From: mk_thisisit
Sir Roger Penrose identifies himself as a mathematical physicist, stating that his heart is more inclined towards physics than mathematics [00:08:08], [00:08:10], [00:08:20]. He specifically connects his passion to the part of twistor theory that relates to physics [00:00:24], [00:08:41].
Origin and Scope of Twistor Theory
The concept of Twistor theory was developed by Penrose [00:26:01]. It stemmed from his interest in analyzing the general characteristics of space-time and the boundaries of the future, rather than solving equations directly [00:09:46], [00:15:10], [00:15:36]. He initially developed the techniques for fun, driven by a desire to understand what things looked like in space-time [00:15:24], [00:15:34].
A crucial moment in the development of Twistor theory involved Penrose’s interaction with Ray Sax, whose results on the behavior of the radiation field, particularly the “flaking theorem,” helped him realize the connection to conformity [00:25:00], [00:25:29], [00:25:32]. Sharing an office with Engelbert Schuking was also serendipitous, as Schuking explained the significance of the conformal invariance of Maxwell’s equations and the importance of separating positive and negative frequencies, which directly led to the Twistor theory [00:25:44], [00:25:49], [00:26:01]. Penrose believes he might not have conceived of it without this “boat of fortune” or coincidence [00:26:03], [00:26:08].
While a part of twistor theory deeply relates to physics, it also extends further into mathematics, an area that Penrose finds interesting but not as close to his heart [00:08:43], [00:08:49].
Relation to Black Holes and Cosmology
The mathematical techniques developed for twistor theory proved useful in proving a theorem that earned Penrose the Nobel Prize [00:15:17], [00:15:20]. This theorem demonstrated the existence of singularities if a certain criterion of collapse (the trapped surface) is adopted [00:04:55], [00:05:00], [00:11:13]. Unlike previous models like Oppenheimer and Snyder’s, Penrose’s theorem did not assume specific conditions, but rather general inequalities [00:10:53], [00:10:57], [00:11:03].
Penrose currently speculates about a potential connection between twistor theory and his cosmological model, conformal cyclic cosmology [00:21:13], [00:21:27]. While for now they remain separate theories, he suggests that further ideas and developments in twistor theory may contribute to a more complete understanding of cosmological changes and the transition from one eon to the next [00:21:18], [00:21:30], [00:22:01]. He believes there’s a good chance these speculations will prove true [00:22:09].