Mathematical discovery could shed light on secrets of the Universe
Date:
March 9, 2022
Source:
Chalmers University of Technology
Summary:
How can Einstein's theory of gravity be unified with quantum
mechanics? It is a challenge that could give us deep insights into
phenomena such as black holes and the birth of the universe. Now,
a new article presents results that cast new light on important
challenges in understanding quantum gravity.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
How can Einstein's theory of gravity be unified with quantum mechanics? It
is a challenge that could give us deep insights into phenomena such
as black holes and the birth of the universe. Now, a new article in
Nature Communications, written by researchers from Chalmers University
of Technology, Sweden, and MIT, USA, presents results that cast new
light on important challenges in understanding quantum gravity.
==========================================================================
A grand challenge in modern theoretical physics is to find a 'unified
theory' that can describe all the laws of nature within a single framework
- - connecting Einstein's general theory of relativity, which describes
the universe on a large scale, and quantum mechanics, which describes
our world at the atomic level. Such a theory of 'quantum gravity' would
include both a macroscopic and microscopic description of nature.
"We strive to understand the laws of nature and the language in which
these are written is mathematics. When we seek answers to questions in
physics, we are often led to new discoveries in mathematics too. This interaction is particularly prominent in the search for quantum gravity
-- where it is extremely difficult to perform experiments," explains
Daniel Persson, Professor at the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Chalmers university of technology.
An example of a phenomenon that requires this type of unified description
is black holes. A black hole forms when a sufficiently heavy star expands
and collapses under its own gravitational force, so that all its mass
is concentrated in an extremely small volume. The quantum mechanical description of black holes is still in its infancy but involves
spectacular advanced mathematics.
A simplified model for quantum gravity "The challenge is to describe
how gravity arises as an 'emergent' phenomenon.
Just as everyday phenomena -- such as the flow of a liquid -- emerge
from the chaotic movements of individual droplets, we want to describe
how gravity emerges from quantum mechanical system at the microscopic
level," says Robert Berman, Professor at the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Chalmers University of Technology.
==========================================================================
In an article recently published in the journal Nature Communications,
Daniel Persson and Robert Berman, together with Tristan Collins of MIT
in the USA, showed how gravity emerges from a special quantum mechanical system, in a simplified model for quantum gravity called the 'holographic principle'.
"Using techniques from the mathematics that I have researched before,
we managed to formulate an explanation for how gravity emerges by the holographic principle, in a more precise way than has previously been
done," explains Robert Berman.
RIpples of dark energy The new article may also offer new insight into mysterious dark energy. In Einstein's general theory of relativity,
gravity is described as a geometric phenomenon. Just as a newly made
bed curves under a person's weight, heavy objects can bend the geometric
shape of the universe. But according to Einstein's theory, even the empty
space -- the 'vacuum state' of the universe - - has a rich geometric
structure. If you could zoom in and look at this vacuum on a microscopic
level, you would see quantum mechanical fluctuations or ripples, known
as dark energy. It is this mysterious form of energy that, from a larger perspective, is responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe.
This new work may lead to new insights into how and why these microscopic quantum mechanical ripples arise, as well as the relationship between Einstein's theory of gravity and quantum mechanics, something that has
eluded scientists for decades.
"These results open up the possibility to test other aspects of the
holographic principle such as the microscopic description of black
holes. We also hope to be able to use these new connections in the future
to break new ground in mathematics," says Daniel Persson.
The scientific article, Emergent Sasaki-Einstein geometry and AdS/CFTis published in Nature Communications and is written by Robert Berman,
Tristan Collins and Daniel Persson at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Chalmers_University_of_Technology. Original written by Joshua Worth. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Robert J. Berman, Tristan C. Collins, Daniel Persson. Emergent
Sasaki-
Einstein geometry and AdS/CFT. Nature Communications, 2022; 13
(1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27951-9 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220309090800.htm
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