Bielińska, Marta and Jacobs, Caspar (2024) A Philosophical Introduction to Hidden Symmetries in Physics. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Symmetries play a crucial role in physics and they have also garnered significant attention in the philosophical literature. While some of them are apparent from a system's geometry, physicists frequently discuss also 'hidden' symmetries, such as those of the Kepler problem. Despite their prevalence in physics literature, hidden symmetries are notably absent in philosophical discussions of symmetries. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing a philosophical guide to hidden symmetries in physics. Starting with a discussion definitions of hidden symmetries and presenting their examples, we then delve into their philosophical significance, exploring their relevance to discussions of invariance principles, spacetime structure, and laws of nature.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Bielińska, Marta marta.bielinska@bfriars.ox.ac.uk Jacobs, Caspar c.a.jacobs@phil.leidenuniv.nl 0000-0001-6903-0468
Keywords:	hidden symmetries, spacetime geometry, Kepler problem
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	Caspar Jacobs
Date Deposited:	19 Sep 2024 11:54
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2024 11:54
Item ID:	23922
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	2024
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/23922

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