Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Oh, not this again… Is the universe a hologram?

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email
hologram/TU Wien

From ScienceDaily:

“If quantum gravity in a flat space allows for a holographic description by a standard quantum theory, then there must by physical quantities, which can be calculated in both theories — and the results must agree,” says Grumiller. Especially one key feature of quantum mechanics -quantum entanglement — has to appear in the gravitational theory.

When quantum particles are entangled, they cannot be described individually. They form a single quantum object, even if they are located far apart. There is a measure for the amount of entanglement in a quantum system, called “entropy of entanglement.” Together with Arjun Bagchi, Rudranil Basu and Max Riegler, Daniel Grumiller managed to show that this entropy of entanglement takes the same value in flat quantum gravity and in a low dimension quantum field theory.

“This calculation affirms our assumption that the holographic principle can also be realized in flat spaces. It is evidence for the validity of this correspondence in our universe,” says Max Riegler (TU Wien). “The fact that we can even talk about quantum information and entropy of entanglement in a theory of gravity is astounding in itself, and would hardly have been imaginable only a few years back. That we are now able to use this as a tool to test the validity of the holographic principle, and that this test works out, is quite remarkable,” says Daniel Grumiller.

This however, does not yet prove that we are indeed living in a hologram — but apparently there is growing evidence for the validity of the correspondence principle in our own universe.

So we are not living in a hologram, so far as we know.

By the way, a hologram of what? Exactly?

Here’s the abstract:

We present the analytical calculation of entanglement entropy for a class of two-dimensional field theories governed by the symmetries of the Galilean conformal algebra, thus providing a rare example of such an exact computation. These field theories are the putative holographic duals to theories of gravity in three-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetimes. We provide a check of our field theory answers by an analysis of geodesics. We also exploit the Chern-Simons formulation of three-dimensional gravity and adapt recent proposals of calculating entanglement entropy by Wilson lines in this context to find an independent confirmation of our results from holography. (paywall) – Arjun Bagchi, Rudranil Basu, Daniel Grumiller, Max Riegler. Entanglement Entropy in Galilean Conformal Field Theories and Flat Holography. Physical Review Letters, 2015; 114 (11) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.111602

There is so much better evidence for fine-tuning than for the universe as a hologram,  yet this stuff gets the ink and fine tuning is on the DISPROVE! list. Ever wonder why?

See also: The multiverse: Where everything turns out to be true, except philosophy and religion

But who needs reality-based thinking anyway? Not the new cosmologists

Multiverse cosmology: Assuming that evidence still matters, what does it say?

In search of a road to reality

Follow UD News at Twitter!

Comments
I don't see the problem. The holographic theory fits in pretty well with theism . I see the observer being God .wallstreeter43
April 30, 2015
April
04
Apr
30
30
2015
10:05 PM
10
10
05
PM
PDT
Seversky: But since it looks like we all got the blue pill we’ll never know.
There are 7.125 billion people on earth. You presume to speak for us all? You have no idea.mike1962
April 30, 2015
April
04
Apr
30
30
2015
11:07 AM
11
11
07
AM
PDT
I quite like the idea of living in a holographic matrix. But since it looks like we all got the blue pill we'll never know.Seversky
April 29, 2015
April
04
Apr
29
29
2015
06:52 PM
6
06
52
PM
PDT
A brief account of how the holographic principle and entanglement might create an emergent space-time: How Quantum Pairs Stitch Space-Timerhampton7
April 29, 2015
April
04
Apr
29
29
2015
04:10 PM
4
04
10
PM
PDT
The last 10 mins of this talk by Lenny "Mr Hologram" Susskind is in harmony with Isaiah 40:22 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2DIl3Hfh9tY But I was mistaken on the higher dimension stuff. Our Universe is a 2D/3D hologram per the theory.ppolish
April 28, 2015
April
04
Apr
28
28
2015
02:12 PM
2
02
12
PM
PDT
I'm not opposed to the idea that the universe is a simulation.Andre
April 28, 2015
April
04
Apr
28
28
2015
01:17 PM
1
01
17
PM
PDT
One somehow doubts that that is what the hologram universers think, though. Any nonsense will do, as long as it is sciencey nonsense.News
April 28, 2015
April
04
Apr
28
28
2015
12:23 PM
12
12
23
PM
PDT
"He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in" Isaiah 40:22 According to the Math/Science of hologram theory, there needs to be a higher dimension observer to view us as a hologram. Like the flat holograms we view as 3D, a higher dimension observer would see us as a hologram. And our image would be on the edges, according to the theory, like the wall of a tent. With the outside walls of the tent viewed by the higher dimension being - as a hologram.ppolish
April 28, 2015
April
04
Apr
28
28
2015
11:48 AM
11
11
48
AM
PDT

Leave a Reply