The Semiotic Flora of Elementary Particles

 

Peder Voetmann Christiansen

IMFUFA
(Institut for Studiet af Matematik og Fysik Samt Deres Funktioner I Undervisning,
Forskning og Anvendelser)

Roskilde Universitetscenter

Postbox 260 – DK4000
Roskilde,
Denmark
Tlf: 46742263 - Fax: 46743020
imfufa@mc.dk

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Abstract

This paper refers (but adds nothing) to the standard model of elementary particles,but presents many of these particles in a "botanical" way, like the flowers in a Flora.The vacuum-background for the particles is treated with special emphasis on the zero-point-energy and its measurable effect — the Casimir effect. The special importanceof the number 3 in the standard model leads to the idea that classification may bebased on C.S. Peirce's triadic philosophy of signs — his Semiotic. A slightly abbreviated Danish version of this article will appear in the collection: Thellefsen and Dinesen (Eds.) Semiotiske Unders0gelser, Gyldendal, 2003.

Thanks are due to Bent C. Jorgensen for suggesting the botanical metaphor and to Edwina Taborsky for inspiring applications of Peirce's semiotic to physics.

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