Sometimes size does not matter

DOI10.1007/S10701-022-00650-1zbMATH Open1504.82002arXiv2204.11780OpenAlexW4309673510MaRDI QIDQ2103363FDOQ2103363

Authors: Daniel Andrés Díaz-Pachón, Ola G. Hössjer, Robert J. II. Marks 

Publication date: 13 December 2022

Published in: Foundations of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Cosmological fine-tuning has traditionally been associated with the narrowness of the intervals in which the parameters of the physical models must be located to make life possible. A more thorough approach focuses on the probability of the interval, not on its size. Most attempts to measure the probability of the life-permitting interval for a given parameter rely on a Bayesian statistical approach for which the prior distribution of the parameter is uniform. However, the parameters in these models often take values in spaces of infinite size, so that a uniformity assumption is not possible. This is known as the normalization problem. This paper explains a framework to measure tuning that, among others, deals with normalization, assuming that the prior distribution belongs to a class of maximum entropy (maxent) distributions. By analyzing an upper bound of the tuning probability for this class of distributions the method solves the so-called weak anthropic principle, and offer a solution, at least in this context, to the well-known lack of invariance of maxent distributions. The implication of this approach is that, since all mathematical models need parameters, tuning is not only a question of natural science, but also a problem of mathematical modeling. Cosmological tuning is thus a particular instantiation of a more general scenario. Therefore, whenever a mathematical model is used to describe nature, not only in physics but in all of science, tuning is present. And the question of whether the tuning is fine or coarse for a given parameter -- if the interval in which the parameter is located has low or high probability, respectively -- depends crucially not only on the interval but also on the assumed class of prior distributions. Novel upper bounds for tuning probabilities are presented.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.11780

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zbMATH Keywords

Bayesian statisticsemergencemaximum entropyfine-tuningfundamental constantsconstants of naturestandard modelsinfinitesweak anthropic principle

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Bayesian inference (62F15) Measures of information, entropy (94A17) Relativistic cosmology (83F05) Foundations of equilibrium statistical mechanics (82B03)

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Cited In (8)

• Almost Sufficiently Large
• Finely tuned models sacrifice explanatory depth
• The tail does not determine the size of the giant
• On the size of a rumour
• Correcting prevalence estimation for biased sampling with testing errors
• Is cosmological tuning fine or coarse?
• Size matters!
• A note for the SNIEP in size 5

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