Areas
of
interest
Philosophy of physics, philosophy of science, applicability of mathematics, analogies, history of physics (especially 17th, 19th and 20th Centuries)
Areas of graduate supervision
- History and Philosophy of Science
- Foundations of Quantum Theory
- Epistemology
- Philosophy of Mathematics
Current Research
Much
of
my
current
research
is
centered
around
the
role
that
applied mathematics
and
analogical
reasoning
have
played
in
quantum
field
theory. From
the
application
of
Fock
space
representations
and
Feynman
diagram techniques
to
spontaneous
symmetry
breaking
to
renormalization
group
methods,
many
breakthroughs
in
twentieth
century
physics
are
traceable
to
mathematical formalisms
being
traded
back
and
forth
between
particle
physics
and
condensed matter
physics.
In
recent
publications
I
have
argued
that
purely
formal analogies
were
behind
some
of
these
successes.
I
am
writing
a
book
(under contract
with
OUP)
that
traces
the
implications
for
scientific
realism, explanation,
and
the
interpretation
of
quantum
field
theory,
and
advances
new accounts
of
applied
mathematics
and
analogical
reasoning.
I
am
the
PI
on
the
SSHRC
Insight
Grant-funded
project
"How
Mid-Level Theoretical
Frameworks
Are
Used
to
Develop
New
Theories
in
Physics." Mid-level
frameworks
such
as
analytical
mechanics
or
the
spontaneous
symmetry breaking
paradigm
are
neither
entirely
abstract
(e.g.,
pure
mathematics)
nor
entirely
concrete
(e.g.,
a
model
for
a
particular
type
of
system,
such
as
a pulley
or
the
Higgs
boson).
The
ultimate
goals
of
this
project
are
to
glean
methodological
lessons
about
how
to
successfully
employ
mid-level
frameworks and
to
apply
these
methodological
lessons
to
current
programs
for
formulating new
theories
of
quantum
gravity
and
particle
physics.
Selected publications
- “The development of renormalization group methods for particle physics: Formal analogies between classical statistical mechanics and quantum field theory,” Synthese, in press. [preprint]
- (with Adam Koberinski) “The Higgs mechanism and superconductivity: A case study of formal analogies,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 55 (2016): 72-91.
- “The fate of ‘particles’ in quantum field theories with interactions,” Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 39 (2008): 841-859.
Affiliations
- Affiliate Member, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo
- Member, Rotman Institute of Philosophy, University of Western Ontario
Selected supervisions
M.A. theses
- The Role of Concrete Models in the Revolution in Superconductivity
- Quantum Field Theory: Motivating the Axiom of Causality
- A Realist Critique of Structural Empiricism
Contact information
dlfraser@uwaterloo.ca
519-888-4567
x42780
Office:
HH
330