Heims theory-or theories

**CFTraveler** · 5th August 2009, 02:50 AM

Reading the blog that Ebert wrote, it brought me to what is known as Heim theory. I have read diverse articles here and there, some more or less scientific and all interesting. In the attempt to understand it I read a variety on articles about it.
Is anyone here a quantum physicist (I believe there were a couple at one time or another) or even a regular physicist? I would like a very simplified explanation of the theory itself, with a very simplified grasp of the math involved. I want to make sure I 'sort of' understand it.
The closest thing that I could find to a coherent explanation was good old Wikipedia, and some comments in a scientific forum. However, a lot of it goes over my head.
Anyway, here's some links for those of you that are brave. And for those of you that are smart (I'm almost sure wstein knows), please 'splain!

**JohnA** · 11th September 2009, 04:11 PM

Interesting concept. I'm not a physicist (just an engineer), but I might be able to help a little with the Math. This quote from the Wiki article says a lot: "Selector calculus is similar to finite element methods in that it uses difference operators instead of differential operators to calculate analogues to derivatives and line integrals. The motivation is that the limit of distance going to zero does not make sense, because there exists a smallest unit of measure in Heim theory, called the metron." Selector calculus sounds like a fancy name of breaking the model up into pieces and solving the derivatives (changes over time and/or space) in the model using conventional finite difference methods. Engineers use such methods all of the time. It kind of makes sense from a practical perspective to give space some finite length; it makes solving such problems far easier. (I hate when I have to deal mathematical singularities in some of the wave propagation problems I work on.) The theory seems quite practical, but does it represent reality?

When I first read this, I started thinking of how it might hold up in modeling black holes. There is a debate about singularities at the heart of black holes. This theory probably couldn't address them as they approach zero. But what if they never do get to zero? Some think the existance of a true singularity is unlikely.

I wondered if this might be able to say something about information theory and the holographic principle as well. There's a nice comment connecting black holes to supporing the holographic principle on the Black hole Wiki site. "Leonard Susskind and Nobel prizewinner Gerard 't Hooft have suggested that the three dimensional space surrounding a black hole can be completely described by a two dimensional behavior of the horizon. They believe this because this can resolve the black hole information-loss paradox. This idea has been made precise within string theory, and it is known as the holographic principle."

I think there are connections here. When I can find some time, I'll try to dig into this more and pass along any more details I learn. Thanks!