From: mk_thisisit
Physicist Nikodem Popławski holds a distinct view on the nature of spacetime and gravity, asserting that spacetime is fundamentally classical, rather than quantum [00:00:01], [00:00:12]. He postulates that there will be no quantum theory of gravity [00:00:00], and is unconcerned by its absence [00:01:19], [00:04:21].
His core belief is that the curvature of spacetime is gravity, considering it a fundamental aspect of the universe [00:00:19], [00:00:23], [00:04:07]. In this classical spacetime, matter itself is quantized [00:00:09], interacting through quantum interactions and the three other fundamental forces: electromagnetism, and the weak and strong forces [00:04:36]. He explicitly states that there are no gravitons, which are hypothesized as carriers of gravity in quantum gravity theories [00:00:14], [00:02:56].
Classical Spacetime vs. Quantum Gravity
Popławski critiques the approach of quantum gravity researchers who posit gravitons. He argues that if spacetime is fundamentally flat, as implied by a graviton-based model, then the existence of phenomena like black holes—which are characterized by extreme spacetime curvature—is problematic [00:03:09], [00:03:45]. He maintains that spacetime curvature is primary, not an averaged effect of gravitons from a quantum theory [00:04:09].
This perspective resonates with Sir Roger Penrose’s idea of the “gravity of quantum mechanics” [00:01:35]. Penrose suggests that gravity itself causes the collapse of the wave function, meaning a particle’s wave function is curved by spacetime, and stronger gravity leads to faster collapse [00:02:07]. This contrasts with quantum mechanics’ probabilistic nature, where particles exist in multiple states simultaneously until observed [00:01:57]. Popławski supports the view that spacetime is classical and that matter within it is quantized [00:04:27], [00:05:09].
Bridging Classical and Quantum Physics
The apparent disconnect between the non-deterministic quantum world and the deterministic classical world of Newtonian physics is a significant challenge in quantum physics and gravity [00:05:15]. Popławski acknowledges this as a very interesting issue [00:05:37]. He highlights historical unifications in physics, such as Newton’s unification of terrestrial and celestial physics, Maxwell’s unification of electricity, magnetism, and light, Dirac’s combination of special relativity and quantum gravity, and Einstein’s connection of matter, spacetime, and gravity [00:05:57].
Central to Popławski’s approach to the interplay between classical and quantum physics is his support for the De Broglie-Bohm theory (also known as the pilot wave hypothesis) of Quantum Mechanics [00:07:07]. In this interpretation:
- The wave function is a real entity, a solution to Dirac or Schrödinger equations [00:07:20].
- Particles are not waves; they are small, distinct entities (not necessarily point-like) [00:07:35].
- Crucially, particles exist at only one point at a time; they are not in several places at once [00:07:53], [00:08:22].
- There is no “collapse of the wave function” [00:08:27]. The wave function always exists and guides the particle’s movement, much like a surfer rides a wave [00:08:29], [00:08:35], [00:08:10].
This hypothesis explains quantum phenomena like the double-slit experiment’s interference pattern [00:09:47]. The wave function goes through both slits, setting the conditions for interference, and a tiny initial change in a particle’s position can lead to a large, chaotic difference in its final position on the screen. Since initial positions cannot be measured without tiny errors, the final position becomes probabilistic [00:10:06].
Black Holes, Big Bounce, and Inflation
Popławski’s most significant scientific contributions revolve around his theory that black holes create new universes [00:00:41], [00:11:38]. This idea was recognized by National Geographic and Science magazine as one of the top ten most important of the year [00:00:46]. Morgan Freeman even called him the “second Copernicus” [00:00:52].
His theory suggests that a mechanism involving the twisting of spacetime prevents singularities from forming inside black holes [00:11:48], [00:11:54]. Instead of a singularity, the collapsing matter stops and “bounces” (the “Big Bounce”), leading to the expansion of a new universe within the black hole’s event horizon [00:00:25], [00:00:30], [00:18:35], [00:18:42].
Key aspects of this model:
- Twisting of spacetime: Popławski’s work, published in 2016 and 2021, incorporated Cartan’s idea of torsion in spacetime [00:17:03], [00:17:17]. While this torsion is almost zero at normal densities, it becomes very strong at extreme densities (like those near a Big Bang or singularity), acting as repulsive gravity and preventing the singularity from forming [00:17:51], [00:18:18]. This is the mechanism for the Big Bounce [00:18:35].
- Quantum Production of Pairs: The immense mass of a new universe originates from the quantum production of particle-antiparticle pairs in the extremely hot, dense state of collapsing matter inside the black hole [00:12:54], [00:13:04]. This process is analogous to Hawking radiation [00:13:13].
- Cyclical Expansion and Inflation: Popławski proposes that this new universe, initially a closed space, might undergo several cycles of expansion and collapse (bounces), with each bounce creating more matter [00:13:30], [00:13:51]. Eventually, a cycle could reach a size where the cosmological constant’s influence (proportional to volume) dominates, causing the universe to expand infinitely rather than re-collapsing [00:14:01], [00:14:27], [00:14:50].
- Natural Inflation: Crucially, Popławski demonstrates that combining the twisting of spacetime with the quantum production of particle-antiparticle pairs naturally leads to inflation [00:19:33]. This provides a natural explanation for the universe’s early exponential expansion, addressing issues like the horizon and flatness problems, and the large-scale structure of the universe [00:15:15]. Unlike existing inflation theories that rely on hypothetical scalar fields and multiple parameters, Popławski’s model uses only one parameter (potentially derivable from a grander theory) and predicts an inflation that is finite and self-ending, without requiring additional hypothetical fields [00:20:08], [00:21:24].