From: mk_thisisit
Nikodem Popławski is a renowned physicist whose ideas about black holes creating new universes were recognized by National Geographic and Science magazine as among the 10 most important of the year [00:00:41]. Morgan Freeman has even called him the “second Copernicus” [00:00:52]. His paper describing black hole research is still one of the most cited in the history of Science News [00:00:56].
Classical Spacetime and Gravity
Popławski believes that there will be no quantum theory of gravity, asserting that spacetime is fundamentally classical [00:00:00]. In this classical spacetime, matter is quantized [00:00:09]. He maintains that there are no gravitons acting as carriers of gravity [00:00:14]. Instead, the curvature of spacetime is gravity, which he considers a fundamental phenomenon [00:00:19]. This perspective contrasts with quantum gravity theories that propose gravitons as corrections to flat spacetime, arguing that if spacetime were fundamentally flat, black holes would not exist [00:03:11].
He emphasizes that while matter interacts quantumly through forces like electromagnetism, weak, and strong forces (with their quantum carriers like W and Z bosons, and gluons), this all occurs within a curved, classical spacetime [00:04:36].
The Big Bounce Theory: Black Holes as Universe Seeds
Popławski’s theory suggests that instead of a singularity, matter within a black hole stops and bounces [00:00:25]. Because this matter cannot escape the event horizon, it creates a new universe [00:00:30]. This concept was named one of the 10 most important ideas of the year by National Geographic and Science magazine [00:00:41].
One challenge for this theory is explaining how a new universe, vastly larger than a black hole, can be created [00:12:44]. Popławski attributes this to the quantum production of particle-antiparticle pairs [00:12:54]. When matter collapses into a very hot, dense state within a black hole, an analogue of Hawking radiation occurs, leading to the creation of a lot of new matter [00:13:04]. This new matter then expands [00:13:23].
According to the Friedmann equations, this newly formed cosmos in a closed space will not expand infinitely but will eventually stop and contract, leading to another bounce [00:13:30]. With each bounce, new matter is created, making subsequent cycles larger [00:13:53]. Eventually, after several bounces, the cosmos could become so large that the cosmological constant’s repulsive force (which is proportional to the universe’s volume) becomes dominant, causing the universe to expand infinitely [00:13:59].
The Role of Torsion in Spacetime
Popławski’s key insight into the Big Bounce mechanism involves the twisting of spacetime, also known as torsion [00:11:48]. This additional component of spacetime geometry, beyond the curvature assumed by Einstein, is typically considered zero [00:17:03]. However, as suggested by Cartan, by not forcing torsion to be zero, it can be derived [00:17:19].
While torsion is almost zero at normal densities found on Earth, in stars, or even in neutron stars, it becomes very strong at extremely high densities, such as those near a singularity or the Big Bang [00:17:36]. At these densities, torsion acts like repulsive gravity, preventing the formation of a singularity and causing the matter to bounce [00:18:25]. This is the essence of the Big Bounce [00:18:35].
Natural Explanation of Inflation
Popławski’s most significant scientific achievement, in his opinion, is demonstrating how spacetime torsion and quantum production of particle-antiparticle pairs naturally lead to cosmic inflation [00:19:33]. Inflation, an exponential expansion of the universe, explains problems like the horizon problem, flatness problem, and the origin of cosmic structures [00:15:12].
Current inflation theories, widely accepted by astrophysicists, often rely on hypothetical scalar fields (inflatons) and require two arbitrary parameters to describe inflation [00:20:14]. Furthermore, some models suggest inflation could last forever, which contradicts the observed universe [00:20:31].
In contrast, Popławski’s model, which combines spacetime torsion with quantum pair production, naturally generates inflation [00:19:33]. This model only requires one parameter, which could eventually be derived from a larger theory like quantum gravity [00:20:42]. Crucially, in his theory, this inflation lasts for a short period and ends naturally because the effect of torsion diminishes at lower densities [00:21:24]. This eliminates the need for hypothetical scalar fields, providing a more fundamental explanation for inflation [00:21:47].
Quantum Mechanics Interpretation: De Broglie-Bohm Theory
Popławski supports the De Broglie-Bohm theory, also known as the pilot wave hypothesis of quantum mechanics [00:07:10]. In this interpretation, the wave function always exists and is a solution to equations like the Dirac or Schrödinger equations [00:07:20]. Particles are considered point-like (or very small, non-divisible entities) and exist at only one point at a time [00:07:35]. There is no “collapse” of the wave function [00:08:24]; instead, the particle “rides” on these quantum waves, which guide its movement [00:07:58].
This interpretation explains the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics, including phenomena like the famous double-slit experiment [00:08:42]. The interference patterns observed in the double-slit experiment arise because a tiny change in the initial conditions of a particle can lead to a large change in its final position due to the guiding wave [00:10:18]. Since initial conditions cannot be measured with perfect accuracy, the final position appears random, leading to quantum mechanics being probabilistic [00:10:48]. This is distinct from Roger Penrose’s idea that gravity causes the collapse of the wave function [00:02:07].