How Black Holes Could Unlock the Mysteries of the Universe - Episode 62

Theoretical Physicist Andrew Strominger explains what exactly black holes are and how they could tell us about the beginning of the cosmos.

In this episode, Andrew discusses the questions behind black holes, the strange physics at their event horizon, what they reveal about the nature of space and time, and how he, Stephen Hawking, and Malcolm Perry helped develop the theory that "soft hairs" may store information on black holes' surface. From leading minds like Einstein, Hawking, and Strominger, our understanding of these celestial bodies is constantly evolving, and we still have so much to learn. This one is going to be cool!

Resources:

• Andrew's Bio (Harvard)
• The Event Horizon Telescope
• Hawking team updates soft hair theory to help solve black hole information paradox (Phys.org)
• What are black holes? (NASA)
• Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity (Space.com)

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:59) - Andrew's Favorite Theories
• (04:11) - Aerospace Beginnings
• (05:53) - From Commune to Harvard
• (08:24) - What Is a Black Hole?
• (12:29) - The Different Types
• (14:17) - How They Form
• (15:52) - How Far Are They from Earth?
• (16:06) - Why Should We Study Black Holes?
• (17:38) - Why Doubt Is a Valuable Tool
• (19:37) - The Information Paradox
• (22:22) - Working Alongside Stephen Hawking
• (24:12) - Soft Hairs
• (26:29) - The Holographic Principle
• (30:31) - Can Black Holes Be Used for Travel?
• (31:19) - "Interstellar" Time Dilation
• (34:14) - Why Isn't a Black Hole Considered a Vacuum?
• (35:02) - The Future of Physics
• (36:15) - Andrew's Advice
• (37:04) - Outro