What if Superluminal Neutrinos Exist but not Higgs Bosons?

As 2011 ended, two results stood out which seemed to go against twentieth century ideas. The first was the OPERA superluminal neutrino observation contradicting Special Relativity. The second was lack of a definitive appearance of the Higgs Boson. While both these hopefully will be decided by the end of 2012, we investigate a single mechanism that explains both these anomalies.Comment: 10 pages; Based on the Bhagavantam Memorial Lecture, A.P.Academy of Science

Signature of the Planck scale

A fundamental spacetime scale in the universe leads to noncommutative spacetime and thence to a modified energy - momentum dispersion relation or equivalently to a modification of Lorentz symmetry as shown by the author and others. This latter consideration has also been used by some scholars though based on purely phenomenological models that have been suggested by the observation of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays. On the other hand a parallel development has been the proposal of a small but non zero photon mass by some scholars including the author, such a mass being within experimentally allowable limits. This too leads to a small violation of Lorentz symmetry observable in principle in very high energy gamma rays, as in fact is claimed. We show in this paper that the latter mechanism in fact follows from the former, thus unifying two apparently different approaches.Comment: 9 pages te

From the Planck to the Photon Scale

Using considerations from the Quantum Zero Point Field and Thermodynamics, we show that the Planck Scale is the minimum (maximum mass) and the Photon Scale is the maximum (minimum mass) Scale in the universe. The arguments also deduce the residual cosmic energy of $10^{-33}eV$ observed lately.Comment: 9 pages te

On the Photon Mass

We review the case for the photon having a tiny mass compatible with the experimental limits. We go over some possible experimental tests for such a photon mass including the violation of Lorentz symmetry. We point out that such violations may already have been witnessed in tests involving high energy gamma rays from outer space as also ultra high energy cosmic rays.Comment: 14 pages te

Puzzles of Large Scale Structure and Gravitation

We consider the puzzle of cosmic voids bounded by two dimensional structures of galactic clusters as also a puzzle pointed out by Weinberg: How can the mass of a typical elementary particle depend on a cosmic parameter like the Hubble constant? An answer to the first puzzle is proposed in terms of ``Scaled'' Quantum Mechanical like behaviour which appears at large scales. The second puzzle can be answered by showing that the Gravitational mass of an elementary particle has a Machian character.Comment: 10 pages, Invited talk at Physics 2005 Symposiu

Machian Universe

We give arguments from the point of view of Gravitation as well as Electromagnetism which indicate a Machian view for the universe.Comment: 11 pages, te

A Note on Fuzzy Space And Topology

We consider the problem of distance between two particles in the universe, where space is taken to be Liebnizian rather than Newtonian, this being the present day approach. We then argue that with latest inputs from physics, it is possible to define such a distance in a topological sense.Comment: 6 pages Late

Bosons, Fermions and Branes

Starting from considerations of Bosons at the real life Compton scale we go on to a description of Fermions, specifically the Dirac equation in terms of an underlying noncommutative geometry described by the Dirac $\gamma$ matrices and generalize this to branes in an underlying C-space (with Clifford Algebra).Comment: 10 pages, late

Comments on the mass of the Photon

De Broglie believed that the photon has a mass, a view shared by a few others. Quite recently, the author has argued that the photon has a mass which is consistent with the latest experimental limits. In the present paper we point out that there is experimental evidence for this mass and also give a theoretical demonstration of the photon mass.Comment: 8 pages, te

Modelling Time

We briefly review two concepts of time - the usual time associated with "being" and more recent ideas, answering to the description of "becoming". The approximation involved in the former is examined. Finally we argue that it is (unpredictable) fluctuations that underlie time.Comment: 16 pages, late