The 1970’s fervent intoxicating orgiastic ecosystem and testosterone-laden Tie-dye decorated causeways of Cal Tech and MIT physics departments were a literal breeding ground for attempting to understand the inception of the universe and the fleeting moments following the Big Bang. As incubation chambers commanded by the brain trust of legendary science CEO’s Richard Feynman and Carl Sagan, decadent libidos of the genus genius resulted in the creation particles named after mistresses, lovers, and wives, and not necessarily in that order.
The frantic era of intellectual fervor following the height of the Peace movement in attempting to establish a “theory of everything” utilizing theoretical subatomic matter to support various hypotheses, saw an explosion of experimentation without representation and content that was mathematically sound, the foundational principles were more appropriate in enhancing the plots of science fiction, rather than equating to any tangible value and validity within the confines of research. Leptons, Bosuns, Muons, and Babesons- after a decade timeframe of brilliant, yet brief luminescence, swiftly dissipated into the night of obscurity, as funding became scarce in supporting the outlandishly optimistic and yielding to lucrative common sense applications.
Recently, an echo of the Particle-era has returned in the form of a technological enhancement of rendering 3-D images remotely and providing an effective tool supporting various fields of science and aspects of innovation. Enter stage left the Muon, after being mothballed for 35 years after appearing in an Arthur C. Clark novel as a means of facilitating propulsion in allowing for feasible and efficient travel within the solar system.
“Discovered” in 1936 by a pair of Cal Tec physicians, the theoretical fundamental building block of the universe, the Muon decays in 2.2 seconds into atomic matter, and researchers have been able to design and activate a device which measures the amount of Muons present in an environment and create a corresponding image, which has applications in unveiling the previously accessible. While the application was originally deployed for use in Archeological sites, the procedure to use non-invasive techniques has value in multitudinous industries that challenge the baselines of engineering. However, the subsequent ambiguities with the process are prevalent, as the technology has not endured a rigorous sample size justifying anything that is “proven”.
The glaring issue with modern physics pursuing venture capital, is that very adept mathematicians and experts operate on a razor-thin narrow scope which the average person cannot being to understand. Thus, megaprojects based on original thought, yet weak in theory are permitted to ascend the angel investing hierarchy with virtually no questions asked, since the context of those said questions cannot be properly formulated or addressed. In the case of Muon imaging technology it is all about the experimental branded as the tangible based purely off of intellectual property and not necessarily empiricism. A similar scenario came in the wake of the carnal particle Disco scene of the 1970’s as PHD’s in the 1980’s began pursuing the idea of merging the four universal forces to explain reality or what is construed as such. While not necessarily an indictment of the current launch of Muon technology, smarter people have always had the opportunity to take advantage of the general populace for financial gains or impressions within the realm of influence. The Green New Deal is the prime example of a trillion dollar endeavor that is not based on hard science, but rather targets the visceral over data.
Skepticism aside, the gains made within the scientific community during the latter stages of the Nuclear Age and the early development of the Information Age are taking research and the pursuit of comprehensive to dizzying heights that have never before been witnessed and as long as intellectual honesty and accountability are at the forefront of pursuing progress in engineering, than the future looks less bleak when handing over the keys to the younger generations as critical thinking skills are becoming a premium, in the muddled decision making tree of pursuing self-awareness of individuals and a species as a whole.