I am Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine. My first book The Physics of Finance was published (in the UK) by Short Books in 2013; my second book, Void: The Strange Physics of Nothing will be published in November 2016 by Yale University Press. I hold PhDs in physics and mathematical science, and in philosophy; most of my research is on topics in the mathematical and conceptual foundations of physics, including classical and quantum field theory.
Dates of Visit: 2 August – 30 September 2016
Project Title: Mathematical and Explanatory Interconnections in Classical Field Theory
Project Description: This project explores the mathematical relationships between the central "fundamental" principles in classical field theories, including general relativity and Yang-Mills theory. Some examples include the sense in which dynamical laws, such as Einstein's equation or the Yang-Mills equation, are "unique" (in the presence of other assumptions); the sense in which causal structure in general relativity both constrains "reasonable" dynamics, and is also a consequence of the particular dynamical laws; and the status of laws of motion for small bodies, such as the geodesic principle in general relativity.