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"Isn't angular momentum energy?’ he asked a professor. "Of course it is. This half-integer spin angular momentum is the energy needed by the electron to set up a stable standing wave around the proton. Thus it is responsible for the Pauli exclusion principle, hence for the extension and stability of all matter. You could say it is the sole cause of the periodic table of elements.’ "Then where does all this energy come from? How can the "cre- ated" electron have something like sixteen times more energy than the photon that supposedly "created" it? Isn't this a huge violation of your never-violated, rock-solid foundation of physics?’ "We regard spin angular momentum as an "inherent property" of [the] electron and positron, not as a violation of conservation.’ "But if it's real energy, where does it come from?’... "Inherent property" means we don't talk about it, and you won't either if you want to pass this course.' "Later, Mr Hotson was taken aside and told that his ‘attitude’ was disrupting the class, and that further, with his ‘attitude’, there was no chance in hell of his completing a graduate program in physics, so ‘save your money’. "He ended up at the Sorbonne studying French literature and later became a professional land surveyor." zy "Isn't angular momentum energy?’ he asked a professor. action of the allocation committee. I challenged members of the "Of course it is. This half-integer spin angular momentum is the committee to debate the actual scientific facts. But none of this pre- energy needed by the electron to set up a stable standing wave vented the inevitable last act. My observations on the 200-inch around the proton. Thus it is responsible for the Pauli exclusion telescope at Palomar terminated in 1983, and at Las Campanas in principle, hence for the extension and stability of all matter. You 1984." could say it is the sole cause of the periodic table of elements.’ Arp found scientific asylum at the Max Planck Institut fiir "Then where does all this energy come from? How can the "cre- Astrophysik in Munich, Germany, where he was allowed to ated" electron have something like sixteen times more energy than continue his work. But the suppression continued. In Seeing Red: the photon that supposedly "created" it? Isn't this a huge violation Redshifts, Cosmology and Academic Science, Arp relates the of your never-violated, rock-solid foundation of physics?’ following story:” "We regard spin angular momentum as an "inherent property" of "Just another isolated case.’ Your eye slid over that phrase [the] electron and positron, not as a violation of conservation.’ because you wanted to see whether the referee was going to "But if it's real energy, where does it come from?’... recommend publication. The answer was: ‘not for the "Inherent property" means we don't talk about it, and you won't — Astrophysical Journal Letters'. The message behind the smooth, either if you want to pass this course.’ assured phrase was clear: 'No matter how conclusive the evidence, "Later, Mr Hotson was taken aside and told that his ‘attitude’ was we have the power to minimize and suppress it'. What was the disrupting the class, and that further, with his ‘attitude’, there was no _ observation this time? Just two X-ray sources unmistakably paired chance in hell of his completing a graduate program in physics, so across a galaxy well known for its eruptive activity. The paper ‘save your money’. reported that these compact sources of high-energy emission were "He ended up at the Sorbonne studying French literature and later —_ both quasars, stellar-appearing objects of much higher redshift than became a professional land surveyor." the central galaxy, NGC4258. Obviously, they had originated from the galaxy, in contradiction to all official rules. Slyly, the referee THE BIG BANG SCANDAL remarked that 'because there was no known cause for such intrinsic, Big Bang cosmology, which is built on general relativity theory, | excessive redshifts, the author should include a brief outline of a is forced to use a number of theory to explain them’. adjustable parameters and ad hoc "My mind flashed back through 30 assumptions to agree with Two of the three vaunted years of evidence, ignored by people observation, such as inflation, the " + wae " . who were sure of their theoretical assumption that most of the mass of predictions of Big Bang theory assumptions. Anger was my only the universe must consist of "dark are actually retrodictions, honest option—but stronger than that matter"—a kind of matter that cannot provoked by worse 'peer reviews' be detected, but nevertheless must meaning that the theory failed to because this was not even my paper. I exist for the sole reason that Big Bang predict them quantitatively did not have to stop and worry that my theory requires it—and now the latest response was ruled by wounded fad, "dark energy". correctly and was then adjusted ff personal ego. Two of the three vaunted | after the data came in so as to fit "How did this latest skirmish begin? "predictions" of Big Bang theory— . . Several years earlier, an X-ray the light element abundances and the the observational evidence. astronomer had come into my office temperature of the microwave with a map of the field around background—are actually NGC4258. There were two retrodictions, meaning that the theory failed to predict them conspicuous X-ray sources paired across the nucleus of the galaxy. quantitatively correctly and was then adjusted after the datacame in _—_ He asked if I knew where he could get a good photograph of the so as to fit the observational evidence.” field, so he could check whether there were any optical objects that The third "prediction"—the Hubble expansion—is entirely a fig- could be identified with the X-ray sources. I was very pleased to be ment of the imagination, as veteran astronomer Halton Arp has able to swivel my chair around to the bookshelves in back of me pointed out for decades. There are ample examples of high-redshift and pull out one of the best prints in existence of that particular quasars that are physically connected to low-redshift galaxies, and field. I had taken it with the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4- there is evidence that redshift is quantised. But astronomy has meter telescope about a dozen years previously... failed to self-correct, and the only acknowledgement Arp received "Wolfgang Pietsch quickly found a small pointing correction to from the scientific establishment was to be largely (though not the satellite positions and established that his X-ray pair coincided completely®) banned from publication in scientific journals or from —_ with blue stellar objects at about 20th apparent magnitude. At that speaking at conferences, and to be denied telescope time. He gives instant I knew that the objects were almost certainly quasars, and details in Quasars, Redshifts, and Controversies:° once again experienced that euphoria that comes at the moment "Around 1980, I had tried to make a customary tennis date with when you see a long way into a different future. In view of the an old and valued Caltech friend who had been a longtime oppo- obvious nature of these objects, I felt Pietsch showed courage and nent on the subject of quasars. He was embarrassed and evasive. scientific integrity in publishing the comment: ‘Tf the connection of On the following day, the six-person allocation committee, of these sources with the galaxy is real, they may be bipolar ejecta which he was a member, sent me an unsigned letter stating that my from the nucleus'. research was judged to be without value and that they intended to Arp then describes how establishment obstruction delayed the refuse allocation of further observing time... necessary confirmatory observation for two years. "A number of directors of other observatories as well as other "Then the dance of evasion began. It was necessary to obtain well-known astronomers communicated to the director of my optical spectra of the blue stellar candidates to confirm that they observatory, strongly supporting my research and opposing the were quasars and ascertain their redshifts. A small amount of time 36 = NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2004 Two of the three vaunted the observational evidence. www.nexusmagazine.com