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arxiv: 0903.4055 · v1 · pith:FH6JTAYSnew · submitted 2009-03-24 · ⚛️ physics.hist-ph · hep-ph· hep-th

Which fine-tuning arguments are fine?

classification ⚛️ physics.hist-ph hep-phhep-th
keywords naturalnessargumentbeyondfinemeaningadventaestheticaesthetics
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The argument from naturalness is widely employed in contemporary quantum field theory. Essentially a formalized aesthetic criterion, it received a meaning in the debate on the Higgs mechanism, which goes beyond aesthetics. We follow the history of technical definitions of fine tuning at the scale of electroweak symmetry breaking. It is argued that they give rise to a special interpretation of probability, which we call Gedankenfrequency. By extension of its original meaning, the argument from naturalness is used to compare different models beyond the Standard Model. We show that in this case naturalness cannot be defined objectively. Rather, it functions as socio-historical heuristics in particle physics and it contributes to the advent of a probabilistic version of Popper's falsificationism.

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Cited by 1 Pith paper

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  1. Fine-tunings in radiative $\alpha$-particle capture on $^{12}$C at astrophysical energies

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    Astrophysical S-factor data constrain variations in the electromagnetic fine-structure constant to |δ α/α| ≤ 0.0002 in radiative alpha capture on carbon-12.