Physicists say the universe might be a hologram

[myshortpencil]

Not getting signals from Seti@home. It might be a flawed methodology, or the universe might be a hologram.

"A team of physicists has provided some of the clearest evidence yet that our Universe could be just one big projection.

"In 1997, theoretical physicist Juan Maldacena proposed that an audacious model of the Universe in which gravity arises from infinitesimally thin, vibrating strings could be reinterpreted in terms of well-established physics. The mathematically intricate world of strings, which exist in nine dimensions of space plus one of time, would be merely a hologram: the real action would play out in a simpler, flatter cosmos where there is no gravity.

"Maldacena's idea thrilled physicists because it offered a way to put the popular but still unproven theory of strings on solid footing — and because it solved apparent inconsistencies between quantum physics and Einstein's theory of gravity. It provided physicists with a mathematical Rosetta stone, a 'duality', that allowed them to translate back and forth between the two languages, and solve problems in one model that seemed intractable in the other and vice versa. But although the validity of Maldacena's ideas has pretty much been taken for granted ever since, a rigorous proof has been elusive.

"In two papers posted on the arXiv repository, Yoshifumi Hyakutake of Ibaraki University in Japan and his colleagues now provide, if not an actual proof, at least compelling evidence that Maldacena’s conjecture is true."

* * * *

[Duke of Buckingham]

Not getting signals from Seti@home. It might be a flawed methodology, or the universe might be a hologram.

"A team of physicists has provided some of the clearest evidence yet that our Universe could be just one big projection.

"In 1997, theoretical physicist Juan Maldacena proposed that an audacious model of the Universe in which gravity arises from infinitesimally thin, vibrating strings could be reinterpreted in terms of well-established physics. The mathematically intricate world of strings, which exist in nine dimensions of space plus one of time, would be merely a hologram: the real action would play out in a simpler, flatter cosmos where there is no gravity.

"Maldacena's idea thrilled physicists because it offered a way to put the popular but still unproven theory of strings on solid footing — and because it solved apparent inconsistencies between quantum physics and Einstein's theory of gravity. It provided physicists with a mathematical Rosetta stone, a 'duality', that allowed them to translate back and forth between the two languages, and solve problems in one model that seemed intractable in the other and vice versa. But although the validity of Maldacena's ideas has pretty much been taken for granted ever since, a rigorous proof has been elusive.

"In two papers posted on the arXiv repository, Yoshifumi Hyakutake of Ibaraki University in Japan and his colleagues now provide, if not an actual proof, at least compelling evidence that Maldacena’s conjecture is true."

* * * *

I had that hologram theory on my mind when I saw, every month, my pay check goes. Now I know, the damn salary was an hologram, maybe my ex-wifes are holograms also ... that would make me very happy!

[John P. Myers]

Well this whole thing is actually Stephen Hawking's fault. Awhile back he stated that once something entered a black hole, the information was lost forever, and made a bet that he was right. The winner got a set of encyclopedias of their choice (because they are a source of information ). Leonard Susskind, John Preskill and a few other physicists thought Hawking to be wrong and set out to prove he was wrong, and as a by-product of this proof, the holographic principle was born.

John Preskill accepted the win, and chose an encyclopedia of baseball.

Edit:The article doesn't do a very good job of it so i feel i should point out that "hologram" doesn't mean "fake". The principle is everything is real, as it always has been, it just resides on the surface of the outer skin of the universe and is projected inwards.

[Duke of Buckingham]

Well this whole thing is actually Stephen Hawking's fault. Awhile back he stated that once something entered a black hole, the information was lost forever, and made a bet that he was right. The winner got a set of encyclopedias of their choice (because they are a source of information ). Leonard Susskind, John Preskill and a few other physicists thought Hawking to be wrong and set out to prove he was wrong, and as a by-product of this proof, the holographic principle was born.

John Preskill accepted the win, and chose an encyclopedia of baseball.

Edit:The article doesn't do a very good job of it so i feel i should point out that "hologram" doesn't mean "fake". The principle is everything is real, as it always has been, it just resides on the surface of the outer skin of the universe and is projected inwards.

If I had to choose between time or the Universe to be fake, I would still choose time and I am never wrong maybe I am but I use time on my favor ... aha damn that can be an illusion either.

We all know that the stars and Galaxies we are seeing, are not exactly as we see them, we see them as they were in the time the light started his travel till finds our eyes, bad luck of me, now that I was thinking to turnoff the hologram machine of some of my ex.

Regular people don't get very excited on physics theories and most of them don't even try to understand it. Physics on real time is not a good idea some ideas need time to mature and round edges before can be digest, unless we need a very good indigestion.

Thanks for the explanation JPM.