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

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around Erik Verlinde's recent talk on the concept of a hidden phase space in relation to geometry and matter, as well as the implications for understanding inertia and gravity. The scope includes theoretical insights from black holes and string theory, as well as potential connections to dark energy and dark matter.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express excitement about Verlinde's idea that geometry and matter may arise from the same hidden phase space, suggesting a unified view of these concepts.
  • One participant seeks clarification on the notion of an "underlying fast dynamical system" that is largely invisible from a macroscopic perspective, questioning its implications.
  • There is mention of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation being applied in this context, prompting curiosity about its relevance to gravity and inertia.
  • Some participants speculate on the potential for unconventional geometries and topologies in the microverse, drawing parallels to criticisms of multiverse theories.
  • A brief, cryptic statement is made about gravity being a "diabetic force," which remains unexplained and invites further inquiry.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views and interpretations of Verlinde's ideas, with no consensus reached on the validity or implications of the concepts presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty regarding the definitions and implications of the hidden phase space and its connection to observable phenomena like dark energy and dark matter. The discussion also touches on the limitations of current understanding in the context of complex geometries.

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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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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Gravity is a diabetic force.
 

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