Wormholes and Entanglement

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Wormholes and Entanglement Wormholes and Entanglement Juan Maldacena Institute for Advanced Study Outline • Black holes as quantum systems • Schwarzschild wormhole and entangled states. • Traversable wormholes. • Simple dynamics in Nearly-AdS2 • Traversable wormhole solution in 4d. Black holes as quantum systems • A black hole seen from the outside can be described as a quantum system with S degrees of freedom (qubits). = one reason is AdS/CFT… Hot fluid made out of very strongly Black holeGravity, Interacting particles. Strings Geometry of a Black Hole made from collapse Singularity Oppenheimer Snyder 1939 interior horizon star One exterior, one interior. Full Schwarzschild solution Eddington, Lemaitre, Einstein, Rosen, Finkelstein, Kruskal ER Left Right exterior exterior Vacuum solution. Figure 2: Maximally extended SchwarzschildTwo exteriors, sharing the interior. spacetime. There are two asymptotic regions. The blue spatial slice contains the Einstein-Rosen bridge connecting the two regions. not in causal contact and information cannot be transmitted across the bridge. This can easily seen from the Penrose diagram, and is consistent with the fact that entanglement does not imply non-local signal propagation. (a) (b) Figure 3: (a) Another representation of the blue spatial slice of figure 2. It contains a neck connecting two asymptotically flat regions. (b) Here we have two distant entangled black holes in the same space. The horizons are identified as indicated. This is not an exact solution of the equations but an approximate solution where we can ignore the small force between the black holes. All of this is well known, but what may be less familiar is a third interpretation of the eternal Schwarzschild black hole. Instead of black holes on two disconnected sheets, we can consider two very distant black holes in the same space. If the black holes were not entangled we would not connect them by a Einstein-Rosen bridge. But if they are somehow created at t =0intheentangledstate(2.1),thenthebridgebetweenthemrepresentsthe entanglement. See figure 3(b). Of course, in this case, the dynamical decoupling is not 7 The full Schwarzschild wormhole AdS asymptotics. No need to postulate any exotic matter horizon No matter at all ! left Right exterior exterior Figure 2: Maximally extended Schwarzschild spacetime. There are two asymptotic regions. The blue spatial slice contains the Einstein-Rosen bridge connecting the two regions. not in causal contact and information cannot be transmitted across the bridge. This can easily seen from the Penrose diagram, and is consistent with the fact that entanglement does not imply non-local signal propagation. Wormhole interpretation. Very large distance L R Non travesable (a) (b) L R No signals Figure 3: (a) Another representation of the blue spatial slice of figure 2. It contains a neck No causality violation connecting two asymptotically flat regions. (b) Here we have two distant entangled black holes in the same space. The horizons are identified as indicated.Fuller, Wheeler, Friedman, This is notSchleich an, Witt, Galloway, exact Wooglar Figure 2: Maximally extended Schwarzschild spacetime. There are two asymptotic regions. solution of the equations but an approximateThe blue spatial slicesolution contains the where Einstein-Rosen we bridge can connecting ignore the the two regions. small force between the black holes. not in causal contact and information cannot be transmitted across the bridge. This can easily seen from the Penrose diagram, and is consistent with the fact that entanglement does not imply non-local signal propagation. All of this is well known, but what may be less familiar is a third interpretation of the eternal Schwarzschild black hole. Instead of black holes on two disconnected sheets, we can consider two very distant black holes in the same space. If the black holes were not entangled we would not connect them by a Einstein-Rosen bridge. But if they are somehow (a) (b) created at t =0intheentangledstate(2.1),thenthebridgebetweenthemrepresentstheFigure 3: (a) Another representation of the blue spatial slice of figure 2. It contains a neck connecting two asymptotically flat regions. (b) Here we have two distant entangled black entanglement. See figure 3(b). Of course,holes in the same in space. this The case, horizons the are identified dynamical as indicated. decoupling This is not an exact is not solution of the equations but an approximate solution where we can ignore the small force between the black holes. All of this is7 well known, but what may be less familiar is a third interpretation of the eternal Schwarzschild black hole. Instead of black holes on two disconnected sheets, we can consider two very distant black holes in the same space. If the black holes were not entangled we would not connect them by a Einstein-Rosen bridge. But if they are somehow created at t =0intheentangledstate(2.1),thenthebridgebetweenthemrepresentsthe entanglement. See figure 3(b). Of course, in this case, the dynamical decoupling is not 7 Figure 2: Maximally extended Schwarzschild spacetime. There are two asymptotic regions. The blue spatial slice contains the Einstein-Rosen bridge connecting the two regions. not in causal contact and information cannot be transmitted across the bridge. This can easily seen from the Penrose diagram, and is consistent with the fact that entanglement does not imply non-local signal propagation. Wormhole and entangled states Connected through the interior (a) = (b) W. Israel J.M. Figure 3: (a) Another representation of the blue spatial slice of figure 2. It contains a neck connecting two asymptotically flat regions. (b) Here we have two distantEntangled entangled black holes in the same space. The horizons are identified as indicated. This is not an exact solution of the equations but an approximate solution where we can ignore the small force βE /2 TFD = e− n E¯ E between the black holes. | i | niL| niR n X (in a particular entangled state) All of this is well known, but what may be less familiar is a third interpretation of the eternal Schwarzschild black hole. Instead of black holes on two disconnected sheets, we can consider two very distant black holes in the same space. If the black holes were not entangled we would not connect them by a Einstein-Rosen bridge. But if they are somehow created at t =0intheentangledstate(2.1),thenthebridgebetweenthemrepresentsthe entanglement. See figure 3(b). Of course, in this case, the dynamical decoupling is not 7 ER = EPR J.M. , Susskind Figure 2: Maximally extended Schwarzschild spacetime. There are two asymptotic regions. The blue spatial slice contains the Einstein-Rosen bridge connecting the two regions. not in causal contact and information cannot be transmitted across the bridge. This can easily seen from the Penrose diagram, and is consistent with the fact that entanglement A forbidden meeting does not imply non-local signal propagation. Romeo Juliet (a) (b) Figure 3: (a) Another representation of the blue spatial slice of figure 2. It contains a neck connecting two asymptotically flat regions. (b) Here we have two distant entangled black holes in the same space. The horizons are identified as indicated. This is not an exact solution of the equations but an approximate solution where we can ignore the small force between the black holes. All of this is well known, but what may be less familiar is a third interpretation of the eternal Schwarzschild black hole. Instead of black holes on two disconnected sheets, we can consider two very distant black holes in the same space. If the black holes were not entangled we would not connect them by a Einstein-Rosen bridge. But if they are somehow created at t =0intheentangledstate(2.1),thenthebridgebetweenthemrepresentsthe entanglement. See figure 3(b). Of course, in this case, the dynamical decoupling is not 7 Figure 2: Maximally extended Schwarzschild spacetime. There are two asymptotic regions. The blue spatial slice contains the Einstein-Rosen bridge connecting the two regions. not in causal contact and information cannot be transmitted across the bridge. This can easily seen from the Penrose diagram, and is consistent with the fact that entanglement does not imply non-local signal propagation. (a) (b) Figure 3: (a) Another representation of the blue spatial slice of figure 2. It contains a neck connecting two asymptotically flat regions. (b) Here we have two distant entangled black holes in the same space. The horizons are identified as indicated. This is not an exact solution of the equations but an approximate solution where we can ignore the small force between the black holes. All of this is well known, but what may be less familiar is a third interpretation of the eternal Schwarzschild black hole. Instead of black holes on two disconnected sheets, we can consider two very distant black holes in the same space. If the black holes were not entangled we would not connect them by a Einstein-Rosen bridge. But if they are somehow created at t =0intheentangledstate(2.1),thenthebridgebetweenthemrepresentsthe entanglement. See figure 3(b). Of course, in this case, the dynamical decoupling is not 7 Is there a better way ? • Traversable wormholes • Quantum teleportation Gao, Jafferis, Wall, … Bennett, Brassard, Crepeau, Jozsa, Peres, Woetters Quantum teleportation Bob Alice • Bob and Alice share an entagled pair of qubits. Classical • Charlie gives Bob a qubit and he wants to send it to Alice. information • Bob does a joint measurement of Charlie’s qubit and his qubit. • Sends the the result to Alice as classical information Charlie’s qubit Entangled • Alice does an operation on his qubit that depends on Bob’s result. • Alice gets the qubit. • Resources needed to send a qubit: One entangled qubit and 2 bits of classical information. How does the qubit travel ? Would you like to be teleported ? Teleportation through the wormhole Bob Alice horizon Positive Bob Alice energy Classical Negative information energy left Right exterior exterior Entangled Gao, Jafferis, Wall Quantum teleportation through the wormhole • What does the message feel ? • A shock wave.
Recommended publications
  • A Mathematical Derivation of the General Relativistic Schwarzschild
    A Mathematical Derivation of the General Relativistic Schwarzschild Metric An Honors thesis presented to the faculty of the Departments of Physics and Mathematics East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors Scholar and Honors-in-Discipline Programs for a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics by David Simpson April 2007 Robert Gardner, Ph.D. Mark Giroux, Ph.D. Keywords: differential geometry, general relativity, Schwarzschild metric, black holes ABSTRACT The Mathematical Derivation of the General Relativistic Schwarzschild Metric by David Simpson We briefly discuss some underlying principles of special and general relativity with the focus on a more geometric interpretation. We outline Einstein’s Equations which describes the geometry of spacetime due to the influence of mass, and from there derive the Schwarzschild metric. The metric relies on the curvature of spacetime to provide a means of measuring invariant spacetime intervals around an isolated, static, and spherically symmetric mass M, which could represent a star or a black hole. In the derivation, we suggest a concise mathematical line of reasoning to evaluate the large number of cumbersome equations involved which was not found elsewhere in our survey of the literature. 2 CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................. 2 1 Introduction to Relativity ...................... 4 1.1 Minkowski Space ....................... 6 1.2 What is a black hole? ..................... 11 1.3 Geodesics and Christoffel Symbols ............. 14 2 Einstein’s Field Equations and Requirements for a Solution .17 2.1 Einstein’s Field Equations .................. 20 3 Derivation of the Schwarzschild Metric .............. 21 3.1 Evaluation of the Christoffel Symbols .......... 25 3.2 Ricci Tensor Components .................
    [Show full text]
  • (2020) Wormholes and the Thermodynamic Arrow of Time
    PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH 2, 043095 (2020) Wormholes and the thermodynamic arrow of time Zhuo-Yu Xian1,* and Long Zhao1,2,† 1CAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China 2School of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China (Received 16 March 2020; accepted 11 June 2020; published 19 October 2020) In classical thermodynamics, heat cannot spontaneously pass from a colder system to a hotter system, which is called the thermodynamic arrow of time. However, if the initial states are entangled, the direction of the thermo- dynamic arrow of time may not be guaranteed. Here we take the thermofield double state at 0 + 1 dimension as the initial state and assume its gravity duality to be the eternal black hole in AdS2 space. We make the temperature difference between the two sides by changing the Hamiltonian. We turn on proper interactions between the two sides and calculate the changes in energy and entropy. The energy transfer, as well as the thermodynamic arrow of time, are mainly determined by the competition between two channels: thermal diffusion and anomalous heat flow. The former is not related to the wormhole and obeys the thermodynamic arrow of time; the latter is related to the wormhole and reverses the thermodynamic arrow of time, i.e., transferring energy from the colder side to the hotter side at the cost of entanglement consumption. Finally, we find that the thermal diffusion wins the competition, and the whole thermodynamic arrow of time has not been reversed. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.043095 I.
    [Show full text]
  • Physics 200 Problem Set 7 Solution Quick Overview: Although Relativity Can Be a Little Bewildering, This Problem Set Uses Just A
    Physics 200 Problem Set 7 Solution Quick overview: Although relativity can be a little bewildering, this problem set uses just a few ideas over and over again, namely 1. Coordinates (x; t) in one frame are related to coordinates (x0; t0) in another frame by the Lorentz transformation formulas. 2. Similarly, space and time intervals (¢x; ¢t) in one frame are related to inter- vals (¢x0; ¢t0) in another frame by the same Lorentz transformation formu- las. Note that time dilation and length contraction are just special cases: it is time-dilation if ¢x = 0 and length contraction if ¢t = 0. 3. The spacetime interval (¢s)2 = (c¢t)2 ¡ (¢x)2 between two events is the same in every frame. 4. Energy and momentum are always conserved, and we can make e±cient use of this fact by writing them together in an energy-momentum vector P = (E=c; p) with the property P 2 = m2c2. In particular, if the mass is zero then P 2 = 0. 1. The earth and sun are 8.3 light-minutes apart. Ignore their relative motion for this problem and assume they live in a single inertial frame, the Earth-Sun frame. Events A and B occur at t = 0 on the earth and at 2 minutes on the sun respectively. Find the time di®erence between the events according to an observer moving at u = 0:8c from Earth to Sun. Repeat if observer is moving in the opposite direction at u = 0:8c. Answer: According to the formula for a Lorentz transformation, ³ u ´ 1 ¢tobserver = γ ¢tEarth-Sun ¡ ¢xEarth-Sun ; γ = p : c2 1 ¡ (u=c)2 Plugging in the numbers gives (notice that the c implicit in \light-minute" cancels the extra factor of c, which is why it's nice to measure distances in terms of the speed of light) 2 min ¡ 0:8(8:3 min) ¢tobserver = p = ¡7:7 min; 1 ¡ 0:82 which means that according to the observer, event B happened before event A! If we reverse the sign of u then 2 min + 0:8(8:3 min) ¢tobserver 2 = p = 14 min: 1 ¡ 0:82 2.
    [Show full text]
  • 2011 Steampunk
    2011 Steampunk The age of steam - what discoveries it brings forth! What riches in knowledge and science mankind has attained through the march of progress! We marvel at the potential of the atom, and cower at the power of our machinery. And what of our triumphs? What of the work of Tesla, Watt, Faraday and the Curies? What once was the realm of magicians now becomes the realm of science! What wonders might yet spring forth as we delve deeper and deeper into the magia et mysterium of the world of STEAMPUNK! DO YOU DARE TO LOOK UPON THE VISAGE OF THE UNKNOWN? This year at Clementine Productions’ STEAMPUNK IV event, we do not simply aim to look at what lies on the surface of the wonder that scientific arts have delivered, but to delve deeper, into the possibilities to be found in both the uncanny and the academy! There are those who claim to speak with spirits through machines; others yet who claim to have photographed the immaterial! Is it so hard to believe? We have just unlocked the power of the x-ray and the radiowave. There are those who say that invisibility, teleportation, astral projection and psychic enhancements are lurking but around the corner, Model: Ivana. Photo: Tarik Carroll. Stylist: Berít New York. Jewelry: Dope Designs.Makeup: Jarrett Brandon. Jewelry: Carroll. Stylist: Berít New York. Model: Ivana. Photo: Tarik awaiting the next intrepid scientist who will uncover them! This year we take inspiration from such works as Tim Powers’s Infernal Contraptions and Christopher Priest’s The Prestige.
    [Show full text]
  • BLACK HOLES: the OTHER SIDE of INFINITY General Information
    BLACK HOLES: THE OTHER SIDE OF INFINITY General Information Deep in the middle of our Milky Way galaxy lies an object made famous by science fiction—a supermassive black hole. Scientists have long speculated about the existence of black holes. German astronomer Karl Schwarzschild theorized that black holes form when massive stars collapse. The resulting gravity from this collapse would be so strong that the matter would become more and more dense. The gravity would eventually become so strong that nothing, not even radiation moving at the speed of light, could escape. Schwarzschild’s theories were predicted by Einstein and then borne out mathematically in 1939 by American astrophysicists Robert Oppenheimer and Hartland Snyder. WHAT EXACTLY IS A BLACK HOLE? First, it’s not really a hole! A black hole is an extremely massive concentration of matter, created when the largest stars collapse at the end of their lives. Astronomers theorize that a point with infinite density—called a singularity—lies at the center of black holes. SO WHY IS IT CALLED A HOLE? Albert Einstein’s 1915 General Theory of Relativity deals largely with the effects of gravity, and in essence predicts the existence of black holes and singularities. Einstein hypothesized that gravity is a direct result of mass distorting space. He argued that space behaves like an invisible fabric with an elastic quality. Celestial bodies interact with this “fabric” of space-time, appearing to create depressions termed “gravity wells” and drawing nearby objects into orbit around them. Based on this principle, the more massive a body is in space, the deeper the gravity well it will create.
    [Show full text]
  • Closed Timelike Curves, Singularities and Causality: a Survey from Gödel to Chronological Protection
    Closed Timelike Curves, Singularities and Causality: A Survey from Gödel to Chronological Protection Jean-Pierre Luminet Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille , France; Centre de Physique Théorique de Marseille (France) Observatoire de Paris, LUTH (France) [email protected] Abstract: I give a historical survey of the discussions about the existence of closed timelike curves in general relativistic models of the universe, opening the physical possibility of time travel in the past, as first recognized by K. Gödel in his rotating universe model of 1949. I emphasize that journeying into the past is intimately linked to spacetime models devoid of timelike singularities. Since such singularities arise as an inevitable consequence of the equations of general relativity given physically reasonable assumptions, time travel in the past becomes possible only when one or another of these assumptions is violated. It is the case with wormhole-type solutions. S. Hawking and other authors have tried to save the paradoxical consequences of time travel in the past by advocating physical mechanisms of chronological protection; however, such mechanisms remain presently unknown, even when quantum fluctuations near horizons are taken into account. I close the survey by a brief and pedestrian discussion of Causal Dynamical Triangulations, an approach to quantum gravity in which causality plays a seminal role. Keywords: time travel; closed timelike curves; singularities; wormholes; Gödel’s universe; chronological protection; causal dynamical triangulations 1. Introduction In 1949, the mathematician and logician Kurt Gödel, who had previously demonstrated the incompleteness theorems that broke ground in logic, mathematics, and philosophy, became interested in the theory of general relativity of Albert Einstein, of which he became a close colleague at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.
    [Show full text]
  • Teleportation
    TELEPORTATION ESSAY FOR THE COURSE QUANTUM MECHANICS FOR MATHEMATICIANS ANNE VAN WEERDEN SUPERVISOR DR B.R.U. DHERIN UTRECHT UNIVERSITY JUNE 2010 PREFACE The aim of this essay is to describe the teleportation process in such a way that it will be clear what is done so far, and what is still needed, to develop a teleportation device for humans, which would be my ultimate goal. However much is done already, there are thresholds that still have to be overcome, some of which will need real ingenuity, and others brute computing power, far more than we are now capable of. But I will show why I have confidence that we will reach this goal by describing the astonishing developments in the field of teleportation and the speed with which computing, or technology, evolves. The discovery that teleportation really is possible came about while I was in my thirties, but I was largely unaware of its further developments until I started the research for this essay. Assuming that I am not the only one who did not know, I wrote this essay aimed at people from my age, in their fifties, who, like me, started out without television and computer, I even remember my Mother telling me how she bought a transistor radio for the first time, placed it in a closet and closed the door, just to be amazed that it could still receive signals and play. We saw it all come by, from the first steps on the Moon watched on the television my parents had only bought a few years earlier, I clearly remember asking my Father who, with much foresight, got us out of our beds despite my
    [Show full text]
  • Science Fiction, Steampunk, Cyberpunk
    SCIENCE FICTION: speculative but scientific plausability, write rationally, realistically about alternative possible worlds/futures, no hesitation, suspension of disbelief estrangement+cognition: seek rational understanding of NOVUM (D. Suvin—cognitive estrangement) continuum bw real-world empiricism & supernatural transcendentalism make the incredible plausible BUT alienation/defamiliarization effect (giant bug) Literature of human being encountering CHANGE (techn innovat, sci.disc, nat. events, soc shifts) origins: speculative wonder stories, antiquity’s fabulous voyages, utopia, medieval ISLAND story, scientifiction & Campbell: Hero with a 1000 Faces & Jules Verne, HG Wells (Time Machine, War of the Worlds, The Island of Dr Moreau), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), Swift Gulliver’s Travels Imaginative, Speculative content: • TIME: futurism, alternative timeline, diff hist. past, time travel (Wells, 2001. A Space Odyssey) • SPACE: outer space, extra-terrestrial adventures, subterranean regions, deep oceans, terra incognita, parallel universe, lost world stories • CHARACTERS: alien life forms, UFO, AI, GMO, transhuman (Invisible Man), mad scientist • THEMES: *new scientific principles, *futuristic technology, (ray guns, teleportation, humanoid computers), *new political systems (post-apocalyptic dystopia), *PARANORMAL abilities (mindcontrol, telekinesis, telepathy) Parallel universe: alternative reality: speculative fiction –scientific methods to explore world Philosophical ideas question limits & prerequisites of humanity (AI) challenge
    [Show full text]
  • Entanglement, Teleportation, and Memory
    QUANTUM INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Entanglement, Teleportation, and Memory JeffreyH. Shapiro Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Research Laboratoryof Electronics Laboratoryfor Information and Decision Systems Presented at the Kick-Off Meeting of the ARO/DARPA Quantum Communications & Quantum MemoryInitiative Fort Monmouth, NJ, June 13–14, 2000 QUANTUM INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Entanglement, Teleportation, and Memory Massachusetts Institute of Technologyand Northwestern University with Cooperation from the Air Force Research Laboratory A MULTIDISCIPLINARY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE • MIT/NU PROGRAM TEAM – Principal Investigator: J.H. Shapiro (MIT) – MIT: P.L. Hagelstein, S. Lloyd, M.S. Shahriar, M. Sudan, N.C. Wong – NU: P. Kumar, H.P. Yuen – AFRL Cooperation: P.R. Hemmer • MIT/NU PROGRAM ELEMENTS – TELEPORTATION USING SINGLET STATES – QUADRATURE TELEPORTATION USING SOLITONS – THEORETICAL STUDIES QUANTUM INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Entanglement, Teleportation, and Memory • TELEPORTATION USING SINGLET STATES – Classical Bits vs. Quantum Qubits – Qubit Teleportation – Long-Distance Quantum Communication System – Ultrabright Narrowband Entanglement Source – Trapped-Atom Quantum Memory – Loss-Limited Throughput/FidelityAnalysis – Compatibilitywith Standard Telecommunication Fiber • TELEPORTATION USING FIELD QUADRATURES – Analog Information: Quadrature Components – Quadrature-Based Teleportation – Quadrature-Based Quantum Repeater Chain – Loss-Limited FidelityAnalysis – Soliton-Based Fiber-Optic
    [Show full text]
  • The Teleportation Accident: a Novel Online
    iZXjl (Mobile ebook) The Teleportation Accident: A Novel Online [iZXjl.ebook] The Teleportation Accident: A Novel Pdf Free Ned Beauman *Download PDF | ePub | DOC | audiobook | ebooks Download Now Free Download Here Download eBook #644356 in Books 2013-11-05 2013-11-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .32 x .99 x 7.42l, .75 #File Name: 1620400235368 pages | File size: 37.Mb Ned Beauman : The Teleportation Accident: A Novel before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised The Teleportation Accident: A Novel: 0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very fun, witty irreverentBy RaymondGWI didn't think I would like this book at first. It was very dry in the beginning and didn't seem like it was going to go anywhere. Then it went...all over the place, but in a great and enjoyable way. The attention given to recreating party scenes and realistic dialogue were much appreciated. The characters are very developed, especially the main character whom you can't help but to like even though he's a bit of a hopeless schlub. I liked the way the plot developed and the way that everything eventually comes full circle. It ends pretty much the only way it can and still be true to itself, and when you finish you find that you've gone on a very interesting journey and it's time for a nap.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. My book group loved this book and we had an active discussionBy DeMy book group loved this book and we had an active discussion.
    [Show full text]
  • Light Rays, Singularities, and All That
    Light Rays, Singularities, and All That Edward Witten School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 USA Abstract This article is an introduction to causal properties of General Relativity. Topics include the Raychaudhuri equation, singularity theorems of Penrose and Hawking, the black hole area theorem, topological censorship, and the Gao-Wald theorem. The article is based on lectures at the 2018 summer program Prospects in Theoretical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study, and also at the 2020 New Zealand Mathematical Research Institute summer school in Nelson, New Zealand. Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 Causal Paths 4 3 Globally Hyperbolic Spacetimes 11 3.1 Definition . 11 3.2 Some Properties of Globally Hyperbolic Spacetimes . 15 3.3 More On Compactness . 18 3.4 Cauchy Horizons . 21 3.5 Causality Conditions . 23 3.6 Maximal Extensions . 24 4 Geodesics and Focal Points 25 4.1 The Riemannian Case . 25 4.2 Lorentz Signature Analog . 28 4.3 Raychaudhuri’s Equation . 31 4.4 Hawking’s Big Bang Singularity Theorem . 35 5 Null Geodesics and Penrose’s Theorem 37 5.1 Promptness . 37 5.2 Promptness And Focal Points . 40 5.3 More On The Boundary Of The Future . 46 1 5.4 The Null Raychaudhuri Equation . 47 5.5 Trapped Surfaces . 52 5.6 Penrose’s Theorem . 54 6 Black Holes 58 6.1 Cosmic Censorship . 58 6.2 The Black Hole Region . 60 6.3 The Horizon And Its Generators . 63 7 Some Additional Topics 66 7.1 Topological Censorship . 67 7.2 The Averaged Null Energy Condition .
    [Show full text]
  • Spacetime Warps and the Quantum World: Speculations About the Future∗
    Spacetime Warps and the Quantum World: Speculations about the Future∗ Kip S. Thorne I’ve just been through an overwhelming birthday celebration. There are two dangers in such celebrations, my friend Jim Hartle tells me. The first is that your friends will embarrass you by exaggerating your achieve- ments. The second is that they won’t exaggerate. Fortunately, my friends exaggerated. To the extent that there are kernels of truth in their exaggerations, many of those kernels were planted by John Wheeler. John was my mentor in writing, mentoring, and research. He began as my Ph.D. thesis advisor at Princeton University nearly forty years ago and then became a close friend, a collaborator in writing two books, and a lifelong inspiration. My sixtieth birthday celebration reminds me so much of our celebration of Johnnie’s sixtieth, thirty years ago. As I look back on my four decades of life in physics, I’m struck by the enormous changes in our under- standing of the Universe. What further discoveries will the next four decades bring? Today I will speculate on some of the big discoveries in those fields of physics in which I’ve been working. My predictions may look silly in hindsight, 40 years hence. But I’ve never minded looking silly, and predictions can stimulate research. Imagine hordes of youths setting out to prove me wrong! I’ll begin by reminding you about the foundations for the fields in which I have been working. I work, in part, on the theory of general relativity. Relativity was the first twentieth-century revolution in our understanding of the laws that govern the universe, the laws of physics.
    [Show full text]