Overview of Horava Gravity for Laymen

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In summary, Horava gravity is a theory with serious problems that may not be corrected. It is currently understood mostly through pathologies found in biological research.
  • #1
windy miller
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Can anyone give a good overview of Horava gravity for a layman. I have only read one thing on it in the Scientific American going back to 2009. Where does it stand today ? How is it understood? Wha are its strengths and weaknesses?
 
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  • #2
See the references at the bottom of the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hořava–Lifshitz_gravity

And the last line says
Hořava's initial formulation was found to have side-effects such as predicting very different results for a spherical Sun compared to a slightly non-spherical Sun, so others have modified the theory. Inconsistencies remain.

The most recent peer-reviewed article in the list discusses 'pathology' - that was 7 years ago. My unprofessional, unqualified-to-comment answer: it has serious problems, and looks like it may stay in that category. I see in this Biological literature searches sometimes, a cool idea destroyed by unfriendly facts. This looks a priori to be somewhat like that. Hopefully a definitive statement is forthcoming from someone who knows.

But with 'revolutionary theories' in past popular literature you can often discern possible dropouts by looking at references and citations to the starting sources and see if something is withering on the vine. The articles trail dries up right where someone demonstrates major problems. Scientists do not want to spend time on a possibly dead-ended pursuit. I personally do not.

You can what I did, and you can do this easily, as well. The point of this post: defining a sometimes viable method to see the status of some past theories and research.
 
  • #3
I did a search on google scholar articles on it and divided it up into two periods, the first 4 years it got 2210 articles. the next four years 2240. So I'm not sure what your justification is for saying the article trail dries up.
 
  • #4
Okay, then I'm wrong. That's okay, the method still has applications, you just used it to refute what I said. We both learned something.

One extremely important point - arXiv articles are NOT peer-reviewed unless the reference shows it was published in a reputable journal. Big difference.
 
  • #5
Even if it has been peer reviewed it doesn't mean there aren't mistake still lurking there.
 

Related to Overview of Horava Gravity for Laymen

1. What is Horava Gravity?

Horava Gravity is a theory proposed by theoretical physicist Petr Horava in 2009 as an alternative to Einstein's theory of General Relativity. It aims to provide a quantum theory of gravity by introducing new concepts such as a preferred reference frame and a violation of Lorentz symmetry.

2. How does Horava Gravity differ from General Relativity?

While General Relativity is a classical theory that describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime, Horava Gravity attempts to incorporate quantum effects by introducing a preferred reference frame and breaking Lorentz symmetry at high energies. This leads to modifications in the equations of motion for massive objects and the behavior of gravity at very small scales.

3. Can Horava Gravity be tested experimentally?

There are ongoing efforts to test the predictions of Horava Gravity, but so far there is no conclusive experimental evidence to support or refute the theory. Some proposed tests include precision measurements of the speed of gravity and the behavior of particles at high energies.

4. What are the potential implications of Horava Gravity?

If Horava Gravity is proven to be a valid theory, it could have significant implications for our understanding of the fundamental laws of physics. It would provide a framework for unifying quantum mechanics and gravity, which has been a major challenge in the field of theoretical physics.

5. Is Horava Gravity widely accepted in the scientific community?

The theory is still being actively debated and researched, and there is no consensus among scientists about its validity. Some researchers have raised concerns about the mathematical consistency and physical predictions of Horava Gravity, while others continue to explore its potential implications and applications.

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