RNDr. Vojtìch Ullmann
- theory of relativity, gravitation, astrophysics, cosmology -

In this section of the "AstroNuklPhysics" system, some topics from the field of the theory of relativity , gravity , astrophysics and cosmology are discussed , as well as related philosophical issues .

On the oher hand, there are syllabi of relevant lectures (Black Holes, Cosmology, ...) professional and popular, but mainly the electronic form of the monograph "Gravity, Black Holes and the Physics of Spacetime".
On the border of physics, astronomy and philosophy is the detailed syllabus of the lecture "Anthropic Principle and/or Cosmic God".
The syllabus of the lecture "Cosmic Alchemy" is again on the border of astrophysics, nuclear physics and chemistry.

Author's personal notes :

In the following lines, I would like to make a few remarks about my personal relationship to the topics of the theory of relativity, gravity, astrophysics, cosmology, and unitary field theories; therefore, they will be uninteresting to most readers . They could perhaps attract or please only those colleagues who once set out on similar paths of knowledge, or inspire young budding.

My interest in the fundamental laws of nature and the effort to "come to the essence" with the internal mechanisms according to which nature works, accompanied me already in the "basic primary" school. It began with experiments with electricity and magnetism (led by my unforgettable teacher F. Jáchym ), a private study of differential and integral calculus in primary school, an introduction to Maxwell's equations of the electromagnetic field, a detailed study of the electronics and communication technology of the time. At the time, I was undecided whether I wanted to do electrical engineering or physics.

The decisive moment was when in the 1st year of grammar school I borrowed gradually the books L.D.Landau-E.M.Lifšic's : "Field Theory" and "Mechanics", a summary edition of Einstein's works and Raševský's "Differential Geometry and Tensor Analysis" at the Olomouc University Library. I could not then, of course, understand everything at the time, but I was captivated by the beauty of field theory , elegance variational principle of least action, symmetries and conservation laws, a powerful tool tensor analysis , breathtaking phenomena theory of relativity in Minkowski and curved space, heroic attempts to create unitary field theories, perspectives understanding the secrets of the construction and development of the Universe. Since then, I was in a sort of "mystical captivity" of these ideas and theories, and to be honest, I have neglected somewhat to study other subjects (apart from chemistry, which I was also interested in mainly due to various pyrotechnic and crystallographic experiments).

I decided to study physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University with the aim of focusing on the theory of relativity, field theory, astrophysics and cosmology. During my studies, however, I found out that I did not want to stay in Prague (I was very bothered by confrontational, non-collegial and unfair relations between people, as well as an contemptuous boastful approach towards the "countryside"), and elsewhere I probably would not "apply" relativity & gravity. Therefore, I decided for nuclear physics as the main field and kept relativity, astrophysics and cosmology as a minor field, or "hobbies". At that time, I was little disappointed with that, but further development eventually put it in a slightly different light (as I mention below in the passage below the picture) ....

I found quite an interesting "floor" of "Nuclear physics and ionizing radiation" and applications of nuclear physics in the field of nuclear medicine, where the results of research and development found immediate use in diagnostic and therapeutic practice. I dealt with relativity, astrophysics and cosmology as a side activity and prepared several publications and especially a number of lectures on gravity, black holes , relativistic cosmology , unitary field theories, etc., at the Czechoslovak Astronomical Society at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and the Union of Czechoslovak Mathematicians and physicists. These lectures met with lively interest and response; I was asked by the branch of the Astronomical Society in Ostrava to write this topic in writing in the form of several syllabi (such as the syllabus "Anthropic principle or cosmic God") or summary monograph.

I made such a model of topological interpretation of electric charge in geometrodynamics from plexiglass and used it in my lectures on relativity, gravity and unitary field theories.

Thus, the book "Gravity, Black Holes and the Physics of Spacetime" was created, which aroused considerable interest of the professional public with a number of interesting stimulating discussions.
On the other hand, it became the target of sharp enemy attacks some colleagues in the field of relativity & gravity (even after many years it is incomprehensible to me - there was no rational reason, nor controversial opinions on professional issues). I was all the more sorry that they were people I had respected before and from whom (probably naively?) I expected rather collegial sympathy for the fact that in difficult conditions and without any personal demands I tried to write a work that would be for many people helped to get acquainted with new interesting concepts of relativistic astrophysics and cosmology (I personally would welcome and support, if any of them made something similar).
Just low ratios in CZ professional comunity..!.. One colleague said that it looked like "the gravity pulled some people down morally" *). In this situation, I finally acknowledged that I did not choose relativity & gravity as a field of my "livelihood" (which would perhaps also pull me down morally..?..) and I can therefore afford to ignore all those unwarranted invectives and slanders **). However, only externally, but a certain bitterness and feeling of disappointment remained subconsciously. At the same time, I see the main share of guilt in myself - with my lack of perseverance, low ambition and effort to be correct, I probably don't fit into an "arena" full of intrigue and arrogance (my wife says that I confused the craft, that I was supposed to be a pastor or a Buddhist monk - I don't like to admit that she may be partially right...). A semi-popular version of the book, entitled "Gravity and the Structure of Spacetime", was accepted for publication at the State Publishing House of Technical Literature in the "Popular Lectures on Physics" edition. and included in the publishing plan for 1989. All preparatory work was carried out, including corrections, but during the print in the autumn of 1989 there was a political upheaval, as a result of which practically all professional publishing activities were stopped and cancelled...
*) Personally, I think that it is not exactly gravity, but a more general phenomenon in the human psyche ("somewhere the Lord God, or evolution, made a mistake in the creation of humans ..? .."). Science is done only by humans, with a whole range of known human qualities. So we can meet here not only nobility, wisdom, generosity, modesty, tolerance, but similarly to everyday life and the opposite characteristics and phenomena - lowness, pettiness, selfishness, pride and arrogance, hatred, unfair "competitive" struggle. And this whole spectrum can be enhanced by the artifice and high intelligence of the people working in this area of human action.
**) However, I welcome objective, factual and constructive criticism, justified comments inspiring a view from another angle, enabling the correction of errors, or a better understanding of the issue..!..
The electronic form of the book " Gravity, Black Holes and the Physics of Spacetime " presented here should to some extent replace the impassable new book edition of the work, which even after decades still remains the only one of its kind in czech literature.

Now I would like to write a few more subjective words about my relationship to certain fields of physics. My relationship to the general theory of relativity, electrodynamics, gravity, astrophysics and cosmology, nuclear physics, as well as the preferences of individual sub-regions, can be seen from the treatises presented on this site "AstroNuclPhysics".

My inner relationship to quantum physics is somewhat ambivalent. On the one hand, of course, I acknowledge its impressive achievements in the analysis and description of all phenomena of the microworld, absolutely accurate (in the order of ~10^-12or even better) agreement with experiments - quantum physics is undoubtedly a "true description of the microworld". Nevertheless, some approaches of quantum physics do not "resonate" quite well with my vision of a fundamental theory that allows to understand the innermost causes of phenomena and events. Great (accurate) describes, but difficult to explain. Perhaps only the Feynman approach of quantization of trajectory integrals goes deeper into the essence of the connection with the variational principle of least action and approaches to field theory. It is somewhat similar to deBroglie's wave explanation of Bohr's postulates of quantization of electron paths in an atom, for which there was no explanation at the time (other than empirical).

I do not know whether this relationship to quantum physics is based on my internal nature, or whether it was subconsciously suggested to me by the study of Einstein's works in the first year of secondary school, when I was not yet sufficiently familiar with quantum mechanics. Einstein expressed his distrust of the stochastic nature of quantum mechanics with the famous statement "I do not believe that God plays dice with the world". In connection with his formulation of the hypothesis of quantum evaporation of black holes, Einstein's statement was paraphrased by S.Hawking with the words "God not only plays dice with the world, but sometimes throws them even where they are not visible". The development of physics so far proves Hawking right. Nevertheless, in the "hidden soul" I secretly hope that one day there will appear a some hidden mechanism, that is " behind" the phenomenal - seeming - randomness and stochasticity of quantum physics..?..

Vojtech Ullmann