*Hidden Phase Space* at the Holo Cosmo corral (Verlinde video)

In summary, Erik Verlinde gave a talk at Perimeter on Wednesday last week, which argued that inertia and the gravitational force are due to a hidden phase space associated with a fast dynamical system. He found that the appearance of dark energy in a cosmological setting is naturally explained by the finite temperature of the underlying system.
  • #1
marcus
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Erik Verlinde gave this great talk at Perimeter on Wednesday last week, which is online as video. It was at a recent Holo Cosmo workshop they had there
http://pirsa.org/C11010

It is a very exciting talk. He is actively grasping for what many people dream about: a concrete way to think of geometry and matter as the same thing---just different aspects of "it".
Geometry and matter growing up from the same hidden phase space roots.

And he has ideas of how both inertia and the gravitational force arise.

http://pirsa.org/11060065/
The Hidden Phase Space of our Universe
Erik Verlinde
By combining insights from black holes and string theory we argue for the existence of a hidden phase space associated with an underlying fast dynamical system, which is largely invisible from a macroscopic point of view. The dynamical system is influenced by slow macroscopic observables, such as positions of objects. This leads to a collection of reaction forces, whose leading order Born Oppenheimer force is determined by the general principle that the phase space volume of the underlying system is preserved. We propose that this adiabatic force is responsible for inertia and gravity. This fact allows us to calculate the hidden phase space volume from the known laws of inertia and gravity. We find that in a cosmological setting the appearance of dark energy is naturally explained by the finite temperature of the underlying system. The adiabatic approximation that leads to the usual laws of inertia and gravity breaks down in the neighborhood of horizons. In this regime the reaction force degenerates into an entropic force, and the laws of inertia and gravity receive corrections due to thermal effects. A simple estimate of these effects leads to the conclusion that they coincide with observed phenomena attributed to dark matter.
Date: 22/06/2011 - 9:00 am
 
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  • #2
I'm bandwidth disadvantaged and can't watch this video, which indeed sounds interesting, if not provocative. Can someone who has watched it (or even someone who hasn't) clarify for me what could be meant by:

Verlinde said:
...an underlying fast dynamical system, which is largely invisible from a macroscopic point of view...
.

It's interesting to see a tool of physical chemistry (Born-Oppennheimer approximation stuff) making an appearance here.

Or, in the opinion of the knowledgeable folk who post in this forum, is this all just microverse madness, perhaps a bit like the "multiverse madness" often denigrated by Peter Woit?

Of course, once the door has been opened to using the tool of curved spacetime to successfully describe macroscopic gravity, there is no knowing what in the way of strange geometries described by non-Riemannian distortions could lurk in the microverse now described by the Standard Model. Moibus topologies and Volterra disclinations, perhaps. Perhaps geometry is a more a multi-tool than we think.
 
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  • #4
Gravity is a diabetic force.
 

FAQ: *Hidden Phase Space* at the Holo Cosmo corral (Verlinde video)

What is hidden phase space at the Holo Cosmo corral?

Hidden phase space at the Holo Cosmo corral is a concept proposed by theoretical physicist Erik Verlinde in his video titled "Emergent Gravity and the Dark Universe". It refers to a new way of understanding gravity and the universe, where the laws of gravity are not fundamental but instead emerge from the collective behavior of tiny bits of information encoded on the surfaces of the universe.

How does hidden phase space relate to the holographic principle?

The holographic principle states that all the information in a three-dimensional space can be represented on a two-dimensional surface. Verlinde's theory suggests that gravity is an emergent phenomenon from the interactions of these bits of information on the surface, thus connecting it to the holographic principle.

What evidence supports the existence of hidden phase space?

Currently, there is no direct evidence for the existence of hidden phase space. However, Verlinde's theory has been able to explain the observed phenomena of dark matter and dark energy without the need for these elusive particles, providing some support for the concept.

What implications does hidden phase space have for our understanding of the universe?

If proven to be true, hidden phase space could revolutionize our understanding of the universe and its laws. It would mean that our current understanding of gravity and the fundamental nature of space-time may need to be re-evaluated and could potentially lead to new insights and discoveries.

Is there any ongoing research in this area?

Yes, there is ongoing research and debate surrounding Verlinde's theory and the concept of hidden phase space. Scientists are conducting experiments and observations to test its predictions and implications, and the results could potentially shape the future of physics and our understanding of the universe.

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