Video Infoblog: The Terrifying Quantum Theory Scientists Don’t Even Want To Talk About

Transcript

0:00

[Music]

0:02

whoever said you can't get something

0:04

from nothing must never have learned

0:06

quantum physics in empty space the

0:09

epitome of nothingness simply

0:10

manipulating it correctly will cause

0:13

something to appear when two particles

0:15

Collide in empty space sometimes

0:18

additional particle anti-particle pairs

0:20

emerge at the subatomic level if you try

0:23

to separate a mison's quark from its

0:25

antiquark new particle anti-particle

0:27

pairs are pulled out of the space

0:29

between them in theory a strong enough

0:31

electromagnetic field can even create

0:33

particles and antiparticles from the

0:35

vacuum itself without any initial

0:37

particles or anti- particles it was

0:39

previously believed that the highest

0:41

particle energies were required to

0:43

produce these effects achievable only in

0:45

high energy particle physics experiments

0:47

or extreme astrophysical environments of

0:50

cosmic strength Fields such as those

0:52

around magnetars or created transitorily

0:55

during high energy collisions of charged

0:58

nuclei however in recent years strong

1:01

enough electric Fields were created in a

1:03

simple laboratory setup using the unique

1:05

properties of graphine enabling the

1:08

spontaneous creation of particle

1:09

anti-particle pairs from nothing this

1:12

prediction made over 70 years ago by one

1:15

of the founders of quantum field Theory

1:17

Julian schwinger has now been verified

1:20

the schwinger effect shows us how the

1:22

universe can truly create something from

1:27

nothing the nature of the universe has

1:30

long fascinated scientists and

1:31

philosophers alike leading to a

1:33

ceaseless quest to understand the

1:35

fundamental constituents of reality it's

1:38

easy to be captivated by the face nature

1:40

reveals directly to our senses however

1:44

the evidence gathered from our

1:45

rudimentary perceptions often yields a

1:47

clouded conception of the world we

1:49

inhabit modern science paints a very

1:52

different picture breakthroughs in

1:54

physics have forced and continued to

1:56

force dramatic revisions to our

1:58

understanding of the cosmos

2:00

the overarching lesson that has emerged

2:02

from scientific inquiry over the last

2:04

century is that Human Experience is

2:06

often a misleading Guide to the true

2:08

nature of reality lying just beneath the

2:11

surface of the everyday is a world we'd

2:13

hardly recognize the universe doesn't

2:15

consist of static things but Dynamic

2:17

Fields what truly matters are the

2:20

ongoing happenings processes and

2:22

occurrences rather than concrete

2:24

substances or entities ultimately

2:26

nothing simply is rather everything

2:29

happens the universe in other words is

2:31

in a constant state of flux and becoming

2:34

rather than stasis as it turns out space

2:37

is unavoidably suffused with Quantum

2:39

Fields far from being inert empty space

2:43

is now understood to Harbor latent

2:44

energies and phenomena that manifest

2:46

under certain

2:48

conditions the universe with all its

2:50

complexity can be reduced to its

2:52

simplest most fundamental components if

2:55

you can determine the underlying rules

2:57

laws and theories that govern reality

3:00

you can use this understanding to

3:01

predict what will happen both in the

3:03

distant future and the distant past

3:05

based on the current state of your

3:07

system the quest to unlock the secrets

3:09

of the universe is about meeting this

3:11

challenge identifying what makes up the

3:14

universe understanding how these

3:15

entities interact and evolve and solving

3:18

the equations that predict outcomes not

3:20

yet measured in this sense the universe

3:23

makes a lot of sense at least

3:25

conceptually however when discussing the

3:28

actual components of the universe and

3:30

how the laws of nature work in practice

3:32

many people struggle with the

3:33

counterintuitive nature of quantum

3:35

mechanics in the universe we inhabit

3:38

it's impossible to create and Achieve

3:40

absolute nothing in a truly satisfactory

3:43

way everything at a fundamental level

3:46

consists of individual entities quanta

3:49

that cannot be broken down further these

3:52

Elementary particles include quarks

3:54

electrons the electrons heavier cousins

3:56

mu and TOS neutrinos their antimatter

4:00

counterparts photons gluons the heavy

4:03

bosons and the higs even if you remove

4:05

all of these the empty space that

4:08

remains isn't truly empty in many

4:09

physical senses firstly Quantum Fields

4:13

still remain even in the absence of

4:15

particles just as we cannot remove the

4:17

laws of physics from the universe we

4:19

cannot remove the quantum fields that

4:21

permeate it the vacuum is a state with

4:23

the lowest possible energy but not Zero

4:26

Energy this vacuum is permeated by

4:28

Quantum fields which can give rise to

4:31

particle anti-particle pairs that

4:32

briefly pop in and out of existence

4:35

secondly no matter how far we move any

4:37

sources of matter two long range forces

4:40

still remain electromagnetism and

4:43

gravitation while we can create setups

4:45

that ensure the electromagnetic field

4:47

strength in a region is zero we cannot

4:49

do the same for gravitation thus space

4:52

cannot be entirely emptied in any real

4:54

sense even for the electromagnetic force

4:57

if you completely zero out the electric

4:59

and magnet IC Fields within a region of

5:01

space experiments have shown that empty

5:03

space isn't truly empty if you create a

5:06

perfect vacuum devoid of all particles

5:08

and antiparticles where the electric and

5:10

magnetic fields are zero there's still

5:13

something present in this region of what

5:14

might be called maximum nothingness by

5:17

placing a set of parallel conducting

5:19

plates in this region you would expect

5:21

them to experience only the force of

5:23

their Mutual gravitational attraction

5:26

however the plates attract each other by

5:28

a much greater amount than gravity

5:30

predicts this phenomenon is known as the

5:33

Kazmir effect and Steve Laro

5:35

demonstrated it in

5:36

1996 48 years after hendrik Casmir

5:39

calculated and proposed it let me

5:42

explain what the Casmir effect is you

5:44

see hendrik kazmir's idea for the

5:46

experiment was simple place two

5:48

uncharged metallic plates extremely

5:50

close together in a vacuum and wait

5:52

spontaneously as if by Magic the plates

5:55

will be drawn together no external

5:57

forces no pushes or pulls no action of

6:00

gravity tension or magnetism the objects

6:03

simply get attracted to each other why

6:06

does this occur the phenomenon is

6:08

explained by the quantum properties of

6:09

the vacuum itself what we perceive as

6:12

empty space is filled with fluctuating

6:14

electromagnetic fields these fields

6:17

create a sea of virtual particles that

6:19

constantly pop in and out of existence

6:20

as stated earlier when two conductive

6:23

plates are placed very close to each

6:24

other they restrict the wavelengths of

6:26

these virtual particles that can exist

6:28

between them compared to the space

6:30

outside the plates this imbalance

6:33

creates a pressure difference resulting

6:34

in an attractive Force pushing the

6:36

plates together we don't normally see

6:39

sense or experience the Kazmir effect

6:42

however this effect becomes

6:44

significantly important when dealing

6:45

with micro and nanoscale devices when

6:48

designing micro and nanoscale machines

6:51

engineers and scientists must account

6:53

for all forces that could influence the

6:55

behavior and functionality of these tiny

6:57

devices the kmir effect is one such

6:59

force that despite being negligible at

7:02

larger scales can exert a considerable

7:04

influence at the micro and Nano levels

7:07

due to the small distances involved

7:09

between

7:10

components for example researchers have

7:13

developed microscale sensors capable of

7:15

detecting and analyzing the flow of

7:17

chemicals on an extremely precise

7:19

molecule by molecule basis these sensors

7:23

rely on the precise movement and

7:24

interaction of their components if the

7:27

Casmir effect were not taken into

7:29

consideration during the design phase

7:31

the unexpected attraction between parts

7:33

of the device could lead to malfunction

7:35

or inaccuracies in sensor readings

7:38

moving on in 1951 Julian schwinger a

7:42

co-founder of the quantum field theory

7:43

that describes electrons and

7:45

electromagnetic force provided a

7:47

complete theoretical description of how

7:49

matter could be created from Nothing by

7:51

applying a strong electric field

7:54

although Fritz saer verer Heisenberg and

7:56

Han zoer had proposed the idea in the

7:58

1930

8:00

schwinger did the detailed work to

8:01

specify the conditions under which this

8:03

effect would emerge as a result it is

8:06

primarily known as the swinger effect

8:08

normally we expect Quantum fluctuations

8:11

in empty space excitations of any and

8:13

all Quantum Fields present the

8:15

Heisenberg uncertainty principle

8:17

dictates that certain quantities cannot

8:19

be known simultaneously with arbitrary

8:21

Precision these quantities include

8:24

energy and time position and momentum

8:27

orientation and angular momentum voltage

8:29

and free electric charge electric field

8:32

and electric polarization density while

8:35

the uncertainty principle is usually

8:36

expressed in terms of the first two

8:38

pairs its other applications can have

8:40

equally profound

8:42

consequences remember for any force in

8:45

existence we can Define it in terms of a

8:47

field where the force acting on a

8:49

particle equals its charge multiplied by

8:52

a property of the field when a particle

8:54

moves through a region where the field

8:56

isn't zero it can feel a force depending

8:59

ending on its charge and sometimes its

9:01

motion the stronger the field the

9:04

greater the force and consequently the

9:06

more field energy exists in that

9:08

specific area of space even in

9:11

completely empty space with no external

9:13

Fields present there's still some amount

9:15

of non-zero field energy existing in any

9:18

region if quantum fields are everywhere

9:21

according to Heisenberg's uncertainty

9:23

principle there will be an inherently

9:25

uncertain amount of energy present in

9:26

that region over any chosen duration of

9:29

time time the shorter the duration we

9:31

observe the greater the uncertainty in

9:33

the energy amount considering all

9:36

possible Quantum States we can Envision

9:38

fluctuating fields and particle

9:40

anti-particle pairs that sporadically

9:42

appear and disappear due to the

9:44

universe's various Quantum

9:46

forces let's say we increase the

9:48

electric field as it gets stronger and

9:51

stronger what happens first let's think

9:54

about a simpler case a Misan which is

9:57

made of a quark and an antiquark they

9:59

stick together because of the strong

10:01

force and gluons quarks have six flavors

10:04

up down strange charm bottom and top

10:09

antiquarks are just opposites with

10:12

opposite

10:12

charges sometimes the quark and

10:14

antiquark in a messan have opposite

10:16

charges either plus 2/3 and minus 2/3

10:20

for up charm and top or plus 1/3 and

10:24

minus 1/3 for down strange and bottom if

10:28

you put in a electric field on this

10:30

missan the positive end and the negative

10:32

end will pull in different directions if

10:35

the field is strong enough they can pull

10:37

far enough apart to make new particle

10:39

anti-particle pairs from empty space

10:41

between them this means we end up with

10:43

two mein instead of one and the energy

10:46

needed to make the extra mass with E

10:48

equals mc^ s comes from the electric

10:51

field energy that pulled the Misan apart

10:53

in the first place now let's think about

10:56

an extremely powerful electric field

10:59

much stronger than anything we could

11:00

create on Earth imagine condensing a

11:03

full Kum of charge around 10 to the

11:06

power of 19 electrons and protons into

11:09

tiny balls one purely positive and one

11:12

purely negative and separating them by

11:14

only a

11:15

meter in this region of space the

11:18

quantum vacuum would be highly

11:20

polarized strong polarization means a

11:23

significant separation between positive

11:25

and negative charges if the electric

11:28

field in a region is powerful enough

11:30

when you create a virtual particle

11:32

anti-particle pair of the lightest

11:34

charged particles electrons and

11:36

positrons there's a chance they'll be

11:38

separated so far by the fields force

11:40

that they can't come back together and

11:42

annihilate instead they become real

11:45

particles drawing energy from the

11:47

electric field to conserve energy this

11:50

process generates new particle

11:52

anti-particle Pairs and the energy

11:54

needed for them via eal

11:57

mc^2 decreases the strength of the

11:59

external electric field accordingly

12:02

that's what the swinger effect is all

12:03

about and it hasn't been observed in a

12:05

lab yet it's mostly thought to happen in

12:08

the most extreme astrophysical

12:10

environments like around black holes and

12:12

neutron stars but even then it's still

12:15

just a theory because these places are

12:17

so far away on Earth the strongest

12:20

electric Fields we've made are in laser

12:22

Labs but even with the most powerful

12:24

lasers we're nowhere near strong enough

12:28

normally in condu materials only certain

12:31

electrons can move freely and contribute

12:33

to

12:34

conductivity but if you could create

12:36

really strong electric Fields you could

12:38

make all the electrons

12:40

flow in January 2022 researchers at the

12:44

University of Manchester used a smart

12:46

setup with graphine a super strong

12:49

material made of carbon atoms to achieve

12:52

this with a relatively small magnetic

12:53

field that's easier to work with in

12:56

experiments and in doing this they saw

12:59

the swinger effect happen they made

13:01

something like electron positron pairs

13:03

in this Quantum system graphine is quite

13:06

unusual especially because its sheets

13:09

behave like a two-dimensional structure

13:11

this reduction in Dimensions limits the

13:13

options for the quantum particles inside

13:16

and the quantum States they can occupy

13:19

in a study researchers used a graphine

13:21

based structure called a superlattice

13:24

made of multiple layers of materials

13:26

arranged in periodic patterns they

13:28

applied an electric field and observed a

13:30

unique Behavior electrons not only

13:33

flowed from the highest partially

13:35

occupied energy state but also from

13:37

lower completely filled

13:39

bands this led to various exotic

13:41

behaviors in the material including a

13:44

firstever observation the swinger effect

13:47

instead of creating electrons and

13:49

positrons It produced electrons and

13:51

their condensed matter equivalent holes

13:55

holes are where an electron is missing

13:57

from a lattice and flows in the opposite

13:59

direction to the electrons The observed

14:02

currents could only be explained by this

14:04

spontaneous production of electrons and

14:06

holes matching schwinger's predictions

14:08

from

14:09

1951 there are various methods for

14:11

exploring the universe and Quantum

14:13

analog systems are among the most potent

14:16

tools for investigating exotic physics

14:19

these systems employ the same

14:20

mathematical principles that describe

14:22

inaccessible physical Realms but can be

14:24

created and studied in a laboratory

14:26

setting testing the swinger effect in

14:29

its pure form is challenging but

14:31

graphine remarkable properties such as

14:34

its ability to withstand immense

14:36

electric Fields incurrence allowed it to

14:38

manifest for the first time in any form

14:41

within this specific Quantum

14:43

setup as coauthor Dr Roshan Krishna

14:46

Kumar noted when we first saw the

14:49

spectacular characteristics of our

14:51

superlattice devices we thought wow it

14:54

could be some sort of new super

14:56

conductivity although the response

14:58

closely resembles those routinely

14:59

observed in superconductors we soon

15:02

found that the puzzling Behavior was not

15:04

superconductivity but rather something

15:06

in the domain of astrophysics and

15:08

particle physics it is curious to see

15:10

such parallels between distant

15:12

disciplines with electrons and positrons

15:15

or holes emerging seemingly out of thin

15:18

air torn from the quantum vacuum by

15:20

Electric Fields the universe showcases

15:23

the seemingly impossible creating

15:25

something from nothing

15:32

[Music]

15:33

we don't live in a universe where matter

15:35

floats around in empty space we live in

15:37

a universe of energy fields that spread

15:40

throughout the Universe and interact

15:41

with one another creating everything we

15:44

see in the

15:45

process when contemplating the vastness

15:48

of nothingness the infinite void death

15:51

it's astonishing how the concept of

15:53

nothing can evoke such

15:55

fear William Shatner at the age of 90

15:59

embarked on a space journey anticipating

16:01

to encounter The Mystery of the universe

16:03

only to find there was no mystery no

16:06

Majestic awe to behold all I saw was

16:09

death I saw a cold dark black emptiness

16:12

it was unlike any Blackness you can see

16:15

or feel on Earth it was deep enveloping

16:19

all-encompassing yet in another Paradox

16:21

of nothingness Shatner wasn't truly

16:24

observing a void rather he was looking

16:26

at a vacuum where at that very moment

16:28

moment a lot was happening that he

16:31

couldn't see Quantum field Theory stands

16:34

as one of the most successful theories

16:36

in physics renowned for its remarkable

16:38

accuracy in predicting the outcomes of

16:40

diverse experiments according to this

16:42

Theory our universe doesn't consist of

16:45

matter floating in empty space instead

16:48

it is a universe of energy fields that

16:50

permeate space and interact giving rise

16:53

to everything we observe including

16:55

ourselves as we are an integral part of

16:58

these

16:59

Fields some physicists describe these

17:02

fields as fluidlike akin to water in a

17:04

swimming pool While others liken them to

17:07

a room filled with varying levels of

17:08

energy much like a field of distributed

17:11

heat these fields are in constant motion

17:13

due to Quantum fluctuations brief

17:16

changes in energy resembling ripples in

17:18

a wave caused when external forces

17:20

excite the particles within the field

17:22

for instance an electromagnet can induce

17:25

changes in an electromagnetic field even

17:27

in their lowest energy state known as

17:29

the vacuum State the fields exhibit

17:32

continuous activity pairs of positive

17:35

and negative particles continually

17:36

borrow energy from the vacuum briefly

17:39

materialize and then vanish returning

17:41

energy to the vacuum these ephemeral

17:44

entities are termed virtual particles

17:47

when the field is excited or reaches a

17:49

higher energy point it has ripples or

17:51

waves that create Elementary particles

17:53

that are not canceled out it is these

17:56

particles that remain interacting with

17:58

one another another that creates the

18:00

world we know the particles created by

18:02

the field are contingent upon the type

18:04

of field in question there are different

18:06

matter particles each associated with

18:08

specific types of firmians electrons up

18:12

quirks down quarks fundamental

18:14

constituents of all atoms and neutrinos

18:17

being examples additionally these

18:20

firmians interact through three types of

18:22

fields electromagnetism which involves

18:25

photons as its particles the strong

18:27

nuclear force which features gluons and

18:29

the weak nuclear force with w and z

18:32

bosons as its particles according to

18:34

Cambridge theoretical physicist David

18:36

Tong without fields of force matter

18:39

particles would essentially drift

18:40

aimlessly in the universe devoid of

18:43

interactions and lacking any interesting

18:45

behaviors then there's the higs field

18:48

likened by Tong to molasses spread

18:50

throughout the Universe the higs Field

18:52

imparts Mass to other particles

18:54

preventing them from moving at the speed

18:55

of light tongue acknowledges that this

18:58

metaphor is imperfect because it implies

19:00

friction whereas in reality various

19:03

particles interact with the higs field

19:05

in distinct ways all the fields

19:07

including matter and force fields are

19:10

present everywhere but they interact in

19:12

diverse ways some particles Within These

19:15

Fields completely disregard each other

19:17

while others interact giving rise to

19:19

reactions and complex structures the

19:22

collaboration of these fields

19:23

encompasses everything we comprehend and

19:25

observe as well as much that remains

19:28

unknown and and beyond our perception

19:30

strangely the creation of particles that

19:33

constitute matter is an exception for

19:35

instance an atom comes into existence

19:38

when there's enough energy in the Quark

19:39

fields to produce quarks that aren't

19:41

annuled by antimatter quarks although

19:44

the reason for this occurrence is not

19:46

fully

19:47

understood gluons which are particles

19:50

associated with the strong force bind

19:53

with two up quarks and one down Quark to

19:55

form a proton subsequently gluons link

19:59

protons with neutrons creating a nucleus

20:02

physicists theorize that the visible

20:04

Universe comprises remnants that manage

20:06

to endure the constant creation and

20:08

destruction of virtual particles however

20:12

it's worth noting that the particles

20:13

constituting dark matter present a

20:16

separate and distinct matter even though

20:18

the universe is teaming with virtual

20:20

particles it doesn't entirely dismiss

20:23

the concept of nothingness firstly

20:25

there's the mystery of the nothingness

20:27

preceding the Big Bang a realm we are

20:29

yet to comprehend moreover the nature of

20:32

this nothingness comprising vast fields

20:35

of quantum energy appears to be

20:37

something that yields a combination of

20:39

ingredients namely matter and force

20:42

culminating in the creation of our world

20:45

physicists remain uncertain about why

20:47

following the Big Bang certain Elemental

20:50

particles manag to

20:52

endure in his book a universe from

20:54

nothing theoretical physicist and

20:57

cosmologist Lawrence Krauss suggested

20:59

that the answer lies in the evidence the

21:02

inherently unstable nature of

21:04

nothingness gives rise to Elementary

21:07

particles there's also the possibility

21:09

that the entire universe is just one big

21:11

virtual particle the vacuum Genesis

21:14

hypothesis theorizes that the entire

21:17

universe began as a big fluctuation in

21:19

the nothing that came before it while it

21:22

hasn't been proven it sure is an

21:24

interesting idea to think about that in

21:27

the end all we you me the whole universe

21:31

add up to is a big bunch of

21:35

nothingness no matter how vividly you

21:37

can imagine an empty Universe with

21:39

absolutely nothing in it that mental

21:42

picture doesn't align with reality

21:44

insisting on the validity of the laws of

21:46

physics is sufficient to discard the

21:49

notion of a genuinely empty universe as

21:52

long as there is energy within it even

21:54

the Zero Point Energy of the quantum

21:56

vacuum is enough there will always be

21:58

some form of radiation that cannot be

22:01

eliminated the universe has never been

22:03

entirely devoid of content and as long

22:06

as dark energy doesn't completely Decay

22:08

it never will be either the universe is

22:11

the way it is and while we Endeavor to

22:14

comprehend it to the best of our

22:15

abilities we must remain humble in the

22:18

face of the vast Cosmic

22:20

unknown the only advice I can give you

22:22

is this embrace the Curiosity that

22:25

drives us to explore question and

22:28

uncover the Mysteries that continue to

22:30

unfold and that's it for the video I

22:32

really hope you enjoyed it thanks for

22:35

watching and check out this video where

22:36

we talked about a radiation that may be

22:38

faster than light it's on your screen

22:43

[Music]