Lessons from the history and philosophy of science regarding the Research Assessment Exercise

The Research Assessment Exercise (henceforth abbreviated to RAE) was introduced in 1986 by Thatcher, and was continued by Blair. So it has now been running for 21 years. During this time, the rules governing the RAE have changed considerably, and the interval between successive RAEs has also varied. These changes are not of great importance as far as the argument of this paper is concerned. We will concentrate on the main features of the RAE which can be summarised as follows

Quantum realism is consistent with quantum facts

Despite the unparalleled accuracy of quantum-theoretical predictions across an enormous range of phenomena, the theory's foundations are still in doubt. The theory deviates radically from classical physics, predicts counterintuitive phenomena, and seems inconsistent. The biggest stumbling block is measurement, where the Schrodinger equation's unitary evolution seems inconsistent with collapse. These doubts have inspired a variety of proposed interpretations and alterations of the theory. Most interpretations posit the theory represents only observed appearances rather than reality. The realistic interpretations, on the other hand, posit entities such as other universes, hidden variables, artificial collapse mechanisms, or human minds, that are not found in the standard mathematical formulation. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to the possibility that the standard theory is both realistic and correct as it stands. This paper examines several controversial issues, namely quantization, field particle duality, quantum randomness, superposition, entanglement, non-locality, and measurement, to argue that standard quantum physics, realistically interpreted, is consistent with all of them.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Charting the labyrinth of Bell-type theorems

The objective of the paper is to present a comprehensive picture of Bell-type theorems, by giving both the theorems and the proofs of them.Special care is given to specifying the assumptions of the arguments and their physical or metaphysical significance. Taking the EPR argument as a point of departure, the paper discusses four probabilitic Bell-type theorems,which are then followed by two versions on non-probailitic (GHZ) arguments.The final section provides the reader with a classification of the assumptions, which specifies which assumption is used in which proof

Probing Quantum Decoherence with High-Energy Neutrinos

We consider the prospects for observing the effects of quantum decoherence in high-energy (TeV-PeV) neutrinos from astrophysical sources. In particular, we study Galactic sources of electron anti-neutrinos produced in the decay of ultra-high energy neutrons. We find that next generation neutrino telescopes should be capable of placing limits on quantum decoherence effects over multi-kiloparsec baselines, surpassing current bounds by a factor of $10^{12}$ to $10^{33}$, depending on the model considered.Comment: 4 page

A model for atomic and molecular interstellar gas: The Meudon PDR code

We present the revised ``Meudon'' model of Photon Dominated Region (PDR code), presently available on the web under the Gnu Public Licence at: http://aristote.obspm.fr/MIS. General organisation of the code is described down to a level that should allow most observers to use it as an interpretation tool with minimal help from our part. Two grids of models, one for low excitation diffuse clouds and one for dense highly illuminated clouds, are discussed, and some new results on PDR modelisation highlighted.Comment: accepted in ApJ sup

The Copernicus project

The Copernicus spacecraft, to be launched on May 4, 2009, is designed for scientific exploration of the planet Pluto. The main objectives of this exploration is to accurately determine the mass, density, and composition of the two bodies in the Pluto-Charon system. A further goal of the exploration is to obtain precise images of the system. The spacecraft will be designed for three axis stability control. It will use the latest technological advances to optimize the performance, reliability, and cost of the spacecraft. Due to the long duration of the mission, nominally 12.6 years, the spacecraft will be powered by a long lasting radioactive power source. Although this type of power may have some environmental drawbacks, currently it is the only available source that is suitable for this mission. The planned trajectory provides flybys of Jupiter and Saturn. These flybys provide an opportunity for scientific study of these planets in addition to Pluto. The information obtained on these flybys will supplement the data obtained by the Voyager and Galileo missions. The topics covered include: (1) scientific instrumentation; (2) mission management, planning, and costing; (3) power and propulsion system; (4) structural subsystem; (5) command, control, and communication; and (6) attitude and articulation control