From: mk_thisisit
The study of black holes offers profound insights into the fundamental nature of the universe, space, and time [02:01:46]. Understanding them is considered a unique and significant challenge in physics, potentially leading to vast progress in comprehending the workings of space and time [02:20:00].
Inside a Black Hole: Information and Singularity
The Event Horizon
A black hole possesses an edge known as the horizon, which separates its interior from its exterior [03:16:00]. Anything that crosses this horizon cannot escape [03:30:00]. From the perspective of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, if an object falls into a black hole, it has no chance of escaping [03:44:00]. While the object itself is inside the black hole, an observer outside would perceive the situation differently [03:57:00].
The Phenomenon of Spaghettification
For a very large black hole, the initial fall might not feel extraordinary [02:47:00]. For example, falling into the supermassive black hole in galaxy M87, which has a mass of millions of solar masses, would allow about a day before meeting an end [04:32:00]. This end involves being stretched and ultimately torn apart [05:03:00]. The scale of a black hole determines the experience; more massive black holes have larger sizes and weaker gravity at their horizon, which may seem counterintuitive [05:11:00]. In contrast, a hypothetical black hole with Earth’s mass, if squeezed to the size of a pebble, would exert incredibly strong surface gravity that would flatten an object [05:30:00]. These properties are predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity [06:07:00].
The Singularity and Information Loss
The process of falling into a black hole leads to what is known as the singularity [06:39:00]. The singularity is not a physical place or its center [06:43:00]. Rather, it is a moment in time where space disappears, and all atoms of an object cease to exist in a fundamental sense [07:00:00]. This constitutes a complete erasure of information according to Einstein’s theory [07:08:00]. For anything falling into a black hole, the singularity marks the end of time [07:30:00].
The Information Paradox
Despite Einstein’s theory suggesting complete information erasure, recent research on black holes indicates that information might, after all, return [07:10:00]. This concept is central to the information paradox.
The Nature of Time and Space
Time as a Non-Absolute Entity
In Einstein’s theory, time is not absolute [08:05:00]. It can end for an individual falling into a black hole, even as it continues to flow for observers outside [08:24:00]. The universe can be viewed as a set of events connected by cause-and-effect relationships, where time is not necessarily at the absolute center [09:30:00]. The critical aspect is the causal link between events [09:47:00].
Space as a Constructed Phenomenon
The idea that space itself might be “made of something” is explored, suggesting it is a product of something more fundamental [10:10:00]. This implies the existence of objects that interact but do not exist in space themselves; rather, their interactions result in what we perceive as space [10:29:00]. Our common understanding of space, involving distance and location, may be an emergent property of more elementary, fundamental interactions [12:07:00].
Black Holes as Gateways to Other Universes
While the black holes known to exist are formed from collapsing stars and do not act as portals to other universes [14:23:00], mathematical equations describing black holes do allow for such a scenario [15:14:00].
The Kerr Solution
The Kerr solution, a mathematical description of a spinning black hole, derived from Einstein’s equations, allows for a singularity that can be “jumped through” [17:32:00]. This solution suggests a possibility of appearing in an infinite universe on the other side, and even potentially jumping through another singularity into yet another universe, creating an “infinite tower of nested universes” [18:02:00]. Each of these universes would be infinitely large and contained within another [18:22:00].
This “crazy” configuration, while a perfectly consistent mathematical solution to Einstein’s equations [20:29:00], does not concern the world we live in because black holes formed from stellar collapse block any possibility of crossing to “the other side” [19:47:00]. The Schwarzschild solution, calculated by Karl Schwarzschild in 1915 shortly after Einstein formulated his equations, describes the non-spinning black hole case [18:55:00].
The Universe as a Quantum Computer
Recent scientific research, particularly in understanding how information operates within black holes, suggests that space might be constructed similarly to a giant quantum computer [22:25:00].
This idea stems from the notion that the fundamental “things” that make up space behave very much like qubits [21:53:00]. It’s as if nature has long understood how quantum computers work, and humans are only now learning the tricks used to build reality [23:10:00]. Nature is fundamentally quantum mechanical, and everything around us likely reflects quantum principles [23:46:00]. The question of whether human consciousness itself is quantum is an area of modern research, with some scientists suggesting the brain might function on fundamentally quantum microtubules [24:02:00].