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What is a white hole? – with Carlo Rovelli

The Royal Institution・42 minutes read

Black holes are explored, with time dilation and unique properties inside the black hole discussed, leading to the theory of them transitioning into white holes. The transition from a black hole to a white hole could potentially explain dark matter, challenging established scientific beliefs and emphasizing the importance of imagination and open-mindedness in scientific exploration.

Insights

  • Black holes are dynamic entities where time dilation causes significant changes in the perception of time, leading to a potential transition from a black hole to a white hole through quantum jumps, showcasing a unique and complex interplay of theories like general relativity and quantum mechanics.
  • The concept of black holes transitioning to white holes challenges traditional notions of space-time and offers a novel perspective on the universe, suggesting that ancient black holes might have evolved into white holes, potentially shedding light on the enigmatic dark matter mystery and prompting a reevaluation of existing physics theories.

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Recent questions

  • What is a black hole?

    A region in space with immense gravity.

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Summary

00:00

"Exploring Black Holes: Time Dilation and Space"

  • The universe is filled with black holes, a surprising and beautiful discovery in recent years.
  • Sagittarius A* is a black hole chosen for exploration due to its size and distance.
  • Radio telescopes captured images of black holes by combining data from telescopes around the Earth.
  • Light bends around black holes, creating a circular optical effect due to Einstein's theory.
  • The ring around a black hole is formed by light bending around it, creating a sphere of light.
  • Time dilation near a black hole causes messages from Earth to arrive at faster intervals.
  • Entering a black hole leads to time dilation, where time slows down significantly.
  • Inside a black hole, space is distorted, creating a much larger volume than expected.
  • The geometry inside a black hole changes over time, with space becoming longer and longer.
  • Space inside a black hole is dynamic, with the volume increasing continuously.

15:36

"Black Hole Aging and Quantum Jumps"

  • Sagittarius A* is an old black hole, at least 10 billion years old, with immense cosmological age.
  • The black hole is shrinking, becoming longer and narrower, unlike a model built by the Ri that expands.
  • Inside the black hole, there is no singularity, but rather the star that initially collapsed to form it.
  • Most black holes are formed from big stars that collapse due to the loss of fuel, leading to immense pressure and crushing.
  • Falling into a black hole involves being pulled in and crushed by immense pressure, with space closing around slower and slower.
  • Einstein's general relativity theory predicts black holes and gravitational waves accurately.
  • Quantum mechanics becomes crucial in high-curvature conditions, where the theory of general relativity fails.
  • Loop quantum gravity theory suggests that space is granular, with finite divisions that prevent a black hole from shrinking indefinitely.
  • Quantum jumps, core in quantum mechanics, could lead to a black hole bouncing back and becoming a white hole, a solution compatible with Einstein's equations.
  • The hypothesis proposes a sequence where a black hole forms, shrinks, experiences a quantum jump, and transforms into a white hole, visible from the outside as a counterintuitive but mathematically correct phenomenon.

31:41

"Black Holes Transition to White Holes"

  • The outside of a black hole and a white hole appear the same from the exterior, with objects seeming to slow down as they approach the event horizon.
  • The key difference lies in the surface itself, where entering a black hole leads to passing through it, while a white hole prevents entry.
  • Time dilation occurs inside a black hole, causing individuals to move rapidly towards the future until the white hole phase or a collision occurs.
  • Quantum gravity involves a unique concept of space and time, where phenomena occur due to space-time itself behaving in unusual ways.
  • Black holes shrink over time due to Hawking radiation, increasing the probability of a quantum jump to a white hole.
  • The process of a black hole transitioning to a white hole takes an extremely long time from an external perspective, potentially billions of years.
  • However, from inside the black hole, the transition is nearly instantaneous, with the entire journey lasting only minutes or seconds.
  • This time distortion effect allows for a shortcut to the future, where individuals inside a black hole experience time differently than those outside.
  • Indirect effects and direct observations of black holes and potential white holes could provide evidence for this theory.
  • Speculations suggest that ancient black holes may have transitioned into small white holes, potentially explaining the mystery of dark matter in the universe.

47:09

"Challenging beliefs, exploring new frontiers in science"

  • Supersymmetric particles were once considered an alternative to dark matter, but they were found not to exist as expected, leading to a crisis in physics for some.
  • The theory of everything, aiming to explain all aspects of the universe, is questioned as a bad idea by some physicists who advocate solving specific problems like finding a quantum theory of gravity.
  • Dark matter, potentially being white holes, could be detected through gravitational interactions, with calculations suggesting that particles of dark matter may pass through a room occasionally.
  • Building a sensitive detector to capture these dark matter particles is a possibility, akin to the initial skepticism faced by gravitational wave detectors that eventually succeeded.
  • Mind traveling, a concept akin to Dante's journey through different realms, is highlighted as a crucial aspect of scientific exploration, allowing for new perspectives and discoveries.
  • Historical examples like Anaximander, Hipparchus, Copernicus, and Kepler are cited for their innovative thinking and ability to change perspectives, essential in advancing scientific understanding.
  • The importance of leaving behind preconceived notions and embracing new ideas is emphasized, with science seen as a process of trial and error, constantly pushing boundaries and challenging established beliefs.
  • Science is portrayed as a blend of imagination, calculation, and experimentation, often overlooked in its emotional and imaginative aspects, contrary to the common perception of coldness associated with it.
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