Robbert Dijkgraaf

37
The Unknown Universe Robbert Dijkgraaf

description

We are in the middle of a golden era of exploration. Particle physicists are probing the smallest distances; cosmologists are looking at the very end of the universe. All are looking for answers to fundamental questions. What is matter made of? Are there extra dimensions? What is the nature of space and time? What can we learn from our past and future? Presentation by Prof Dr Robbert Dijkgraaf at TEDxAmsterdam

Transcript of Robbert Dijkgraaf

Page 1: Robbert Dijkgraaf

The Unknown Universe

Robbert Dijkgraaf

Page 2: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Very impressive, dearcolleague.

But does it also workin theory?

Page 3: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Galileo’s `Book of Nature’

Page 4: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Galileo Galilei

The Book of Nature“The universe cannot be read

until we have learned the language and become familiar with the characters in which it

is written. It is written in mathematical language, and

the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures,

without which means it is humanly impossible to

comprehend a single word.”

“The universe cannot be read until we have learned the

language and become familiar with the characters in which it

is written. It is written in mathematical language, and

the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures,

without which means it is humanly impossible to

comprehend a single word.”

Page 5: Robbert Dijkgraaf

“If all mathematics disappeared today,physics would be set back

exactly one week.”

“That was the weekthat God created the world.”

Anonymous Mathematician

Anonymous MathematicianRichard Feynman Richard Feynman

“To those who do not know mathematics it is difficult to get across a real feeling as to

the beauty, the deepest beauty, of nature ... If you want to learn about nature,

to appreciate nature, it is necessary to understand the language that she speaks in.”

Page 6: Robbert Dijkgraaf

CosmosRelativity

ParticlesQuantum

Page 7: Robbert Dijkgraaf

The Universe

Page 8: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Curvature of Space-Time

Mass

Page 9: Robbert Dijkgraaf

The Quantum World

Page 10: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Black Box

?in uit

Page 11: Robbert Dijkgraaf

in uit

Black Box

?

Page 12: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 13: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 14: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 15: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 16: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 17: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Hair

Anomalous magnetic moment of the electron 1,0011596521859 ± 0,0000000000038

Page 18: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Standard Model

Page 19: Robbert Dijkgraaf

u

u

u

d

d

d u

u

u

d

d

d

e

e

Grand Unified Theory?

Page 20: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Dark MatterDark Matter

Page 21: Robbert Dijkgraaf

StrongForce

WeakForce

ElectroMagnetism Gravity

Ener

gy G

eV

Unification 1015

1010

105

1

Page 22: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Space-Time Foam

Planck length 10-35 m

Page 23: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Max Planck

}Planck length

Page 24: Robbert Dijkgraaf

The Hierarchy

3510 m 510 m 2510 m

Hubble Scale(largest)

“Life”Planck Scale(smallest)

Page 25: Robbert Dijkgraaf

The Unbearable LightnessOf Gravity

Page 26: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 27: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Why is every electron exactly the same?

NATURE’SELECTRONFACTORY

e

Page 28: Robbert Dijkgraaf

There is onlyone electron in the universe!

John Wheeler

Richard Feynman

Page 29: Robbert Dijkgraaf

time

Space-Time

++

++

+

-

-- -

--

Page 30: Robbert Dijkgraaf

time

Virtual Particles

Page 31: Robbert Dijkgraaf

time

Vacuum Fluctuations

Page 32: Robbert Dijkgraaf

time

Vacuum Fluctuations

Page 33: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 34: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Dark Energy

Page 35: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Page 36: Robbert Dijkgraaf

73% dark energy73% dark energy

Weight of the Universe

23% dark matter 23% dark matter 4% known matter 4% known matter

Page 37: Robbert Dijkgraaf

Dark Knowledge