Dr. James Beacham – What's outside the universe? | The Conference 2019
TLDRIn this thought-provoking script, the speaker explores the cosmic mysteries beyond our universe, drawing from childhood experiences and scientific inquiry. They delve into the concept of the multiverse, the implications of the Higgs boson discovery, and the vast unknowns of dark matter and dark energy. With humor and humility, the narrative challenges our understanding of reality, urging us to embrace the terrifying beauty of the unknown and the continuous pursuit of knowledge.
Takeaways
- 🌌 The universe's vastness and the concept of it having an edge sparked a childhood curiosity about what lies beyond our observable cosmos.
- 🏞️ Growing up in southern Utah with clear night skies fueled a deep interest in stargazing and pondering cosmic questions with a friend named Melody.
- 🔭 Early beliefs about a dome-like sky with painted stars contrast with modern scientific understanding of a universe that is constantly expanding.
- 🤔 The question of what exists outside the universe is still a mystery and provokes thoughts on the possibility of an infinite cosmos without an edge.
- 🚀 The cosmic microwave background radiation is the oldest light we can observe, providing a glimpse into the universe when it was only a few hundred thousand years old.
- 📏 The universe's expansion is not uniform; it underwent a rapid inflationary period after the Big Bang, which has implications for the structure and distribution of matter we see today.
- 🧬 The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider was crucial for understanding why particles have mass, which is fundamental to the existence of atoms and, by extension, life.
- 🤝 Melody's indigenous background and her inquisitive nature challenged conventional thinking and contributed to deep discussions about the nature of the universe.
- 🌐 The idea of a multiverse, where our universe is just one of many, arises from theoretical physics and mathematical models, suggesting that our universe's properties may not be unique.
- 🔮 The search for new particles at higher energies could provide more evidence for theories like the multiverse, with future colliders potentially offering insights into these concepts.
- 🛰️ Ambitious ideas like a particle collider around the moon or the edge of the solar system push the boundaries of scientific exploration and technological innovation.
Q & A
What was the childhood experience that sparked the narrator's curiosity about the universe?
-The narrator's curiosity about the universe was sparked during childhood stargazing sessions with a friend named Melody, where they would ask questions about the cosmos and the nature of the universe.
What was the traditional belief of Melody's ancestors regarding the Earth and the sky?
-Melody's ancestors believed that the Earth was a big flat rock with a solid dome of sky a few kilometers above, and the stars were painted on the dome, all held in the hand of a big creature that would occasionally shake it.
What is the cosmic microwave background radiation and why is it significant?
-The cosmic microwave background radiation is light signals from when the universe was only a few hundred thousand years old. It is significant because it is the closest we can get to a baby picture of our universe, providing insights into its early state.
What is the concept of the Big Bang in relation to the universe's expansion?
-The Big Bang is the concept that the universe began as a tiny, dense point that started expanding. This expansion is observed in the movement of galaxies away from each other, suggesting that everything was once packed into a singularity.
What is the phenomenon of 'inflation' in the context of the universe's early history?
-Inflation refers to a period in the early universe when it expanded at an incredibly rapid rate, much faster than the speed of light. This inflation is considered to have set the stage for the formation of cosmic structures like galaxies.
What is the observable universe and why is it only a subset of the entire universe?
-The observable universe is the part of the entire universe within which light has had time to reach us. It is only a subset because the universe is expanding, and there are regions from which light has not yet had time to reach us.
What is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and what is its purpose?
-The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a 27-kilometer circular tunnel on the border of France and Switzerland. It is used to accelerate particles to almost the speed of light and smash them together to study the debris of these collisions, searching for evidence of new particles that could answer fundamental questions in physics.
What is the significance of the Higgs boson particle and its discovery?
-The Higgs boson particle is significant because it demonstrates the existence of the Higgs field, an invisible field that permeates all of space and gives particles their mass. Its discovery confirmed the existence of this field and was crucial for our understanding of the universe.
What is dark matter and why is it a mystery?
-Dark matter is a form of matter that does not interact with light and is therefore invisible. It is a mystery because it is estimated to be five to six times more abundant than visible matter, yet its exact nature and composition are still unknown.
What is the concept of a multiverse and why is it considered?
-The multiverse concept suggests that our universe may be just one of an infinite number of universes. It is considered due to certain physical phenomena, like the uniformity of the cosmic microwave background and the specific values of fundamental constants, which might be explained by the existence of other universes with different properties.
What is the potential significance of building a particle collider around the moon?
-Building a particle collider around the moon could allow us to reach energies much higher than those achievable with current technology, potentially revealing new particles and insights into fundamental physics, including the possibility of a multiverse.
Outlines
🌌 The Mystery of the Universe's Edge
This paragraph narrates a childhood memory of stargazing and the profound question about what lies beyond the universe. It discusses the limitations of human understanding, early cosmological beliefs, and the concept of the observable universe. The story highlights a moment of realization about the infinite nature of the cosmos and the fear and awe it instills.
🌠 The Expanding Universe and the Big Bang Theory
The paragraph delves into the concept of an expanding universe, the cosmic microwave background radiation, and the uniformity of the early universe. It introduces the theory of inflation that occurred shortly after the Big Bang, which suggests an exponential expansion faster than the speed of light, leading to the idea of a multiverse with many observable universes beyond our detection.
🔬 The Large Hadron Collider and the Higgs Boson
This section describes the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its significance in understanding the fundamental nature of particles and their masses. It also touches on the peculiarity of the Higgs boson's mass and the implications it has for the stability of the universe, hinting at the possible existence of a multiverse.
🌐 The Multiverse Theory and Its Implications
The speaker contemplates the theoretical underpinnings of a multiverse, where our universe is just one of many that could exist with different physical constants. They discuss the philosophical and scientific implications of this theory, including the challenges it poses to our understanding of reality and the potential for alternate versions of our own universe.
🚀 The Pursuit of Higher Energies in Particle Physics
The paragraph discusses the need for higher energy levels in particle accelerators to explore the unknown frontiers of physics, such as the Planck energy scale. It presents the idea of building a larger collider, like the Future Circular Collider (FCC), to probe deeper into the fundamental questions of the universe, including the nature of dark matter and the possibility of a multiverse.
🌘 The Nature of Time and the Limits of Knowledge
This section explores the concept of time, the possibility of time travel, and the inherent limitations of our knowledge as dictated by the laws of physics, such as those found in quantum mechanics. It addresses the philosophical questions raised by these limitations and the potential for scientific exploration beyond our current understanding.
🌟 The Cosmic Perspective on Humanity and Social Change
The speaker reflects on the cosmic perspective that views humans as temporary collections of quantum vibrations, challenging traditional notions of human significance and social hierarchies. They suggest that this perspective could inspire a shift in societal paradigms towards a more equitable and compassionate worldview.
🛰️ The Call for Innovation in Particle Acceleration
In this paragraph, the speaker calls for innovative thinking in the field of particle acceleration, suggesting that breakthroughs like plasma wake field acceleration could one day allow us to reach unprecedented energy levels in much smaller spaces, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of the universe.
🤝 The Unity of Humanity in the Universe
The final paragraph emphasizes the interconnectedness of all humans as part of the same universe, advocating for unity and collective action against social and environmental injustices. It concludes with a powerful message about the responsibility we share as humans to seek knowledge and challenge the status quo.
🤔 Engaging with the Unknown: A Dialogue on Multiverse Theory
This section presents a Q&A format where the speaker addresses concerns about the implications of a multiverse theory, such as the potential for other universes to collide with ours. They also discuss the nature of time, the possibility of time travel, and the distinction between dark matter and dark energy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Universe
💡Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
💡Big Bang
💡Inflation
💡Observable Universe
💡Higgs Boson
💡Dark Matter
💡Quantum Mechanics
💡Quantum Field Theory
💡Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
💡Multiverse
Highlights
The question of what lies outside the universe is explored through childhood memories and the limitations of human understanding.
The universe's expansion is likened to a balloon inflating, but space itself is expanding rather than the universe inflating into a pre-existing space.
The concept of the observable universe is introduced, suggesting that it is a small subset of a much larger whole.
The theory of cosmic inflation, which posits a rapid expansion of the universe faster than the speed of light, is discussed.
The idea that our universe may be one of an infinite number of 'bubble universes' created by cosmic inflation is presented.
The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider and its importance to our understanding of mass is highlighted.
The Higgs field, responsible for giving particles mass, is described as an invisible jelly that permeates all of space.
The possibility that the Higgs boson's mass could be a result of a multiverse with different values in different universes is considered.
The search for new particles at the Large Hadron Collider to better understand the Higgs boson mass is ongoing.
The proposal for a future circular Collider (FCC) at CERN, which would be significantly larger than the current Large Hadron Collider, is mentioned.
The moon Collider concept, a theoretical particle accelerator around the moon's circumference, is introduced as a way to reach higher energies.
The importance of innovation and collaboration in the pursuit of scientific discovery, such as the moon Collider idea, is emphasized.
The potential for plasma wake field acceleration to achieve higher energies in a smaller space than traditional particle accelerators is discussed.
The philosophical implications of quantum mechanics and the shift in understanding humanity's place in the universe are explored.
The speaker reflects on the social and political implications of scientific understanding, suggesting that recognizing our cosmic interconnectedness could promote empathy and unity.
The importance of asking big questions and pursuing knowledge despite the fear of the unknown or the fear of changing our understanding of reality is underscored.
The potential for a collider experiment at the Planck energy scale to reveal fundamental truths about physics, including the nature of gravity and quantum mechanics, is suggested.
Transcripts
Browse More Related Video
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
Thanks for rating: