Physics Frontiers

Jim Rantschler

Jim Rantschler and Randy Morrison discuss physics from elementary particles to cosmological effects at the limits of our theoretical knowledge or have recently emerged.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

82 episodes
Updated Oct 27, 2025

Episodes82

Newest first

Feb 9, 2018 · 1 hr 13 min
Dark Energy
Randy helps Jim get a handle on Dark Energy. Why do we need it? What could it be? What does it...
Jan 22, 2018 · 37 min
Weyl and Quasiparticles
Jim and Randy discuss quasiparticles recently found in condensed matter systems that mirror parti...
Jan 11, 2018 · 38 min
The Origin of Inertia
Randy tells Jim about a scheme that uses Mach's Principle - the idea that there is a preferred ba...
Dec 22, 2017 · 1 hr 2 min
Time Crystals
Jim talks to Randy about structures that are periodic in time like crystals are periodic in space...
Dec 6, 2017 · 44 min
The 2T Physics of Itzhak Bars
Randy tells Jim about a theory that complements other theories of fundamental physics based upon ...
Nov 24, 2017 · 43 min
The Physics of Time Travel
Randy and Jim talk about traveling through through time, discussing relativity and, in particular...
Nov 6, 2017 · 37 min
Stochastic Resonance Energy Harvesting
Randy tells Jim about ways in which external vibrations can be used to do useful work in large-sc...
Oct 21, 2017 · 47 min
Five Proven Methods of Levitation
Randy shows Jim five different ways in which a body can be levitated: by magnetism, by supercondu...
Oct 4, 2017 · 50 min
Stochastic Electrodynamics
Randy explains Stochastic Electrodynamics to Jim, the theory that vacuum fluctuations are the cau...
Sep 14, 2017 · 26 min
Exotic Photon Trajectories in Quantum Mechanics
Jim and Randy discuss strange trajectories observed in triple slit experiments with metallic plat...
Aug 20, 2017 · 41 min
A Gravitational Arrow of Time
Jim and Randy discuss a cosmological theory that purports to find an explanation for the arrow of...
Jul 16, 2017 · 36 min
Photonic Molecules and Optical Circuits
Randy tells Jim about photonic molecules, pairs of photons that create bound states like molecule...
Jul 1, 2017 · 48 min
Requirements for Alternative Gravity Theories
In this episode Jim and Randy talk about how to evaluate alternative gravity theories. What sort...
Jun 2, 2017 · 37 min
f(R) Theories of Gravity
Jim and Randy discuss gravitational theories that modify general relativity by changing the actio...
Apr 27, 2017 · 47 min
Vacuum Fluctuations and the Casimir Effect
Jim and Randy discuss how vacuum fluctuations produce the van der Waals forces and the Casimir ef...
Mar 14, 2017 · 50 min
Virtual Gravitational Dipoles
Randy discusses what the Cosmological implications of a negative gravitational mass would be with...
Feb 14, 2017 · 49 min
General Relativity for the Experimentalist
Randy shares some of his favorite papers with Jim: papers on general relativity by engineer and s...
Jan 20, 2017 · 58 min
Pilot Wave Hydrodynamics
Randy and Jim discuss a physical analogy to quantum mechanics consisting of a droplet of fluid bo...
Jan 5, 2017 · 47 min
Phononics
Randy tells Jim about the emerging field of Phononics: using quantum particles of heat in materia...
Dec 6, 2016 · 41 min
Gravitoelectromagnetism
Randy talks to Jim about gravitoelectromagnetism. Based on the similarity between Newtonian grav...