Afshin Shafiee

Afshin Shafiee is Associate Professor of physical chemistry and the director of the research group on Foundation of Quantum theory, thermodynamics and information (FQX) in School of Chemistry at Sharif University of Technology in Iran. He received his B.Sc. in Pure Chemistry from Shahid Beheshti (National) University (Tehran, Iran) in 1991; his M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry from Sharif University of Technology (Tehran, Iran) in 1994; and his Ph.D. in Quantum Mechanics, Bell Theorems from University of Teacher Training (Tarbiat e Mo'allem) (Tehran, Iran) in 2001 under supervision of Professor Mehdi Golshani.
His main fields of research are Conceptual Foundations of Physics and Chemistry, especially Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics & Theory of Information.
Now, Shafiee & his students in Sharif University of Technology mainly focus on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics and the Physics of Information.
In addition to all mentioned fields , he has regular studies in philosophical issues.
Research Group on Foundation of Quantum Theory, Thermodynamics, and Information (FQX)
The research group of Dr. A. Shafiee at Sharif University of Technology (SUT) works on the conceptual foundations of Physics and Chemistry including Quantum Physics, Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics.
In Quantum Physics, his main research topics are Bell Theorem and related subjects (including the meanings of Reality, Non-locality- Contextuality, Entanglement …), Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics and Manipulating New Theoretical Models to explain the mysteries of Quantum World.
Quantum Mechanics dramatically illustrates the differences between classical and quantum conceptions of Nature. The most mysterious feature of quantum realm is quantum correlations which have no classical counterparts. Quantum correlation is not the one but the trait characteristics of quantum mechanics. It is at the heart of almost all quantum paradoxes. What is then the nature of these correlations? According to Bell’s Theorem, one cannot construct a local realistic hidden-variable theory that can reproduce all the statistical predictions of quantum mechanics for a two-particle singlet-state. So, we are still facing the crucial problem of whether correlations resulting from the entanglement of two spatially separated particles are an essential characteristic of microphysical reality.
These are the main conceptual issues of Quantum Physics that are investigated in Dr. Shafiee's research group.
In Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics, his research group scrutinize some key concepts like arrow of time, reversibility, meaning of entropy and information and their relation, Maxwell’s demon, meaning of Order and so on.
On the concept of Information and Meaning, with regard to David Bohm's conceptual understanding of meaning and (implicate) order, he believes similarly that in the beginning there was meaning. Meaning is being given a key role in the whole of existence and is seen to be capable of being organized and ordered into different possible patterns and forms. Along with different forms of meaning which could imply, contain and enfold each other, information also appears as a new notion. Information and information processing are attributes of different possibilities when some forms of meaning are abstracted. For example, the printed marks on a piece of paper (as definite signals with distinct forms) carry information which can be apprehended by a reader. This information has a clear significance (i.e., a clear form of meaning). Or, in a television set, the movement of electrical signals communicated to an electron beam carries information to a viewer. These signals signify forms of meaning. In all these examples, information is carried by some physical or chemical signals which in turn enfold significance and meaning. The enfolded meaning is then unfolded by other information processing. For example, consider light waves that contain information about a room and enfold the significance of each region of that room. This enfolded significance is then unfolded to other forms of meaning (as sign and intention) by the lens of our eye and later by our brain in a very complex information processing.
In our group, we focus on the very meaning of information and its relation with semantic and meaning-based approaches according to the concept of . Other approaches such as the pragmatic or pure physical treatments are critically scrutinized. According to a meaning-based approach to the concept of information, we are going to reinterpret controversial issues in Quantum Mechanics and Thermodynamics. We hope this can shed new light on the way one observes and elucidate the phenomena in nature.
Recent activities
Dr. A. Shafiee has recently developed a new formulation of micro-phenomena. Like Bohmian mechanics, the new theory (abbreviated as ASH theory henceforth) is based on the assumption of the hidden variables and could provide a causal and objective description that would resolve many of the paradoxes of quantum mechanics, such as the measurement problem, the double-slit experiment, the tunneling effect etc. Nevertheless, unlike Bohmian mechanics which is nonlocal, it has a local contextual feature. The contextual character of this theory makes it not be captured by the so-called no-go theorems such as the Kochen-Specker and Bell theorem.
In its basic form, ASH theory is non-relativistic; it does not attempt to deal with high speeds or significant gravity. But based on the local causal characteristic of it as well as its capability for being reconsidered on a geometric basis, its development to a more fundamental theory comprising -both general and special- relativistic effects should be seriously thought about.
In ASH theory, it is supposed that there is a field associated with a particle forming together a unit entity called particle-field. The field has a mathematical representation which determines the spatial distribution of the entire system. The dynamics of the whole particle-field system obeys deterministic equations in a manner that when the particle is subjected to a conservative force, the field also experiences a conservative complex force which its form is determined by the dynamics of particle. So, the field is endowed with a given amount of energy, and the probability distributions have an objective character here. And interestingly, the matter (characterized by the existence of a particle), the energy (attributed to the whole particle-field), and information (by which we gain knowledge about the possible locations a particle can be found) are all unified concepts. In addition, the mechanical-like attributes of the associated field provide with us new predictions including nonlinear effects at a more subtle level of observation. Any experimental verification of these nonlinear effects confirms the existence of the energetic fields.
The details of ASH theory can be found in the following three articles:
A. Shafiee, "On A New Formulation of Micro-phenomena: Basic Principles, Stationary Fields And Beyond", quant-ph/arXiv: 0810.1031.
A. Shafiee, "On A New Formulation of Micro-phenomena: Quantum Paradoxes And the Measurement Problem", quant-ph/arXiv: 0810.1033.
A. Shafiee, A. Massoudi and M. Bahrami, "On A New Formulation of Microphenomena: The Double-slit Experiment", quant-ph/arXiv: 0810.1034.
Current address of FQX:
FQX office (Dr. Shafiee's research group office),3rd floor, Chemistry Department,
Sharif University of Technology, Azadi avenue
Tehran, Iran

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