Ravi Gomatam
Encyclopedia
Ravi Veeraraghavan Gomatam (b. Chennai, India, 1950) is the Director of Bhaktivedanta Institute (Berkeley and Mumbai) and the newly formed Institute for Semantic Information Sciences and Technology (Berkeley and Mumbai). He is also Adjunct Professor at Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, Rajasthan, India.
Gomatam is one of the pioneers in the field of consciousness
studies, which is an emerging inter-disciplinary scientific field. He organized the “First International Conference on the Study of Consciousness within Science” in January 1990 in San Francisco. The speakers at the 2-day conference included two Nobel Laureates (Sir John Eccles and George Wald
) as well as twelve other distinguished researchers in the field (including Henry Stapp
, John Searle
, E.C.G. Sudarshan, Karl H. Pribram
, Herbert Frohlich
).
Subsequently, Gomatam conceived and launched the world's first M.S./Ph.D. programs in "consciousness studies", in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani (one of India's foremost technological universities). The program was inaugurated in 1997 in the presence of Charles Hard Townes
, Nobel Laureate in physics. Gomatam also teaches graduate students in this program. In fourteen short years, graduates of this program have gone on to do further studies at distinguished institutions, including Harvard
, Leeds
and Utrecht
universities. "Consciousness Studies" is a developing, inter-disciplinary scientific field, which Gomatam has particularly conceived in a novel, original fashion, as a study of matter.
Gomatam’s own field of research is foundations of quantum mechanics
, wherein he is introducing a few new ideas, including those of “Objective, Semantic Information” and a notion of "Relational Properties" that is different from that of Rovelli
and others. His new ideas have received notice for their potential. He has related research interests in semantic computation, systems sciences, artificial intelligence
, philosophy of science
and philosophy of language
.
companies including General Motors
, Ford, Chrysler
, Burroughs
and IBM in the areas of operating system design, data communications and very-large database design.
He has been a visiting scholar at University of Pretoria
, South Africa and Loyola University
, New Orleans, USA.
(QM), which emerged in 1925 with Schrodinger’s derivation of his now famous “wave equation”. This equation applies, in principle, to both microscopic regimes (atoms, sub-atomic particles) and to other larger regimes (mesoscopic, macroscopic and cosmological scales). However, in practice, quantum mechanics began by applying the wave equation to the micro regime, while treating the macroscopic regime as classical. Since all our laboratory observations are in the macroscopic regime, logically speaking, we should apply the wave equation first to the macro regime before applying it to the micro regime. Failure to do so traditionally in the history of QM has resulted in the famous “measurement problem
” and a host of deep conceptual puzzles that plague microscopic QM even today. Thus, developing the application of QM to the macro regime, call it Macroscopic Quantum Mechanics (MQM), remains the most pressing, fundamental problem in all of modern physics. See Physics for the 21st Century, a new course at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
, designed by Prof. Christopher Stubbs
Gomatam is developing his own approach to MQM, which is distinct from the ideas of ‘macroscopic dissipative systems’ and ‘macroscopic quantum coherence’, developed in the early 80s by Anthony James Leggett
, a Nobel Laureate in physics. In general, Leggett's attempt is to indirectly observe superposition
at the macroscopic level by extending current microscopic quantum physics to the macroscopic level.
In contrast, Gomatam is attempting to develop MQM independent of the application of the Schrodinger equation to the micro regime, in such a manner that quantum superposition can be directly observed at the macroscopic level. This involves introducing a new notion of macroscopic objects as quantum kinds, instead of classical objects. In this regard, he is also developing two, further new ideas within physics: the ontology of “Objective, Semantic Information” (OSI) and corresponding “Relational Properties” (RPs). Clearly, if this ongoing research program pans out, it can lead to exciting, potential new technological applications.
As part of developing his version of MQM, Gomatam has related interests in exotic manifolds, semantic information processing, quantum computation, and philosophy of ordinary language
.
Gomatam is one of the pioneers in the field of consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
studies, which is an emerging inter-disciplinary scientific field. He organized the “First International Conference on the Study of Consciousness within Science” in January 1990 in San Francisco. The speakers at the 2-day conference included two Nobel Laureates (Sir John Eccles and George Wald
George Wald
George Wald was an American scientist who is best known for his work with pigments in the retina. He won a share of the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Haldan Keffer Hartline and Ragnar Granit.- Research :...
) as well as twelve other distinguished researchers in the field (including Henry Stapp
Henry Stapp
Henry Stapp is an American physicist, well-known for his work in quantum mechanics.-Biography:Stapp received his PhD in particle physics at the University of California, Berkeley, under the supervision of Nobel Laureates Emilio Segrè and Owen Chamberlain...
, John Searle
John Searle
John Rogers Searle is an American philosopher and currently the Slusser Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.-Biography:...
, E.C.G. Sudarshan, Karl H. Pribram
Karl H. Pribram
Karl H. Pribram is a professor at Georgetown University, in the United States, and an emeritus professor of psychology and psychiatry at Stanford University and Radford University...
, Herbert Frohlich
Herbert Fröhlich
Herbert Fröhlich was a German-born British physicist and a Fellow of the Royal Society....
).
Subsequently, Gomatam conceived and launched the world's first M.S./Ph.D. programs in "consciousness studies", in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani (one of India's foremost technological universities). The program was inaugurated in 1997 in the presence of Charles Hard Townes
Charles Hard Townes
Charles Hard Townes is an American Nobel Prize-winning physicist and educator. Townes is known for his work on the theory and application of the maser, on which he got the fundamental patent, and other work in quantum electronics connected with both maser and laser devices. He shared the Nobel...
, Nobel Laureate in physics. Gomatam also teaches graduate students in this program. In fourteen short years, graduates of this program have gone on to do further studies at distinguished institutions, including Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and Utrecht
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
universities. "Consciousness Studies" is a developing, inter-disciplinary scientific field, which Gomatam has particularly conceived in a novel, original fashion, as a study of matter.
Gomatam’s own field of research is foundations of quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, wherein he is introducing a few new ideas, including those of “Objective, Semantic Information” and a notion of "Relational Properties" that is different from that of Rovelli
Carlo Rovelli
Carlo Rovelli is an Italian physicist who has worked in Italy, the USA, and France. His work is mainly in the field of quantum gravity. He is among the founders of the Loop Quantum Gravity theory.-Life and career:...
and others. His new ideas have received notice for their potential. He has related research interests in semantic computation, systems sciences, artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
and philosophy of language
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for analytic philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language...
.
Education
- B.E. 1972 Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Annamalai UniversityAnnamalai UniversityAnnamalai University is a Public University located in Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The university offers courses of higher education in arts, sciences and engineering.The university also provides around 380 courses under distance mode...
, India - M.E. 1974 Electronics Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, India
- Ph.D. 1998 Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Mumbai University, India. Dissertation Title: Toward a realist interpretation of quantum theory – Integrating Bohr and Einstein.
Early Work in the Industry
In the 70s Gomatam worked with India’s international airline on their software development projects. He then moved to the USA and worked as a freelance consultant for a number of Fortune-500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies including General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, Ford, Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
, Burroughs
Burroughs
The Burroughs Corporation was a major American manufacturer of business equipment. The company was founded in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company and was assimilated in the 1986 merger that resulted in the creation of Unisys. The company's history paralleled many of the major developments in...
and IBM in the areas of operating system design, data communications and very-large database design.
Academic career
Starting from the early 80s, Gomatam turned to fundamental scientific research, and started contributing to the development of the Bhaktivedanta Institute (B.I.) in Mumbai and Berkeley. Along the way, based on the work he was doing at B.I., he obtained his Ph.D. in the foundations of quantum mechanics.He has been a visiting scholar at University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
, South Africa and Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
, New Orleans, USA.
Research
Gomatam’s primary area of research is in non-relativistic quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
(QM), which emerged in 1925 with Schrodinger’s derivation of his now famous “wave equation”. This equation applies, in principle, to both microscopic regimes (atoms, sub-atomic particles) and to other larger regimes (mesoscopic, macroscopic and cosmological scales). However, in practice, quantum mechanics began by applying the wave equation to the micro regime, while treating the macroscopic regime as classical. Since all our laboratory observations are in the macroscopic regime, logically speaking, we should apply the wave equation first to the macro regime before applying it to the micro regime. Failure to do so traditionally in the history of QM has resulted in the famous “measurement problem
Measurement problem
The measurement problem in quantum mechanics is the unresolved problem of how wavefunction collapse occurs. The inability to observe this process directly has given rise to different interpretations of quantum mechanics, and poses a key set of questions that each interpretation must answer...
” and a host of deep conceptual puzzles that plague microscopic QM even today. Thus, developing the application of QM to the macro regime, call it Macroscopic Quantum Mechanics (MQM), remains the most pressing, fundamental problem in all of modern physics. See Physics for the 21st Century, a new course at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education...
, designed by Prof. Christopher Stubbs
Christopher Stubbs
Christopher Stubbs is an experimental physicist currently on the faculty at Harvard University in both the Department of Physics and the Department of Astronomy. He is a former Chair of Harvard's Department of Physics.-Biography:...
Gomatam is developing his own approach to MQM, which is distinct from the ideas of ‘macroscopic dissipative systems’ and ‘macroscopic quantum coherence’, developed in the early 80s by Anthony James Leggett
Anthony James Leggett
Sir Anthony James Leggett, KBE, FRS , aka Tony Leggett, has been a Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1983....
, a Nobel Laureate in physics. In general, Leggett's attempt is to indirectly observe superposition
Quantum superposition
Quantum superposition is a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics. It holds that a physical system exists in all its particular, theoretically possible states simultaneously; but, when measured, it gives a result corresponding to only one of the possible configurations.Mathematically, it...
at the macroscopic level by extending current microscopic quantum physics to the macroscopic level.
In contrast, Gomatam is attempting to develop MQM independent of the application of the Schrodinger equation to the micro regime, in such a manner that quantum superposition can be directly observed at the macroscopic level. This involves introducing a new notion of macroscopic objects as quantum kinds, instead of classical objects. In this regard, he is also developing two, further new ideas within physics: the ontology of “Objective, Semantic Information” (OSI) and corresponding “Relational Properties” (RPs). Clearly, if this ongoing research program pans out, it can lead to exciting, potential new technological applications.
As part of developing his version of MQM, Gomatam has related interests in exotic manifolds, semantic information processing, quantum computation, and philosophy of ordinary language
Ordinary language philosophy
Ordinary language philosophy is a philosophical school that approaches traditional philosophical problems as rooted in misunderstandings philosophers develop by distorting or forgetting what words actually mean in everyday use....
.
Selected papers
- (2011) "How Do Classical and Quantum Probabilities Differ?", Paper delivered at the conference on Foundations of Physics & Probability - 6 (FPP-6), June 13–17, Vaxjo, Sweden. Conference organized by International Centre for Mathematical Modeling in physics engineering and cognitive sciences, (ICMM), Linnaeus University.
- (2010) "Macroscopic Quantum Mechanics and System of Systems Design Approach", Invited talk at the Indo-US Workshop on Systems Engineering, Oct. 26-28, IIT, Kanpur, India
- (2009) "Quantum Theory, the Chinese Room Argument and the Symbol Grounding Problem" In P. Bruza et al. (2009) (eds.) Quantum Interaction-2009, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 5494, pp. 174–183, Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Heidelberg.
- (2008) “Quantum Realism and Haecceity” Published in HSPCIC: Vol. XII: Levels of Reality: Part 5: Materialism and Immaterialism in India and the West: Varying Vistas , Partha Ghose (Ed), India, 2010.
- (2007) "Niels Bohr's Interpretation and the Copenhagen Interpretation -- Are the two incompatible?", Philosophy of Science, December, vol 74(5), pp. 736–748.
- (2005) “Popper’s Propensity Interpretation and Heisenberg’s Potentia Interpretation — A comparative assessment”, History Of Science And Philosophy Of Science: A Historical Perspective of The Evolution of Ideas In Science, Vol. XIII, Part-6, P. Sengupta (Ed), 2010, CSC, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi, India
- (2005) “Do Hodgson's Propositions Uniquely Characterize Free Will?”. Invited commentary on a target paper, "A Plain Person's View of Free Will" by David Hodgson, Journal of Consciousness Studies, Vol. 12 (1), p. 32-40, Imprint Academic: UK.
- (2004) “Physics and Common Sense: Relearning the Connections in the Light of Quantum Theory”, HSPCIC, Vol. 11, Part 1, Chattopadhyaya, D.P. & Sen Gupta, A.K. Ed., Philosophical Consciousness and Scientific Knowledge: Conceptual Linkages and Civilizational Background, CSC: New Delhi
Activities and Societies
- Member of American Association for Artificial IntelligenceAmerican Association for Artificial IntelligenceThe Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence or AAAI is an international, nonprofit, scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines...
- Member of American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
See also
- List of physicists
- List of Indian scientists
- List of BITS alumni
- Bhaktivedanta Institute (Mumbai/Berkeley) in the List of Colleges and Universities of Juhu, Mumbai.