "{{w|Annihilation|annihilate}}" when they come into contact. So why is the universe made of matter? Why didn't the universe have equal amounts of both, and if it did, why didn't it annihilate itself immediately? This is a big question in physics today. The Fixion would explain this by its ability to suppress the formation of antimatter in the early universe. Antimatter is also referenced in [[683: Science Montage]], [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]],  and [[1731: Wrong]] as well as being the subject of the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|114|Antimatter}}''. It was also mentioned in another ''what if?'': ''{{what if|79|Lake Tea}}''.
-|| Lots of theories, no conclusive evidence for any yet. The most notable theories revolve around the {{w|weak interaction}}, which has been shown to treat matter and antimatter asymmetrically. Now that the {{w|Higgs boson}} has been found, the biggest project for the {{w|Large Hadron Collider}} experiments is to try to crack this.
+|| Lots of theories, with no conclusive evidence for any of them yet. The most notable theories revolve around the {{w|weak interaction}}, which has been shown to treat matter and antimatter asymmetrically. Now that the {{w|Higgs boson}} has been found, the biggest project for the {{w|Large Hadron Collider}} experiments is to try to crack this.
 |-
 | Spontaneously emits dark energy
@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 | Introduces dispersion in perytons from kitchen microwaves, explaining fast radio bursts
 || Two arrows point to four wavy lines. The waves of the lines have different wavelength. The one line coming out left is of the same wavelength as the top of the three coming out right. The two below each decrease in wavelength compared to the one before them. Maybe this is not meant to represent photon-like particles, but are just different frequencies of microwaves from the microwave oven – thus relating to the subject.
-|| {{w|Fast radio burst}}s (FRBs) are unexplained bursts of radio-frequency energy from space, that could even be extragalactic signals, with speculations that they might be signs of {{w|extraterrestrial intelligence}}. {{w|Peryton (astronomy)|Perytons}} are things that ''look like'' FRBs, but come from Earth (specifically, from the {{w|microwave oven}} at {{w|Parkes Observatory}} [https://arxiv.org/abs/1504.02165]). Randall's Fixion makes some perytons change frequency distribution so they appear to come from space; thus meaning all FRBs come from microwave ovens.
+|| {{w|Fast radio burst}}s (FRBs) are unexplained bursts of radio-frequency energy from space that could even be extragalactic signals, with speculations that they might be signs of {{w|extraterrestrial intelligence}}. {{w|Peryton (astronomy)|Perytons}} are things that ''look like'' FRBs, but come from Earth (specifically, from the {{w|microwave oven}} at {{w|Parkes Observatory}} [https://arxiv.org/abs/1504.02165]). Randall's Fixion makes some perytons change frequency distribution so they appear to come from space, thus implying that all FRBs come from microwave ovens.
 || No, but it's probably something very big - a star collapsing to a {{w|black hole}} or (as now looks likely) a {{w|magnetar}} (magnetic neutron star)
 |-
@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 || An arrow points to the part of the main line just before the first wavy line.
 || The {{w|neutron electric dipole moment}} is a measure of how balanced electric charge is inside the neutron. ϴ (theta) is a number in {{w|quantum chromodynamics}} (QCD) which quantifies the breaking of a type of symmetry called {{w|CP violation|CP symmetry}}. If ϴ is not 0, one result of this should be a neutron dipole moment. {{w|Symmetry breaking}} is a common explanation of effects in some areas of theoretical physics (for instance, it's an important part of {{w|Peter Higgs|Higgs'}} theory about why particles have mass), but normally it explains why a value is ''not'' zero. Presumably the Fixion would break CP symmetry independently of QCD, which would mean that ϴ can be 0 while preserving observed CP-breaking effects.
-|| Again, it's not (yet) a problem - the predicted dipole moment is tiny, and we're only just reaching the point when we can measure it that accurately.
+|| Again, it's not (yet) a problem - the predicted dipole moment is tiny, and we're only just reaching the point when we could measure it.
 |-
 | Causes alpha effect
@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 | Intercepts certain gravitational waves before they're observed.
 || An arrow points to a spiraling line going upwards to the left, so this is drawn like a gluon.
-|| If {{w|gravity}} behaves like {{w|Fundamental interaction|the other forces}}, it must be conveyed by waves. At the time of the comic's publication, our best detector, {{w|LIGO}} had yet to detect any {{w|gravitational waves}}, though this is probably just due to the low probability of events that would be detectable. Only extreme events like {{w|binary black hole}} mergers are detectable with the current setup. The proposed {{w|LISA Pathfinder}} spacecraft will be able to see things like orbiting black holes and {{w|neutron stars}}.
+|| If {{w|gravity}} behaves like {{w|Fundamental interaction|the other forces}}, it must be conveyed by waves. At the time of the comic's publication, our best detector, {{w|LIGO}}, had yet to detect any {{w|gravitational waves}}, though this is probably just due to the low probability of events that would be detectable. Only extreme events like {{w|binary black hole}} mergers are detectable with the current setup. The proposed {{w|LISA Pathfinder}} spacecraft will be able to see things like orbiting black holes and {{w|neutron stars}}.
-|| In February 2016, researchers at LIGO [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/science/ligo-gravitational-waves-black-holes-einstein.html reported the detection of gravitational waves].
+|| In February 2016, researchers at LIGO [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/science/ligo-gravitational-waves-black-holes-einstein.html reported the detection of gravitational waves]. The discoverers were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2017.
 |-
 | Causes coronal heating
@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 |-
 | Higgs-ish
-|| As this is just a property of the Fixion there is no arrow.
+|| As this is just a property of the Fixion, there is no arrow.
 || The {{w|Higgs boson}} is a manifestation of the Higgs field... but many supersymmetry and string theories predict multiple Higgs-like particles. It's almost a prerequisite of any new theory that it has a Higgs-ish element. So the Fixion blends in with this.
 || N/A

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 The second [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] in a row, the first being [[1620: Christmas Settings]].
-This comic was released on {{w|Christmas}} day as a present from [[Randall]] to all {{w|physicists}}. It introduces a new particle, the ''Fixion'', which explains everything. The word "Fixion" can be read as a pun: Either it can mean something like "fix-i-on," with "[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-on#Suffix -on]" being a suffix for many particles, and this particle being able to "fix" things; or it means "fiction".
+This comic was released on {{w|Christmas}} day as a present from [[Randall]] to all {{w|physicists}}. It introduces a new particle, the ''Fixion'', which explains everything. The word "Fixion" can be read as a pun: Either it can mean something like "fix-i-on," with "[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-on#Suffix -on]" being a suffix for many particles, and this particle being able to "fix" things. Coincidentally it's also very similar to the word "fiction" aptly describing its wish fulfilment nature.
 In physics, there are still many {{w|List of unsolved problems in physics|big questions and mysteries}}. There are many phenomena which don't seem to fit, and we don't know how to explain yet. The "Fixion" is satirically presented as a particle which acts as a {{w|Deus ex machina}}, (see also {{tvtropes|DeusExMachina|tvtropes}}), which solves all of these mysteries without any serious fundamental reasons.

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 | Introduces dispersion in perytons from kitchen microwaves, explaining fast radio bursts
 || Two arrows point to four wavy lines. The waves of the lines have different wavelength. The one line coming out left is of the same wavelength as the top of the three coming out right. The two below each decrease in wavelength compared to the one before them. Maybe this is not meant to represent photon-like particles, but are just different frequencies of microwaves from the microwave oven – thus relating to the subject.
-|| {{w|Fast radio burst}}s (FRBs) are unexplained bursts of radio-frequency energy from space, that could even be extragalactic signals, with speculations that they might be signs of {{w|extraterrestrial intelligence}}. {{w|Peryton (astronomy)|Perytons}} are things that ''look like'' FRBs, but come from Earth (specifically, from the {{w|microwave oven}} at {{w|Parkes Observatory}}{{Actual citation needed}}). Randall's Fixion makes some perytons change frequency distribution so they appear to come from space; thus meaning all FRBs come from microwave ovens.
+|| {{w|Fast radio burst}}s (FRBs) are unexplained bursts of radio-frequency energy from space, that could even be extragalactic signals, with speculations that they might be signs of {{w|extraterrestrial intelligence}}. {{w|Peryton (astronomy)|Perytons}} are things that ''look like'' FRBs, but come from Earth (specifically, from the {{w|microwave oven}} at {{w|Parkes Observatory}} [https://arxiv.org/abs/1504.02165]). Randall's Fixion makes some perytons change frequency distribution so they appear to come from space; thus meaning all FRBs come from microwave ovens.
 || No, but it's probably something very big - a star collapsing to a {{w|black hole}} or (as now looks likely) a {{w|magnetar}} (magnetic neutron star)
 |-

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 | Suppresses antimatter in early universe
 || No arrow.
-|| The universe today is made almost entirely of matter. {{w|Antimatter}} and matter are identical, except that the charges are opposite. Antimatter and matter "{{w|Annihilation|annihilate}}" when they come into contact. So why is the universe made of matter? Why didn't the universe have equal amounts of both, and if it did, why didn't it annihilate itself immediately? This is a big question in physics today. The Fixion would explain this by its ability to suppress the formation of antimatter in the early universe. Antimatter is also referenced in [[683: Science Montage]], [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]],  and [[1731: Wrong]] as well as being the subject of the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' ''{{what if|114|Antimatter}}''. It was also mentioned in another ''what if?'': ''{{what if|79|Lake Tea}}''.
+|| The universe today is made almost entirely of matter. {{w|Antimatter}} and matter are identical, except that the charges are opposite. Antimatter and matter "{{w|Annihilation|annihilate}}" when they come into contact. So why is the universe made of matter? Why didn't the universe have equal amounts of both, and if it did, why didn't it annihilate itself immediately? This is a big question in physics today. The Fixion would explain this by its ability to suppress the formation of antimatter in the early universe. Antimatter is also referenced in [[683: Science Montage]], [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]],  and [[1731: Wrong]] as well as being the subject of the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|114|Antimatter}}''. It was also mentioned in another ''what if?'': ''{{what if|79|Lake Tea}}''.
 || Lots of theories, no conclusive evidence for any yet. The most notable theories revolve around the {{w|weak interaction}}, which has been shown to treat matter and antimatter asymmetrically. Now that the {{w|Higgs boson}} has been found, the biggest project for the {{w|Large Hadron Collider}} experiments is to try to crack this.
 |-
@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 | Covers naked singularities
 || No arrow – but the text is situated next to the middle of the three wavy lines going right.
-|| A {{w|naked singularity}} is like a black hole without an {{w|event horizon}}. So far no naked singularity has been observed (except, arguably, the big bang) and the {{w|cosmic censorship hypothesis}} suggests they can't exist, although some people have suggested ways of making them. Randall has mentioned these in the [[what if?]] article [http://what-if.xkcd.com/140/ Proton Earth, Electron Moon].
+|| A {{w|naked singularity}} is like a black hole without an {{w|event horizon}}. So far no naked singularity has been observed (except, arguably, the big bang) and the {{w|cosmic censorship hypothesis}} suggests they can't exist, although some people have suggested ways of making them. Randall has mentioned these in the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''[https://what-if.xkcd.com/140/ Proton Earth, Electron Moon]''.
 || Not necessarily something that needs explaining - none have been seen, and most theories say they don't exist. If support grows for {{w|loop quantum gravity}}, then we might have to start really searching.
 |-

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