The idea of reference frames has a storied history in classical physics: Isaac Newton, Galileo and Albert Einstein all relied on them for their studies of motion. A reference frame is essentially a coordinate system (a way of specifying positions and times relative to some zero point, or “origin”) that might itself be in motion. Einstein used reference frames to develop his theories of relativity, which revealed that space and time are not fixed backdrops to the universe, but rather elastic entities that can stretch, scrunch and warp.
But quantum physics has for the most part ignored reference frames. Alice and Bob, the fictional observers in many experiments in quantum physics, typically have different physical locations, but they’re assumed to have a common reference frame. This is now changing. Quantum physicists are realizing that they can’t ignore the fact that the reference frame Alice is anchored to (akin to the trolley or the platform) might have multiple possible locations at once. Or that the clock Bob is using to measure time might be subject to quantum uncertainty.
Yet during the time since string theory’s retreat from the limelight, a considerable cadre of string devotees have labored to tie all the loose ends together. Success remains elusive, but real progress has been made. Questions plaguing physicists about not only the smallest bits of matter but also the properties of the entire universe may yet yield to string theorists’ efforts.
It’s a tall order, and Frank knows it; for one thing, the novel has had different forms, traditions and sensibilities across different languages and cultures. But thinking about how these differences became accessible to more readers as translations of then-contemporary fiction began to proliferate in the 19th century was exactly how he found his approach: “‘In translation’ was the key, opening the way into the story of the novel, which was […] a story of translation in the largest sense, not only from language to language and place to place but more broadly as the translation of lived reality into written form.”
In Age of the City: Why Our Future Will Be Won or Lost Together, an Oxford University professor and a contributor to The Economist, Ian Goldin and Tom Lee-Devlin respectively, attempt to rehabilitate the place and role of urban centres in society on a historical-level and offer a blueprint to remediate current challenges.