Always remember & never forget . . .

[fflo]

... the Fermi Golden Rule:

$$B(\omega,v-v_*)=\frac{1}{8\pi^2}|\omega\cdot(v-v_*)||{\widehat \phi}
((\omega\cdot(v-v_*))\omega)|^2$$

---you know, where the hat $\sphat$ denotes the Fourier transform and $\phi$ is a two-body interaction potential.

Comments

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

(raises hand) Ooh! Ooh! I used to understand Fourier transforms! Used them to quantify the sphericity of microscopic H-bombs. Before I was paid not to. And ultimately not paid not to.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

What a coincidence: I'm also not being paid not to study them!

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

As much as I am rusty, I do recall a certain beauty to Fourier transforms. Both in what they represent in terms of spectrum, and how you could multiply something by a sine wave, and it would come out to zero, on average, if there were no correllation, and come out to something if there were a correllation. A lot of advanced math made me want to crawl into a cave, but Fourier was simple and beautiful. I like the way your ear does it mechanically and instictively to allow you to percieve music.

Of course, all the other stuff in your post was complete gibberish to me.