All language subtitles for Spaces.Deepest.Secrets.S06E06.Is.the.Universe.a.Hologram.720p.WEBRip.x264-CAFFEiNE[eztv]

Narrator: A GROWING NUMBER
OF PHYSICISTS ARE REACHING

AN ASTONISHING CONCLUSION --

THAT ARE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM,

AND OUR TRUE LIVES PLAY OUT
ON A FLAT BUBBLE

THAT SURROUNDS SPACE AND TIME.

NOW WE MAY FINALLY BE GLIMPSING
THAT NEXT REVOLUTION IN PHYSICS.

Narrator:
TODAY, PIONEERING TECHNOLOGY

IS TAKING THESE IDEAS
OFF THE BLACKBOARD

AND TESTING THEM
IN THE REAL WORLD.

WHAT IF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE
HAD, KIND OF, GLITCHES,

AND THOSE GLITCHES
COULD BE OUR OBSERVABLES?

Narrator: AS SCIENTISTS PUT

THE WEIRDEST IDEAS IN PHYSICS
TO THE TEST...

Greene: THAT WOULD BE ONE OF
THE MOST SPECTACULAR DISCOVERIES

THAT OUR SPECIES
HAS EVER ACCOMPLISHED.

...THEIR QUEST TAKES THEM TO
PLACES THAT BEND REALITY

TO BREAKING POINTS,

PROBING THE FIRST SECONDS
OF THE BIG BANG,

AND HUNTING FOR THE GLITCHES

THAT COULD REVEAL
WE'RE ALL JUST HOLOGRAMS.

WE'RE ON THE VERGE
OF UNLOCKING THE SECRETS

OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE,

A THEORY THAT COULD CHANGE
THE WAY WE PERCEIVE EVERYTHING.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪

SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD

ARE RACING TO ANSWER
AND UNUSUAL QUESTION...

ARE WE LIVING IN A HOLOGRAM?

THE WORLD AROUND US LOOKS
AND FEEL REAL,

BUT THE COSMOS COULD BE PLAYING
AN ASTONISHING TRICK ON US.

I THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE
IS FAMILIAR

WITH THE IDEA OF A HOLOGRAM.

WE EVEN HAVE THEM
ON OUR CREDIT CARDS.

AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE
WHEN YOU LOOK INTO A HOLOGRAM

IS 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE,

SOMETHING THAT SEEMS
TO HAVE VOLUME.

BUT A HOLOGRAM ITSELF IS JUST
2-DIMENSIONAL.

IT'S JUST A SHEET
OF LITTLE FILM.

Narrator:
THE IDEA SOUNDS CRAZY AT FIRST,

BUT AS PHYSICISTS DIG DEEPER

INTO THE MATH
THAT DESCRIBES THE COSMOS,

IT IS BEGINNING TO TELL THEM
SOMETHING SERIOUSLY STRANGE --

THAT THE UNIVERSE IS
NOTHING LIKE WE THINK IT IS.

SO IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE'VE
BEEN FOOLED THIS WHOLE TIME?

Narrator:
IF THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM,

IT MEANS TRUE REALITY
IS 2-DIMENSIONAL,

AND OUR 3-DIMENSIONAL WORLD
IS JUST AN ILLUSION.

COULD SUCH A WILD IDEA BE TRUE?

♪

LEGENDARY PHYSICIST
LEONARD SUSSKIND

WAS PART OF A GROUP OF THEORISTS

WHO BEGAN TO SUSPECT
THERE'S MORE TO OUR UNIVERSE

THAN THE REALITY WE SEE.

THEY WERE TRYING TO SOLVE
ONE OF THE GREATEST DILEMMAS

IN THE WORLD OF PHYSICS.

GRAVITY AND QUANTUM MECHANICS

WERE AT EACH OTHER'S THROATS,
SO TO SPEAK.

PUTTING THESE IDEAS
LIKE THIS TOGETHER

HAS BECOME THE CENTRAL QUESTION
OF PHYSICS.

Narrator: THE LAWS OF GRAVITY
THAT DESCRIBE

HOW BIG THINGS
LIKE PLANETS, MOVE,

SEEM TO CONFLICT WITH
THE LAWS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS

THAT DESCRIBE HOW VERY SMALL
THINGS, LIKE ELECTRONS, BEHAVE.

LEONARD EXPERIMENTED
WITH THE MATH

TO TRY TO MAKE THE TWO THEORIES
WORK BETTER TOGETHER.

HE BEGAN TO IMAGINE EVERYTHING
IN THE UNIVERSE EXISTING

IN TWO PLACES SIMULTANEOUSLY.

AND WHEN HE DID,
ALL THE PROBLEMS

WITH THE MATHEMATICS
DISSOLVED AWAY.

I HAD THOUGHT VERY HARD
ABOUT THIS PROBLEM

AND EVENTUALLY CAME TO
THE CONCLUSION

THAT EVERYTHING IS REALLY STORED

ON THE BOUNDARIES
OF THE UNIVERSE

FAR AWAY ON SOME LARGE SPHERE,

FAR FROM WHERE EVERYTHING
IS TAKING PLACE.

Narrator:
ACCORDING TO LEONARD'S THEORY,

EVERYTHING WE SEE
IN THE UNIVERSE,

FROM THE PLANET WE LIVE ON

TO THE STAR
THAT BRINGS US WARMTH

AND THE BILLION
NEIGHBORING STARS

THAT MAKE UP THE GALAXY
THAT WE CALL HOME...

...ARE ALL HIGHLY ELABORATE
PROJECTIONS.

♪

EVERYTHING WE PERCEIVE
IN THREE DIMENSIONS

COULD ORIGINATE
FROM A GIGANTIC BUBBLE

THAT WRAPS AROUND OUR COSMOS,

A BLUEPRINT FOR BUILDING
A UNIVERSE

MAPPED OUT IN TWO DIMENSIONS

THAT WE EXPERIENCE
AS A 3-DIMENSIONAL HOLOGRAM.

TO THINK THAT OUR 3-D REALITY
IS REALLY ARISEN

FROM A 2-D TRUE REALITY,
NOW THAT'S REALLY MIND-BLOWING.

Narrator: THE IDEA
THAT OUR REALITY

IS HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTION
FROM THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE,

LEAVES THE WORLD
OF PHYSICS REELING.

MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT WERE NUTS.

I REMEMBER ONE OF MY FRIENDS
COMING AND SAYING,

HALF-JOKINGLY, "YOU USED TO BE
A GOOD PHYSICIST,

BUT YOU'VE LOST YOUR MARBLES."

Narrator: BUT AS SCIENTISTS
AROUND THE WORLD

WORK ON THE MATH OF THIS IDEA,
THE NUMBERS BEGIN TO ADD UP.

THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE
APPEARS TO BE THE THEORY

THAT MAKES ALL OUR PHYSICS
WORK TOGETHER.

WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS
OF UNDERSTANDING THE UNIVERSE.

AND IT'S GENERALLY ACCEPTED
IN SCIENCE

THAT WHAT WE ACCEPT
AS BEING TRUE

IS WHAT WE OBSERVE
AS BEING TRUE.

BUT SOMETIMES THE MATH
IS SO COMPELLING

THAT YOU JUST CAN'T IGNORE IT.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE

EVEN THE MOST UNLIKELY THEORY
SERIOUSLY

IF THE MATH STACKS UP.

100 YEARS AGO, EINSTEIN'S THEORY
OF RELATIVITY SOUNDED CRAZY.

BUT THE ATOMIC BOMB
SHOWED THAT IT WORKS.

TODAY, THE EQUATIONS THAT
DESCRIBE THE UNIVERSE

AS A HOLOGRAM ADD UP.

SO SCIENTISTS HAVE
TO TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY.

MATHEMATICS GIVES US
A SUPERPOWER.

IT CAN ENVISION THE POSSIBILITY
THAT OUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE

IS NOTHING MORE THAN
A HOLOGRAPHIC SIMULATION.

IT REALLY IS THE ENGINE
OF OUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS.

IT REALLY DOES SOUNDS
COMPLETELY NUTTY,

BUT OUR UNIVERSE COULD, IN FACT,
BE ONE BIG HOLOGRAM.

WE SCIENTISTS HAVE TO
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

NO MATTER THE CRAZY PLACES
THAT IT WILL TAKE US.

THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS
TO DO SCIENCE.

Narrator: IS OUR EXISTENCE
REALLY BEING PLAYED OUT

IN TWO DIMENSIONS
SOMEWHERE ELSE?

AND IF SO, WHY DOES IT FEEL
SO REAL TO US?

IN THE CITY OF PROVO, UTAH,
PHYSICIST DANIEL SMALLEY

USES A PRACTICAL APPROACH
TO INVESTIGATE THIS MYSTERY.

HE BUILDS HOLOGRAMS FROM SCRATCH
IN HIS LAB.

THE MAGIC OF A HOLOGRAM
IS THAT IT A CONTAINS

A 3-D INFORMATION
FOR A VOLUME IN A 2-D SURFACE.

HERE WE SEE THAT
THE 2-D PATTERN OF LINES

IS ACTUALLY RECREATING
A 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE

THAT APPEARS TO BE
BEHIND THE PLATE.

Narrator: COULD OUR UNIVERSE
BE PLAYING A SIMILAR TRICK,

MANIPULATING LIGHT
TO CREATE OUR GALAXIES?

DANIEL THINKS A GLASS HOLOGRAM,
LIKE THIS ONE, IS TOO SIMPLE.

IT ONLY WORKS WHEN YOU VIEW IT
FROM THE CORRECT ANGLE.

THEIR LIMITATION IS THAT
THEY CAN'T GO

BEYOND THESE BOUNDARIES,

THE BOUNDARIES CREATED
BY THE PLATE.

IF WE'RE NOT LOOKING DIRECTLY
INTO THAT PATTERN OF LINES,

WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE AN IMAGE.

IF OUR UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM
LIKE THIS,

THE COSMOS WOULD APPEAR TO FLASH

IN AND OUT OF EXISTENCE
AS OUR GALAXY SPINS.

♪

BUT THIS BEHAVIOR
HAS NEVER BEEN OBSERVED.

A GLASS HOLOGRAM ISN'T
THE ANSWER.

DANIEL IS WORKING ON
A NEW GENERATION OF HOLOGRAM

THAT GETS US MUCH CLOSER.

IT MANIPULATES SOLID MATTER
INSTEAD OF LIGHT.

Smalley: OUR TEAM HERE HAS BEEN
WORKING ON A NEW TYPE

OF 3-DIMENSIONAL DISPLAY

THAT ACTUALLY USES
NOT JUST LIGHT

BUT ALSO PHYSICAL, MATERIAL
OBJECTS TO CREATE 3-D IMAGES

THAT ENABLE US TO BE ABLE TO SEE
THOSE 3-D IMAGES

FROM EVERY DIRECTION.

Narrator: ONE LASER MOVES
A PARTICLE OF CELLULOSE

THROUGH SPACE,

AND ANOTHER SHINES
COLORFUL LIGHT ONTO IT,

CREATING A PICTURE IN MID-AIR.

AND THEN POINT BY POINT,
WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD A 3-D IMAGE.

Narrator: DANIEL'S TEAM CREATES
A MINIATURE HOLOGRAM

THAT YOU CAN TOUCH
AND CAN BE SEEN FROM ANY ANGLE.

THIS IS A GIANT LEAP CLOSER
TO A HOLOGRAM

THAT FEELS LIKE THE REALITY
WE SEE AROUND US.

BUT THIS ISN'T CONCRETE PROOF.

THE HOLOGRAPHIC LIGHT SOURCE
CAN BE BLOCKED.

LIGHT IS ENTERING THE SYSTEM,

AND IF WE BLOCK THAT DIRECTION
WITH OUT HANDS,

OUR UNIVERSE DISAPPEARS.

AND THIS, OF COURSE,

IS NOT HOW WE EXPECT
OUR REAL UNIVERSE TO BEHAVE.

SO EVEN THIS TECHNOLOGY IS NOT
QUITE PERFECT

FOR BUILDING
A MINIATURE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: DANIEL'S HOLOGRAMS
ARE A POOR FIT

FOR THE REALITY WE EXPERIENCE.

SO IS IT GAME OVER
FOR THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE?

IT'S EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT
TO TEST THESE IDEAS.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S
IMPOSSIBLE TO TEST THESE IDEAS.

IT JUST MEANS
IT IS A GRAND CHALLENGE.

YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES
IN OUR HISTORY

WHERE PHYSICS HAS CONFRONTED US

WITH SOMETHING
THAT JUST DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP

ON THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE
EASILY

BECAUSE THE MATH ADDS UP.

BUT IF THIS RADICAL IDEA
IS CORRECT,

THERE MUST BE EVIDENCE IN OUR
OWN UNIVERSE THAT CONFIRMS IT.

THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE
COULD BE A GAME CHANGER

AND SOLVE
A REALLY FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM

IN OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE COSMOS,

SO THE STAKES ARE REALLY HIGH.

Narrator: THE HUNT IS NOW ON
TO FIND CLUES

TO THE HOLOGRAPHIC NATURE
OF REALITY.

THE SEARCH TAKES SCIENTISTS
INTO THE PHYSICS

OF THE MOST EXTREME OBJECTS
IN THE UNIVERSE.

COULD BLACK HOLES PROVE
THAT THE UNIVERSE WE LIVE IN

IS A HOLOGRAM?

AND CAN THIS $3 MILLION MACHINE
HUNT DOWN GLITCHES

IN THE HOLOGRAM OF REALITY?

WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PICK
UP SOMETHING

WHICH NEVER WOULD'VE
BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

♪

♪

Narrator:
AN ELITE GROUP OF PHYSICISTS

IS BATTLING TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH
OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE.

THIS GROUNDBREAKING NEW THEORY
FLIES IN THE FACE

OF CONVENTIONAL WISDOM.

BUT THE MATH IS GETTING CLEARER
AND CLEARER.

THE UNIVERSE WE THINK WE KNOW
MAY NOT BE REAL.

THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE IS ONE
OF THE MORE SHOCKING,

STRANGE, MIND-BENDING IDEAS

THAT PHYSICISTS HAVE COME UP
WITH IN THE LAST HALF-CENTURY,

AND THE BAR IS HIGH.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO
THE HOLOGRAPHIC THEORY,

THE REAL UNIVERSE EXISTS
ON FLAT BUBBLE

ON THE HORIZON OF THE COSMOS.

♪

THIS 2-D VERSION OF REALITY
CAN'T BE OBSERVED DIRECTLY,

BUT THERE MAY BE A SHORTCUT.

SOME PHYSICISTS BELIEVE
THE DARK SHELL, OR HORIZON,

THAT SURROUNDS BLACK HOLES
COULD ACT LIKE

THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE.

AND BY STUDYING
THESE BOUNDARIES,

WE MAY FIND EVIDENCE THAT
SUPPORTS THE HOLOGRAPHIC THEORY.

WE UNDERSTAND MUCH LESS
ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

AS A WHOLE THAN WE DO
ABOUT BLACK HOLES.

WE'RE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND
HOW BLACK HOLES WORK

AND HOW THE HORIZONS
OF BLACK HOLES WORK.

THAT MAY BE A GOOD WAY

TO START TO THINK ABOUT
THE UNIVERSE AS WHOLE.

Narrator: BLACK HOLES ARE FOUND
THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE.

THESE DENSE POINTS IN SPACE
GREEDILY SUCK IN

THE MATTER AROUND THEM.

NOT EVEN LIGHT CAN ESCAPE
THEIR CLUTCHES.

BLACK HOLES FASCINATE PHYSICISTS

BECAUSE THE LAWS OF PHYSICS
SEEM TO BREAK DOWN INSIDE THEM.

IT'S AS IF THEY EXIST OUTSIDE
THE NORMAL UNIVERSE.

PHYSICS IS THE RULE BOOK THAT
UNIVERSE OBEYS WHEN IT BEHAVES,

WHEN IT DOES THINGS.

SO YOU'D EXPECT THE LAWS
OF PHYSICS

TO WORK EVERYWHERE
IN THE UNIVERSE,

AND YET, IN THE CENTER
OF A BLACK HOLE,

OUR PHYSICS BREAKS DOWN.

Narrator: IF BLACK HOLES EXIST
OUTSIDE OUR UNIVERSE,

COULD THEIR EDGES
SHARE PROPERTIES

WITH THE EDGE
OF OUR UNIVERSE ITSELF?

[ KEYPAD BEEPS ]

♪

AT NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY
IN ENGLAND,

SILKE WEINFURTNER INVESTIGATES

HOW BLACK HOLES
BEND THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

I THINK BLACK HOLES
ARE THE GUIDE TO NEW PHYSICS.

I SEE THEM AS
THIS HUGE OPPORTUNITY.

Narrator: SILKE SIMULATES
BLACK HOLES IN THE LAB

BY CREATING POWERFUL VORTICES
IN TANKS OF WATER.

YOU CAN THINK OF A BLACK HOLE
AT THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE,

AND THE QUESTION IS,
WHAT HAPPENS

IF YOU COME CLOSE TO THE EDGE,

AND WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ACTUALLY
FALL OVER THE EDGE?

AND WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS
TO ATTACK THE PROBLEM

FROM A VERY DIFFERENT ANGLE.

Narrator: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO
UNDERTAKE EXPERIMENTS

WITH REAL BLACK HOLES,

SO SILKE TURNS THIS WATER TANK
INTO THE NEXT BEST THING.

THE VORTEX SPINNING
AT THE CENTER OF THE TANK

SIMULATES THE ACTION
OF A ROTATING BLACK HOLE.

Weinfurtner:
WE HAVE A GIGANTIC TANK

FILLED WITH 2000 LITERS
OF WATER,

AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS
SET UP A BIG VORTEX FLOW.

AND THAT IS SITTING
AT THE CENTER OF OUR SETUP.

Narrator: SILKE INTRODUCES
FLOATING MATERIAL TO THE TANK.

THE PROJECTED GRID ALLOWS HER TO
MEASURE HOW CLOSE MATERIAL

CAN GET TO THE VORTEX
BEFORE ITS FATE IS SEALED.

YOU CAN SEE, ANYTHING THAT COMES
CLOSER THAN AROUND HERE

SLOWLY STARTS TO GET SUCKED IN.

Narrator:
AT A CERTAIN DISTANCE,

THE STRENGTH OF THE VORTEX
IS SO GREAT

THAT GETTING SUCKED IN
IS INEVITABLE.

IT'S BASICALLY --
IT'S BEING PUSHED

OVER THE EDGE OF OUR UNIVERSE.

Narrator: THIS POINT OF
NO RETURN AROUND A BLACK HOLE

IS CALLED AN EVENT HORIZON.

BLACK HOLES ARE INFINITESIMALLY
SMALL POINTS IN SPACE,

BUT THERE EVENT HORIZONS
CAN STRETCH OUT

OVER MILLIONS OF MILES.

THEY APPEAR AS A BLACK BUBBLE
AROUND THE BLACK HOLE.

THIS DARK FRONTIER IS LIKE
THE EDGE OF A WATERFALL.

NOTHING CAN COME BACK ONCE IT'S
PASSED OVER THE EVENT HORIZON.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO OBJECTS
INSIDE THE EVENT HORIZON?

AND ARE THEY TRULY PUSHED OFF
THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE?

Weinfurtner: WELL, THE PROBLEM
IS IF YOU THINK OF A BLACK HOLE

THAT SWALLOWS EVERYTHING UP,
RIGHT?

AND WHATEVER YOU THROW INTO THAT
BLACK HOLE, IT CAN BE A CHAIR,

IT CAN BE A MOBILE PHONE,
IT CAN BE FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES,

WHATEVER YOU GIVE INTO IT,
THAT'S BASICALLY LOST.

Narrator: BUT THIS
FUNDAMENTAL DESTRUCTIVE PROPERTY

CREATES A HUGE PROBLEM
FOR PHYSICISTS.

THIS BEHAVIOR IS INCOMPATIBLE,
IN A SENSE,

TO QUANTUM MECHANICS.

Narrator:
THE LAWS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS SAY

THAT EVERY PARTICLE OF MATTER
IN THE UNIVERSE

CARRIES INFORMATION
ABOUT ITS PROPERTIES,

AND THAT THIS INFORMATION
CAN NEVER BE LOST.

BLACK HOLES APPEAR TO BREAK
THIS ESSENTIAL RULE.

BLACK HOLE, YOU THROW SOMETHING
AND THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

SAYS IT HAS DISAPPEARED.

BUT IF IT DISAPPEARS, THAT MEANS
IT TAKES ALL OF THE INFORMATION

THAT IT CARRIES WITH IT.

WHERE DOES THE INFORMATION GO?

IF YOU LOSE INFORMATION,
YOU LOSE THE ABILITY TO PREDICT,

AND IF YOU LOSE THAT,
THEN PHYSICS IS IN

A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACE.

Narrator: IT SEEMS LIKE
BLACK HOLES AND QUANTUM PHYSICS

CAN'T EXIST TOGETHER
IN THE SAME UNIVERSE.

BUT THERE MAY BE ONE WAY
TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM --

THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE.

♪

♪

Narrator:
ACCORDING TO ONE VERSION

OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE,

BLACK HOLES MAY ACT AS
STORAGE DEVICES.

AS AN OBJECT IS SUCKED THROUGH
THE EVENT HORIZON,

ITS INFORMATION MIGHT BE
STRIPPED FROM ITS PARTICLES

AND IMPRINTED ON THE SURFACE
OF THE EVENT HORIZON.

THIS VIRTUAL SNAPSHOT
OF INFORMATION

IS HELD AS A PERMANENT RECORD.

IF THIS IS TRUE, NO OBJECT
FULLY LEAVES THE UNIVERSE.

INSTEAD, ITS INFORMATION REMAINS
IN ARCHIVE FORM,

FLATTENED ONTO
THE 2-DIMENSIONAL BUBBLE

OF THE EVENT HORIZON.

THIS HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE
HELPS BLACK HOLES MAKE SENSE

AND STOPS THEM FROM BREAKING
THE LAWS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS.

SO, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WHAT
AN EVENT HORIZON REALLY IS

IS SOME TYPE OF
2-DIMENSIONAL MEMBRANE

AND ALL THE INFORMATION
ABOUT ANYTHING

THAT'S EVER FALLEN INTO
THE BLACK HOLE

IS STILL ENCAPSULATED
THERE SOMEHOW.

THE EVENT HORIZON WOULD BE
ANALOGOUS TO THIS "SAVE" POINT

IN A VIDEO GAME IN THE SENSE
THAT THE INFORMATION OF OBJECTS

CARRIED IN DOESN'T GET LOST.

IT REMAINS ACCESSIBLE.

IT'S SIMPLY STORED
IN AN UNUSUAL PLACE,

AN UNUSUAL ENVIRONMENT
ON THE SURFACE

ON THE EVENT HORIZON
OF A BLACK HOLE.

♪

Narrator:
AND IF THE EVENT HORIZONS
OF BLACK HOLES

REALLY DO SHARE PROPERTIES
WITH THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE,

THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE

SUDDENLY TAKES
ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING.

JUST AS BLACK HOLES STORE
PURE INFORMATION,

ABOUT EVERY ATOM
OF EVERY PLANET,

ABOUT EVERY STAR IN
OVER 100 BILLION GALAXIES

THAT'S IMPRINTED ON THE HORIZON
OF THE UNIVERSE,

THIS VAST BUBBLE
THAT SURROUNDS THE COSMOS

MAY ACT LIKE
A COSMIC HARD DRIVE,

CARRYING THE SOURCE CODE
OF EVERYTHING WITHIN ITS BOUNDS.

THE MATHEMATICS OF BLACK HOLES
APPEARS TO SUPPORT THE IDEA

THAT THE UNIVERSE IS
HOLOGRAPHIC.

BUT TO TRULY BRING THE IDEA
INTO THE MAINSTREAM,

SCIENTISTS NEED TO FIND CONCRETE
OBSERVABLE EVIDENCE.

♪

IN SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND,
KOSTAS SKENDERIS

HAS MADE
A SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGH.

HE MAY HAVE UNCOVERED
THE FIRST DIRECT EVIDENCE

THAT THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE
IS REAL

BY STUDYING THE BIRTH
OF THE UNIVERSE.

Skenderis: THE UNIVERSE IS
ACTUALLY 14 BILLION YEARS OLD.

WITH HOLOGRAPHY, FOR FIRST TIME,

WE HAVE A CHANCE
TO ACTUALLY MODEL THAT PERIOD.

IT'S VERY EXCITING, ABSOLUTELY.

Narrator: KOSTAS USES
SUPERCOMPUTERS TO SIMULATE

WHAT A HOLOGRAPHIC BIG BANG
WOULD'VE LOOKED LIKE.

THE END RESULT IS JAW-DROPPING.

♪

BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME,

THE UNIVERSE STARTS AS
A SIMPLE DISK OF INFORMATION,

EXISTING ENTIRELY
IN TWO DIMENSIONS.

AS THE DATA IT CONTAINS
INTERACTS AND INCREASES

IN COMPLEXITY,
HIGHER DIMENSIONS ARE NEEDED,

AND THE 2-D DISK INFLATES
INTO A 3-D SPHERE.

THE COSMIC CLOCK BEGINS TO TICK
AS THE UNIVERSE WE KNOW

SLOWLY EMERGES
FROM PURE INFORMATION,

CREATING ENERGY AND MATTER
THAT WE CAN OBSERVE.

AND EVENTUALLY,
THE FIRST GLIMMER OF STARS.

♪

BUT IS THIS VERSION OF THE DAWN
OF THE UNIVERSE CORRECT?

KOSTAS BELIEVES
A HOLOGRAPHIC BIRTH

WOULD HAVE LEFT COSMIC
STRETCH MARKS ON THE UNIVERSE,

MARKS WE SHOULD BE ABLE
TO SEE TODAY.

TO FIND THEM, HE LOOKS TO A BAND
OF PRIMORDIAL RADIATION

THAT LIES BEYOND THE STARS.

THIS STRANGE, ETHEREAL GLOW IS
A REMNANT OF THE ENERGY

THAT FILLED THE EARLY UNIVERSE.

ASTRONOMERS CALL IT
THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND.

THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND

IS THE MOST DISTANT THING
THAT WE CAN SEE IN OUR UNIVERSE.

IT'S AN ECHO
OF THE BIG BANG ITSELF.

THE BIRTH OF OUR UNIVERSE.

Narrator: OUR BEST VIEW OF
THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND

COMES FROM A SPACE SATELLITE
CALLED PLANCK.

PLANCK REVEALS
THE EARLY UNIVERSE

AS AN EXPANSE
OF SEETHING ENERGY.

THE HOTTEST AREAS ARE BLUE,
AND THE COOLEST AREAS RED.

KOSTAS THINKS THIS MAP
OF PRIMORDIAL ENERGY

HOLDS STRIKING SIMILARITIES
TO HIS HOLOGRAPHIC SIMULATION.

Skenderis:
WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT

THE PATTERNS WE'RE COMPUTING

USING THE HOLOGRAPHIC THEORY
AGREE REMARKABLY WELL

WITH WHAT WE SEE IN
THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND.

I THINK THIS RESEARCH PROVIDES
THE FIRST EVIDENCE

THAT OUR UNIVERSE
MAY BE HOLOGRAPHIC.

Narrator: IT MAY NOT BE OBVIOUS
TO THE UNTRAINED EYE,

BUT FOR KOSTAS, IT'S A MATCH.

HIS SIMULATION SHOWS THE SAME
VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE

THAT CAN BE FOUND
IN THE COSMOS TODAY.

HIS RESEARCH COULD TURN OUT
TO BE THE SMOKING GUN EVIDENCE

THAT OUR UNIVERSE
REALLY IS HOLOGRAPHIC.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY EXCITING.

IT'S MIND-BLOWING.

Greene:
THE HOLOGRAPHIC IDEA IS SO NEW

THAT IT'S GOING TO GO THROUGH
MANY INCARNATIONS

AS PEOPLE TEAR IT APART,
PUT IT BACK TOGETHER,

REINTERPRET IT, INTRODUCE
NEW MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS.

BUT EVERY TIME AN EXOTIC IDEA

IS ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT
WITH OBSERVATIONAL DATA,

THAT IS WHAT
WILL PROPEL US ONWARDS

TO TRY TO MAKE MORE
REFINED TESTS OF THESE IDEAS.

Tremblay: OUR UNDERSTANDING
THE COSMOS IS DEFINED

MORE BY WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
THAN WHAT WE DO ACTUALLY KNOW.

AND SO,ONE OF THE BEST WAYS
TO BE A SCIENTIST

IS TO JUST ALLOW THE IMPOSSIBLE
TO BE POSSIBLE IN YOUR HEAD.

Narrator: THESE IDEAS OFFER
A TANTALIZING NEW BIRTH STORY

FOR THE UNIVERSE,

BUT THEY REMAIN ON THE FRINGES
OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS,

BORDERING ON SCIENCE FICTION.

WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION --
IS ANYTHING REALLY REAL?

♪

♪

Narrator: ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
SCIENTISTS CONTINUE TO PROVE

THE VALIDITY
OF THEIR HOLOGRAPHIC THEORY.

FROM GALAXIES TO PLANETS
AND PEOPLE,

THEIR MATHEMATICAL VISION
OF THE UNIVERSE

SUGGESTS OUR REALITY COULD BE
A HOLOGRAM.

THE PRINCIPLE SUGGESTS
THE REAL UNIVERSE EXISTS

IN TWO DIMENSIONS,

AND OUR LIVES ARE JUST
A PROJECTION.

IF THIS IS TRUE, WE SHOULD
BE ABLE TO FIND HARD EVIDENCE

OF THE HOLOGRAM IN ACTION.

IF YOU IMAGINE
SCIENCE FICTION FILMS

AND DEPICTIONS OF HOLOGRAMS
IN THOSE FILMS,

THOSE HOLOGRAMS OFTEN GLITCH TO
GIVE AWAY TO THE AUDIENCE

THAT THIS IS
A FAKE REPRESENTATION.

AND SO WHAT IF, YOU KNOW,
THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

ALSO HAD KIND OF "GLITCHES,"

AND THOSE GLITCHES
COULD BE OUR OBSERVABLES?

Narrator: THE IDEA THAT
A HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

COULD BE GLITCHING
COMES DOWN TO QUANTUM PHYSICS.

IT'S CALLED
THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE.

THIS THEORY SUGGESTS THAT
SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

FLASH IN AND OUT
OF EXISTENCE LIKE FIREFLIES,

MAKING REALITY GLITCHY
AT THE MOST MICRO LEVEL.

AND IN A HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE,

THIS GLITCHY NATURE OF REALITY
MAY BE STRONGER.

♪

TODAY, AT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF ENERGY'S FERMILAB,

CRAIG HOGAN MASTERMINDS
AN EXPERIMENT

TO SCAN THE UNIVERSE
FOR HOLOGRAPHIC GLITCHES.

Hogan: WE'RE DRIVING ALONG

ONE OF THE OLD BEAM LINES
AT FERMILAB

TO AN EXPERIMENT CALLED
THE HOLOMETER.

WE PUT THIS TOGETHER
OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS TO STUDY

THE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS
THAT MAKE UP SPACE AND TIME.

Narrator:
IT'S A TALL ORDER FOR CRAIG.

IF THESE GLITCHES EXIST,

THEY WILL ONLY BE FOUND
ON MICROSCOPIC SCALES.

WHEN YOU ZOOM IN ON AN OBJECT --

PAST MOLECULES, ATOMS,
AND ELECTRONS --

YOU ENTER A QUANTUM WORLD
WHERE NOTHING IS FIXED.

TINY GRAINS OF PURE INFORMATION
CALLED QUANTUM BITS,

OR QUBITS,
CONSTANTLY SHIFT AROUND.

IN HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE,
THE QUBITS MOVE IN LAYERS --

2-D SLICES SHIFTING ONE
AFTER THE OTHER.

THIS SYNCHRONIZED JITTER

PRODUCES TINY GLITCHES
IN REALITY,

THAT MAY BE DETECTED, BUT ONLY
BY THE MOST SENSITIVE EQUIPMENT.

♪

THESE GLITCHES,
IF THEY TRULY EXIST,

ARE A THOUSAND TIMES SMALLER
THAN A PROTON IN AN ATOM --

A SCALE SO SMALL,

MANY SCIENTISTS
THINK IT'S UNDETECTABLE.

WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PICK UP
SOMETHING WHICH IS

SO SMALL AND SUBTLE

IT NEVER WOULD
HAVE BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: CRAIG HAS DEVELOPED
THIS MULTIMILLION DOLLAR MACHINE

TO HUNT
THESE MINISCULE GLITCHES.

IT'S CALLED THE HOLOMETER.

IT USES A LASER BEAM RULER

TO SEARCH
FOR HOLOGRAPHIC GLITCHES

IN THE FABRIC OF SPACE AND TIME.

WE'RE SENDING LASER LIGHT
INTO AN EXPLORATION

OF SPACE AND TIME,
AND THIS IS WHERE THAT STARTS,

'CAUSE THIS IS WHERE
THE LIGHT IS GENERATED,

BACK HERE
IN THIS VERY POWERFUL LASER.

Narrator: THIS EQUIPMENT
SUPERCHARGES A LASER BEAM,

TO GIVE IT A MILLION TIMES
MORE POWER

THAN A REGULAR LASER POINTER.

THE HIGH-POWERED LASERS
SPLIT INTO TWO BEAMS.

THE BEAMS FIRE SIMULTANEOUSLY
DOWN TWO 65-FOOT-LONG TUBES.

AT THE END OF EACH TUBE
IS A MIRROR,

WHICH BOUNCES THE LASER BACK
DOWN THE LENGTH OF THE TUBE.

ANY GLITCHES IN
THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

COULD MOVE THE MIRRORS LESS THAN
3 BILLION BILLIONTHS OF A FOOT.

THE HOLOMETER IS PROGRAMMED

TO DETECT THESE CHANGES
IN LENGTH.

IF QUANTUM GLITCHES ARE REALLY
OCCURRING IN THE UNIVERSE,

CRAIG BELIEVES BOTH LASERS
WILL DETECT THEM,

BUT AT DIFFERENT TIMES.

SO, THE MEASUREMENT WE'RE DOING
IS TO SEE

WHETHER MIRRORS EVER STAND
PERFECTLY STILL.

IF SPACE AND TIME,
WITH NOTHING IN IT,

IS MADE OF PARTICLES
OR QUANTUM THINGS,

THE PREDICTION IS IT SHOULD
NEVER STAND PERFECTLY STILL.

EVERYTHING SHOULD BE JITTERING
OR ROTATING A TINY BIT

AND WE'RE USING INTERFEROMETERS
TO LOOK FOR THAT EXOTIC MOTION

ON THE VERY SMALLEST SCALES.

Narrator:
THE TEAM NEEDS TO MAKE SURE

THAT ANY MOVEMENT DETECTED
IS, IN FACT,

FROM THE NATURE OF SPACE/TIME,

NOT FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD
INTERFERING WITH THE LASERS.

SO THEY CONDUCT TESTS AT NIGHT
TO ENSURE ACCURACY.

Hogan: IF WE TRY TO DO
THE MEASUREMENT DURING THE DAY,

PEOPLE ARE COMING
AND GOING FROM WORK,

THE SUN SHINES ON THINGS,
THE GROUND EXPANDS,

AND IT ALL MOVES BY
A TINY AMOUNT.

AND THAT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE
TO GET REALLY CLEAN DATA

TO UNLOCK THE APPARATUS
DURING THE DAY.

SO WE WAIT TILL NIGHT,
WHEN IT CALMS DOWN.

Narrator:
CRAIG HAS BEEN WORKING ON

THIS LASER-POWERED
HOLOGRAPHIC RULER

FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS.

BUT JUST AS IT ACHIEVED
THE SENSITIVITY NEEDED,

THE LASER FAILED THEM.

SO WE'VE REINSTALLED
THE LASERS,

AFTER GETTING THEM REFURBISHED.

THE TEAM'S IN THERE NOW,
LINING UP THE BEAMS

AND GETTING READY TO DO
A NEW ROUND OF DATA-TAKING

THIS SUMMER.

Narrator:
THERE'S NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS,

BUT FOR CRAIG,
IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT.

IF WE LEARN ABOUT HOW
SPACE AND TIME REALLY WORK

AT A DEEPER LEVEL,
THE QUANTUM LEVEL,

WE'RE GOING TO BE UNLEASHING
ALL KINDS OF NEW POSSIBILITIES.

IT'S REAL HARD TO SPECULATE
WHAT THOSE MIGHT BE,

BUT, YOU KNOW,

IF YOU THINK ABOUT
SCIENCE FICTION POSSIBILITIES,

LIKE TELEPORTATION, THAT'S WHAT
THEY WOULD HAVE TO INVOLVE.

IF YOU WERE ABLE TO MEASURE
QUANTUM FLUCTUATIONS,

VIBRATIONS FROM THE QUANTUM
NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE,

TAKING PLACE IN THE FABRIC
OF SPACE AND TIME,

THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE MOST
SPECTACULAR DISCOVERIES

THAT OUR SPECIES
HAS EVER ACCOMPLISHED.

Narrator: CRAIG'S TEAM CONTINUES
TO FINE TUNE THEIR EQUIPMENT.

AND ONCE THE SYSTEM IS STABLE,

IT MAY BE THE KEY TO FINDING OUT
IF THE UNIVERSE IS HOLOGRAPHIC.

♪

THE HOLOGRAPHIC THEORY
COULD REVOLUTIONIZE

THE WAY WE LOOK AT THE UNIVERSE.

BUT WHILE CRAIG CONTINUES
HIS SEARCH,

RESEARCHERS IN THE NETHERLANDS
MIGHT HAVE BEATEN HIM TO IT.

♪

♪

Narrator: SCIENTISTS ACROSS
THE WORLD ARE SEARCHING

FOR EVIDENCE THAT
THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM.

THEY FIND CLUES IN THE INNER
WORKINGS OF BLACK HOLES

AND IN THE EARLIEST IMAGES
OF THE INFANT UNIVERSE.

THEY CONSTRUCT HOLOGRAMS
YOU CAN TOUCH

AND BUILD MASSIVE MACHINES

TO CHECK THE FABRIC
OF SPACE/TIME FOR GLITCHES.

BUT SO FAR, ONLY THE SMALLEST
HINTS OF EVIDENCE HAVE EMERGED.

THAT IS, UNTIL NOW.

SOME RESEARCHERS THINK
A GALAXY-SIZED CLUE

HAS BEEN STARING US
IN THE FACE FOR OVER 40 YEARS.

♪

ERIK VERLINDE BELIEVES
AN UNUSUAL PROPERTY

OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

COULD EXPLAIN
A DECADES-OLD PUZZLE.

Verlinde: WE ARE CURRENTLY
TRYING TO DEVELOP

A NEW WAY OF THINKING
ABOUT GRAVITY.

IT STARTS FROM
THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO
THE NORMAL LAWS OF PHYSICS,

SPINNING GALAXIES
DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MASS

TO STOP THEIR STARS
BEING FLUNG INTO SPACE.

SO SCIENTISTS HAVE INVENTED
A SUBSTANCE

THAT ADDS GRAVITY TO
THESE GALAXIES,

HOLDING THEM TOGETHER,

AND MAKING THEIR EQUATIONS
ADD UP.

THEY CALL
THIS INVISIBLE SOURCE OF GRAVITY

DARK MATTER.

ONLY WITH DARK MATTER IN THE MIX

CAN THE SHAPE OF
SPIRAL GALAXIES MAKE SENSE.

Greene: WE BELIEVE THAT
THERE'S DARK MATTER

BECAUSE WHEN WE STUDY THE MOTION
OF STARS IN ORBITING GALAXIES,

THEY'RE NOT TRAVELLING
AT THE RIGHT SPEED.

THEY'RE TRAVELLING TOO FAST.

SO SOMETHING HAS TO BE PULLING
ON THEM THAT WE DON'T SEE,

AND WE SUGGEST THAT MAYBE
THERE'S SOME DARK STUFF

OUT THERE,
EXERTING GRAVITATIONAL PULL,

AND THAT'S RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE MOTION OF THE STARS.

Narrator:
BUT THERE'S A TWIST.

NO MATTER HOW HARD WE LOOK,
WE CAN'T FIND ANY EVIDENCE

THAT DARK MATTER PARTICLES
ACTUALLY EXIST.

SCIENTISTS HAVE GONE
TO EXTREME LENGTHS

TO DETECT TRACES
OF DARK MATTER PARTICLES.

ONE STUDY HAS BUILT
THIS LABORATORY

DEEP INSIDE A MOUNTAIN.

THE EXPERIMENT IS DESIGNED
TO FIND DARK MATTER PARTICLES

PASSING THROUGH
THESE LARGE TANKS OF XENON.

IT COSTS $160 MILLION,

AND SO FAR,
THEY'VE FOUND NOTHING.

Thaller:
ONE OF THE REAL PROBLEMS

WITH OUR VIEW
OF THE UNIVERSE RIGHT NOW,

IS WE APPEAR TO UNDERSTAND
VERY LITTLE OF IT.

TAKE THE CASE OF DARK MATTER.

WE SEE THE PRESENCE OF SOMETHING
OUT THERE

THAT SEEMS TO HAVE GRAVITY,
BUT NOTHING ELSE.

YOU COULDN'T TOUCH IT
OR SMELL IT.

IT DOESN'T INTERACT WITH US
IN ANY OTHER WAY.

IT JUST HAS GRAVITY.

AND THIS DOESN'T REALLY
MAKE SENSE,

HOW WE FOUND AN ENTIRELY
NEW PHASE OF MATTER,

THAT HAVEN'T EVEN FOUND A SINGLE
PARTICLE OF AN EXAMPLE OF.

Narrator: ERIK'S CONVINCED
WE CAN'T FIND DARK MATTER,

BECAUSE IT DOESN'T EXIST.

AND IT'S APPARENT EFFECTS
ARE REALLY JUST A FLAW

ON THE CONVENTIONAL LAWS
OF PHYSICS.

I'VE CONCLUDED
THAT WE NEED TO DEVELOP

A NEW THEORY OF GRAVITY.

Narrator: THE LAWS OF GRAVITY
WERE FIRST PROPOSED

BY ISAAC NEWTON
IN THE 17th CENTURY.

THEY REINFORCE OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE MOTION OF THE PLANETS,

AND ALL OUR EXPLORATIONS
INTO SPACE.

DARK MATTER KEEPS THESE LAWS
IN TACT.

BUT THE HOLOGRAPHIC THEORY

BLOWS THEM
CLEAN OUT OF THE WATER.

♪

ERIK'S FORMULA SUGGESTS

THAT THE IMPOSSIBLE-LOOKING
GALAXIES

ARE A NATURAL FEATURE
OF A HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE.

INSTEAD OF DARK MATTER HOLDING
THE SPEEDING STARS IN CHECK,

IT'S THE HOLOGRAPHIC HORIZON
THAT PROVIDES THE EXTRA GLUE.

THE TWO DIMENSIONAL GALAXY
ON THE HOLOGRAPHIC BUBBLE

PROVIDES A 3-DIMENSIONAL
FRAMEWORK

THAT EXTENDS
THROUGH OUR UNIVERSE,

LIKE COSMIC PUPPET STRINGS.

THESE HOLOGRAPHIC TETHERS
HOLD ON

TO FAST-ROTATING GALAXIES
LIKE ANCHORS,

PREVENTING THEIR SPEEDING STARS
FROM FLYING OFF

INTO INTERGALACTIC SPACE.

WE'VE BEEN ASSUMING
THAT THE UNIVERSE

IS MORE AND MORE STRANGE,

IN FORMS THAT
WE CAN'T EVEN REACT TO.

INSTEAD, WE MAY HAVE MISSED
THE UNDERLYING NATURE

OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE.

Narrator: ERIK'S THEORY
MIGHT STACK UP ON PAPER,

BUT COULD IT REALLY BE TRUE?

♪

♪

Narrator: THEORETICAL PHYSICIST
ERIK VERLINDE'S

HOLOGRAPHIC VISION OF GRAVITY

CHALLENGES OVER 300 YEARS
OF SCIENTIFIC THINKING.

AND EXTRAORDINARY CLAIMS
REQUIRE EXTRAORDINARY PROOF.

SO, ERIK SEARCHES FOR EVIDENCE.

IN ORDER TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS
IN THESE GALAXIES,

YOU NEED TELESCOPES
OR OTHER WAYS OF OBSERVING

WHAT THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD
LOOKS LIKE AROUND THE GALAXY.

AND THEN IT'S THE ASTRONOMERS
THAT NEED TO TEST THESE IDEAS.

♪

Narrator:
ERIK'S THEORIES PREDICT

HOW THE STRENGTH OF
GRAVITY VARIES

ACROSS THE DISK OF A GALAXY.

IF THE UNIVERSE IS HOLOGRAPHIC,

THIS VARIATION SHOULD BE
OBSERVABLE THROUGH TELESCOPES.

BUT ERIK CAN'T DO IT ALONE.

WE REALLY NEED, LITERALLY,
MILLIONS OF BACKGROUND GALAXIES.

YEAH.

Narrator: ASTROPHYSICIST
MARGOT BROUWER

SCOURS THE UNIVERSE TO MEASURE
THE VARIATION OF GRAVITY

IN DIFFERENT GALAXIES.

ERIK HAS MADE THE PREDICTION
HOW THE STRENGTH OF GRAVITY

IN A GALAXY VARIES
FROM ITS CENTER,

UP TO VERY LARGE DISTANCES.

SO WE'VE USED THE DATA
FROM THESE GALAXIES

TO PUT ERIK VERLINDE'S THEORY
TO THE TEST.

Narrator: MEASURING THE GRAVITY
ACROSS DISTANT GALAXIES

IS A HUGE CHALLENGE FOR MARGOT.

LUCKILY, THE COSMOS CREATES
A WEIRD OPTICAL ILLUSION

TO HELP HER.

SOME GALAXIES ARE SO MASSIVE,

THEY BEND LIGHT AROUND THEM,

AN EFFECT CALLED
GRAVITATIONAL LENSING.

THE STRONGER THE GRAVITY,

THE MORE THE BACKGROUND
APPEARS TO WARP.

IT'S A PRICELESS TOOL FOR
MARGOT'S STUDIES.

YOU NEED A CERTAIN
AMOUNT OF GALAXIES

TO GET A SIGNIFICANT SIGNAL.
-OKAY.

Narrator: MARGOT NEEDS TO TRAWL
VAST AREAS OF THE COSMOS

FOR DATA TO EVALUATE
THIS RADICAL IDEA.

TO TEST ERIK VERLINDE'S THEORY

WE STUDIED MORE THAN
33,000 GALAXIES.

♪

Narrator: MARGOT MAPS
THE DISTRIBUTION OF GRAVITY

IN THESE GALAXIES BY LOOKING AT
HOW THEY DISTORT THE LIGHT

FROM MILLIONS OF GALAXIES
BEHIND THEM.

SHE THEN COMPARES THE RESULTS

TO THE PREDICTIONS MADE
BY ERIK'S FORMULAS.

INCREDIBLY, ERIK'S THEORY IS
AN ALMOST PERFECT FIT

FOR THE UNIVERSE WE SEE
AROUND US.

THE SPIRAL GALAXIES THAT HAVE
MYSTIFIED ASTRONOMERS

FOR DECADES
COULD JUST BE A NATURAL FEATURE

OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE.

ERIK VERLINDE'S THEORY

GIVES A SLIGHTLY MORE ELEGANT
SOLUTION.

BUT WHERE WE HAVE TO ADJUST
THE THEORIES OF GRAVITY

TOWARDS THIS--
YEAH, QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS NOW HAVE
AN ALTERNATIVE WAY

OF UNDERSTANDING THE COSMOS,

ONE THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE
DARK MATTER.

I KNEW, IMMEDIATELY,
WHEN I SAW IT,

THAT THIS WAS
SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT,

THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL,

AND THAT I WAS THE FIRST ONE
TO SEE IT,

AND THAT FELT AMAZING.

Thaller: ISAAC NEWTON USED
THE LAWS OF MATHEMATICS

TO WONDERFULLY DESCRIBE
HOW OBJECTS ACCELERATE,

HOW PLANETS ORBIT AROUND STARS.

BUT THERE WERE SOME THINGS
THAT WEREN'T QUITE RIGHT.

AND THEN HE NEEDED EINSTEIN.

EINSTEIN DIDN'T PROVE
NEWTON WRONG.

HE TOOK NEWTON'S IDEAS
AND EXPANDED THEM

TO DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.

HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE
NOW TAKES US ONE STEP FURTHER.

SOMETIMES OUR IDEAS ARE
FLAT OUT WRONG.

BUT THE AMAZING THING OF
THE LAST 100 YEARS

IS THAT WE'VE SEEN
THAT MANY OF THESE NUTTY,

CRAZY-SOUNDING IDEAS HAVE BEEN
BORNE OUT BY OBSERVATION.

Narrator:
MORE EVIDENCE WILL BE NEEDED

BEFORE THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY
IS CONVINCED.

BUT WITH GROUND-BREAKING
THEORETICAL WORK,

AND INNOVATIVE
EXPERIMENTAL TESTS

TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE WORLD,

THE EVIDENCE MIGHT SOON PROVE IF
WE ARE LIVING IN A HOLOGRAM.

I AM A GREAT FAN
OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC IDEAS,

THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE.

IT NATURALLY EMERGES
FROM THE EQUATIONS

THAT WE'VE BEEN STUDYING
FOR 30-40 YEARS.

AND IT ALSO FEELS RIGHT.

IT REALLY FEELS LIKE IT CAPTURES
THE CURIOUS QUALITY OF GRAVITY

IN A MANNER THAT REALLY BEFITS
BOTH THE DATA

AND OUR THEORETICAL PREJUDICES.

SO I THINK THERE'S A VERY,
VERY GOOD CHANCE

THAT THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE
IS CORRECT.

THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE IS
AN INTERESTING IDEA.

IT MAY EVEN BE RIGHT.
IT MAY NOT. WE DON'T KNOW YET.

WE'RE STILL FIGURING
THIS STUFF OUT.

BUT I THINK WHAT IT'S TELLING US
IS THAT OUR KNOWLEDGE

OF THE UNIVERSE,
RIGHT NOW, IS INCOMPLETE.

WE'RE PRETTY SMART
AND WE'VE COME A LONG WAY.

THERE'S STILL A LONG WAY TO GO.

IF, HYPOTHETICALLY,
THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

WERE SHOWN TO BE TRUE,

THAT'S SAYING THAT
THIS 4-DIMENSIONAL SPACE/TIME

THAT WE LIVE IN
ISN'T ACTUALLY REAL,

IT'S MORE OF A SIMULATION.

I CAN'T THINK OF ANY MORE,
YOU KNOW,

TRANSFORMATIONAL, LIKE, "WHOA!"
MOMENT IN SCIENCE THAN THAT.

♪

Narrator: THE HOLOGRAPHIC THEORY

STILL SITS ON THE FRINGES
OF PHYSICS.

BUT IT'S BOLD IDEAS HAVE ALREADY
SENT SHOCK WAVES

THROUGH THE WORLD OF SCIENCE.

I DO BELIEVE THAT
THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE

HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED
THE WAY WE THINK

ABOUT ALMOST
ALL FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS.

ONLY TIME WILL TELL

IF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE
IS REAL.

EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WE KNEW
ABOUT THE UNIVERSE.