ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Allan Adams - Theoretical physicist
Allan Adams is a theoretical physicist working at the intersection of fluid dynamics, quantum field theory and string theory.

Why you should listen

Allan Adams is a theoretical physicist working at the intersection of fluid dynamics, quantum field theory and string theory. His research in theoretical physics focuses on string theory both as a model of quantum gravity and as a strong-coupling description of non-gravitational systems.

Like water, string theory enjoys many distinct phases in which the low-energy phenomena take qualitatively different forms. In its most familiar phases, string theory reduces to a perturbative theory of quantum gravity. These phases are useful for studying, for example, the resolution of singularities in classical gravity, or the set of possibilities for the geometry and fields of spacetime. Along these lines, Adams is particularly interested in microscopic quantization of flux vacua, and in the search for constraints on low-energy physics derived from consistency of the stringy UV completion.

In other phases, when the gravitational interactions become strong and a smooth spacetime geometry ceases to be a good approximation, a more convenient description of string theory may be given in terms of a weakly-coupled non-gravitational quantum field theory. Remarkably, these two descriptions—with and without gravity—appear to be completely equivalent, with one remaining weakly-coupled when its dual is strongly interacting. This equivalence, known as gauge-gravity duality, allows us to study strongly-coupled string and quantum field theories by studying perturbative features of their weakly-coupled duals. Gauge-gravity duals have already led to interesting predictions for the quark-gluon plasma studied at RHIC. A major focus of Adams's present research is to use such dualities to find weakly-coupled descriptions of strongly-interacting condensed matter systems which can be realized in the lab.
More profile about the speaker
Allan Adams | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Allan Adams: The discovery that could rewrite physics

Allan Adams: Otkriće koje bi moglo iznova napisati fiziku

Filmed:
1,865,923 views

Grupa fizičara je 17. ožujka 2014. objavila nevjerojatno otkriće: "Pištolj iz kojeg se dimi" s podatcima za ideju inflacije svemira, trag za Veliki Prasak. Što to znači za ne-fizičare? TED je zamolio Allana Adamsa da ukratko objasni rezultate u svom improviziranom govoru kojeg je ilustrirao Randall Munroe, autor stripa xkcd.
- Theoretical physicist
Allan Adams is a theoretical physicist working at the intersection of fluid dynamics, quantum field theory and string theory. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
If you look deepduboko into the night skynebo,
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Ako pogledate duboko u noćno nebo
00:16
you see starszvijezde,
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vidite zvijezde
00:18
and if you look furtherunaprijediti, you see more starszvijezde,
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i ako pogledate dalje, vidite još zvijezda
00:20
and furtherunaprijediti, galaxiesgalaksije, and
furtherunaprijediti, more galaxiesgalaksije.
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i dalje galaksije,
i dalje još galaksija.
00:22
But if you keep looking furtherunaprijediti and furtherunaprijediti,
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Ali ako nastavite gledati sve dalje i dalje
00:26
eventuallyeventualno you see nothing for a long while,
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vremenom nećete vidjeti ništa dugo vremena
00:29
and then finallykonačno you see a
faintonesvijestiti se, fadingopadajući afterglowperzistencija,
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i onda ćete vidjeti blagi
odsjaj koji je sve slabiji
00:34
and it's the afterglowperzistencija of the BigVeliki BangPrasak.
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i to je odsjaj Velikog Praska.
00:37
Now, the BigVeliki BangPrasak was an eradoba in the earlyrano universesvemir
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Veliki Prasak bila je era u ranom svemiru
00:40
when everything we see in the night skynebo
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kada je sve što vidimo na noćnom nebu
00:42
was condensedkondenzirane into an incrediblynevjerojatno smallmali,
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bilo stisnuto u nevjerojatno malu
00:44
incrediblynevjerojatno hotvruće, incrediblynevjerojatno roilinguskovitlane massmasa,
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nevjerojatno vruću, nevjerojatno zakovitlanu masu
00:48
and from it sprungzaobljena everything we see.
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i iz nje je izletilo sve što vidimo.
00:51
Now, we'veimamo mappedmapiranje that afterglowperzistencija
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Mi smo napravili kartu tog odsjaja
00:54
with great precisionpreciznost,
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s velikom preciznosti
00:56
and when I say we, I mean people who aren'tnisu me.
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i kada kažem mi, mislim na ljude među kojima nisam ja.
00:58
We'veMoramo mappedmapiranje the afterglowperzistencija
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Mi smo napravili kartu odsjaja
01:00
with spectacularspektakularan precisionpreciznost,
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sa spektakulatnom preciznosti
01:01
and one of the shocksšokova about it
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i jedno od iznenađenja kod odsjaja
01:02
is that it's almostskoro completelypotpuno uniformuniforma.
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je da je gotovo potpuno jednoličan.
01:05
FourteenČetrnaest billionmilijardi lightsvjetlo yearsgodina that way
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Četrnaest milijardi svjetlosnih godina u ovom smjeru
01:07
and 14 billionmilijardi lightsvjetlo yearsgodina that way,
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i četrnaest milijardi svjetlosnih godina u onom smjeru,
01:09
it's the sameisti temperaturetemperatura.
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svugdje je ista temperatura.
01:11
Now it's been 14 billionmilijardi yearsgodina
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Prošlo je trinaest milijardi godina
01:14
sinceod that BigVeliki BangPrasak,
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od Velikog Praska
01:16
and so it's got faintonesvijestiti se and coldhladno.
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i tako je postao slab i hladan.
01:18
It's now 2.7 degreesstupnjeva.
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Sada je 2,7 stupnjeva.
01:21
But it's not exactlytočno 2.7 degreesstupnjeva.
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Ali nije točno 2,7 stupnjeva.
01:23
It's only 2.7 degreesstupnjeva to about
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Samo je 2,7 stupnjeva do otprilike
01:25
10 partsdijelovi in a millionmilijuna.
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deset dijelova u milijun.
01:27
Over here, it's a little hottertoplije,
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Ovdje je malo toplije,
01:28
and over there, it's a little coolerhladnjak,
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a ovdje je malo hladnije
01:30
and that's incrediblynevjerojatno importantvažno
to everyonesvatko in this roomsoba,
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i to je nevjerojatno važno
svima u ovoj sobi,
01:33
because where it was a little hottertoplije,
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jer tamo gdje je bilo malo toplije,
01:35
there was a little more stuffstvari,
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tamo je bilo više stvari,
01:36
and where there was a little more stuffstvari,
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i tamo gdje je bilo malo više stvari
01:38
we have galaxiesgalaksije and clustersklasteri of galaxiesgalaksije
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imamo galaksije i skupine galaksija
01:40
and superclusterssuperclusters
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i superklastere
01:41
and all the structurestruktura you see in the cosmoskosmos.
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i sve strukture koje vidite u svemiru.
01:44
And those smallmali, little, inhomogeneitiesinhomogeneities,
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I te male nejednakosti,
01:47
20 partsdijelovi in a millionmilijuna,
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dvadeset dijelova u milijun,
01:49
those were formedformirana by quantumkvantni mechanicalmehanički wigglesWiggles
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one su formirane kvantno-mehaničkim klimanjima
01:52
in that earlyrano universesvemir that were stretchedrastegnut
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u tom ranom svemiru koje su bile rastegnute
01:54
acrosspreko the sizeveličina of the entirečitav cosmoskosmos.
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kroz veličinu cijelog svemira.
01:56
That is spectacularspektakularan,
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To je spektakularno
01:58
and that's not what they foundpronađeno on MondayPonedjeljak;
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i to nije ono što je otkriveno u ponedjeljak;
01:59
what they foundpronađeno on MondayPonedjeljak is coolerhladnjak.
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ono što je otkriveno u ponedjeljak je još zanimljivije.
02:02
So here'sevo what they foundpronađeno on MondayPonedjeljak:
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Dakle ovo je ono što je otkriveno u ponedjeljak;
02:04
ImagineZamislite you take a bellzvono,
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Zamislite da uzmete zvono,
02:07
and you whackudio the bellzvono with a hammerčekić.
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i udarite zvono čekićem.
02:09
What happensdogađa se? It ringsprstenovi.
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Što se događa? Ono zvoni.
02:11
But if you wait, that ringingzvoni fadesblijedi
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Ali ako pričekate, zvonjenje slabi
02:13
and fadesblijedi and fadesblijedi
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i slabi i slabi
02:14
untildo you don't noticeobavijest it anymoreviše.
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sve dok ga više ne primjećujete.
02:16
Now, that earlyrano universesvemir was incrediblynevjerojatno densegust,
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Rani svemir bio je nevjerojatno gust,
02:19
like a metalmetal, way densergušće,
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poput metala, puno gušći,
02:21
and if you hithit it, it would ringprsten,
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i ako ste ga udarili, on će zvoniti,
02:23
but the thing ringingzvoni would be
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ali ono što će zvoniti će biti
02:25
the structurestruktura of space-timeprostor-vrijeme itselfsebe,
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sama struktura prostor-vremena,
02:27
and the hammerčekić would be quantumkvantni mechanicsmehanika.
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a čekić će biti kvantna mehanika.
02:30
What they foundpronađeno on MondayPonedjeljak
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Ono što je otkriveno u ponedjeljak
02:32
was evidencedokaz of the ringingzvoni
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je dokaz zvonjenja
02:35
of the space-timeprostor-vrijeme of the earlyrano universesvemir,
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prostor-vremena u ranom svemiru,
02:37
what we call gravitationalgravitacijsko wavesvalovi
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što zovemo gravitacijskim valovima
02:39
from the fundamentalosnovni eradoba,
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iz osnovne ere
02:40
and here'sevo how they foundpronađeno it.
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i ovo je kako je to otkriveno.
02:42
Those wavesvalovi have long sinceod fadeduveo.
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Ti valovi su odavno oslabljeli.
02:45
If you go for a walkhodati,
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Ako odete u šetnju
02:46
you don't wiggleodstupanje.
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vi se ne klimate.
02:48
Those gravitationalgravitacijsko wavesvalovi in the structurestruktura of spaceprostor
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Ti gravitacijski valovi u strukturi svemira
02:50
are totallypotpuno invisiblenevidljiv for all practicalpraktičan purposessvrhe.
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su potpuno nevidljivi za bilo koji praktičnu svrhu.
02:53
But earlyrano on, when the universesvemir was makingizrađivanje
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Ali u rano doba, kada je svemir radio
02:56
that last afterglowperzistencija,
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taj zadnji odsjaj,
02:58
the gravitationalgravitacijsko wavesvalovi
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gravitacijski valovi
03:00
put little twistspletiva in the structurestruktura
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su napravili male zaokrete u strukturui
03:03
of the lightsvjetlo that we see.
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svjetla koje vidimo.
03:04
So by looking at the night skynebo deeperdublje and deeperdublje --
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Tako gledajući u noćno nebo dublje i dublje --
03:07
in factčinjenica, these guys spentpotrošen
threetri yearsgodina on the SouthJug PoleStup
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zapravo, ti ljudi su proveli
tri godine na Južnom polu
03:10
looking straightravno up throughkroz the coldestnajhladniji, clearestnajjasniji,
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gledajući gore kroz najhladniji, najbistriji
03:13
cleanestnajčišćih airzrak they possiblymožda could find
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i najčišći zrak koji su mogli pronaći
03:15
looking deepduboko into the night skynebo and studyingučenje
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gledajući duboko u noćno nebo i proučavajući
03:17
that glowsjaj and looking for the faintonesvijestiti se twistspletiva
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taj odsjaj i tražeći blage zaokrete
03:21
whichkoji are the symbolsimbol, the signalsignal,
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koji su simbol, signal,
03:23
of gravitationalgravitacijsko wavesvalovi,
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gravitacijskih valova,
03:25
the ringingzvoni of the earlyrano universesvemir.
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zvonjava ranog svemira.
03:27
And on MondayPonedjeljak, they announcednajavio
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I u ponedjeljak, oni su objavili
03:29
that they had foundpronađeno it.
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da su to pronašli.
03:31
And the thing that's so spectacularspektakularan about that to me
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I stvar koja je meni spektakulatna oko toga
03:33
is not just the ringingzvoni, thoughiako that is awesomesuper.
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nije samo zvonjava, iako je to super.
03:36
The thing that's totallypotpuno amazingnevjerojatan,
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Stvar koja je toliko odlična,
03:37
the reasonrazlog I'm on this stagefaza, is because
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razlog zašto sam ja na ovoj pozornici, je zato
03:39
what that tellsgovori us is something
deepduboko about the earlyrano universesvemir.
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što nam to govori je nešto
duboko o ranom svemiru.
03:43
It tellsgovori us that we
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Govori nam da mi
03:44
and everything we see around us
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i sve što vidimo oko nas
03:46
are basicallyu osnovi one largeveliki bubblemjehurić --
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je u osnovi jedan veliki mjehurić --
03:49
and this is the ideaideja of inflationinflacija
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i to je ideja inflacije --
03:51
one largeveliki bubblemjehurić surroundedokružen by something elsedrugo.
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jedan veliki mjehurić kojeg okružuje nešto drugo.
03:55
This isn't conclusiveuvjerljiv evidencedokaz for inflationinflacija,
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Ovo nije konačni dokaz inflacije,
03:57
but anything that isn't inflationinflacija that explainsobjašnjava this
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ali bilo što što nije inflacija, a da ovo objašnjava
03:59
will look the sameisti.
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će izgledati isto.
04:00
This is a theoryteorija, an ideaideja,
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Ovo je teorija, ideja,
04:02
that has been around for a while,
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koja postoji neko vrijeme
04:03
and we never thought we we'dmi bismo really see it.
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i nismo mislili da ćemo je stvarno vidjeti.
04:05
For good reasonsrazlozi, we thought we'dmi bismo never see
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Zbog dobrih razloga nismo mislili da ćemo ikad vidjeti
04:07
killerubica evidencedokaz, and this is killerubica evidencedokaz.
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ubojit dokaz, a ovo je ubojit dokaz.
04:09
But the really crazylud ideaideja
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Ali stvarno luda ideja
04:11
is that our bubblemjehurić is just one bubblemjehurić
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je da je naš mjehurić samo jedan mjehurić
04:14
in a much largerveći, roilinguskovitlane potlonac of universaluniverzalan stuffstvari.
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u puno većem, zakovitlanom loncu univerzalne stvari.
04:18
We're never going to see the stuffstvari outsideizvan,
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Mi nikad nećemo vidjeti stvari izvan,
04:20
but by going to the SouthJug PoleStup
and spendingtrošenje threetri yearsgodina
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ali tako da smo otišli na Južni pol
i proveli tri godine
04:23
looking at the detaileddetaljne structurestruktura of the night skynebo,
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gledajući detaljnu strukturu noćnog neba,
04:25
we can figurelik out
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možemo pretpostaviti
04:27
that we're probablyvjerojatno in a universesvemir
that looksizgled kindljubazan of like that.
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da smo vjerojatno u svemiru
koji izgleda poput toga
04:30
And that amazeszadivljuje me.
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I to me oduševljava.
04:33
ThanksHvala a lot.
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Hvala puno.
04:34
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
Translated by Miroslav Rajter
Reviewed by Senzos Osijek

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Allan Adams - Theoretical physicist
Allan Adams is a theoretical physicist working at the intersection of fluid dynamics, quantum field theory and string theory.

Why you should listen

Allan Adams is a theoretical physicist working at the intersection of fluid dynamics, quantum field theory and string theory. His research in theoretical physics focuses on string theory both as a model of quantum gravity and as a strong-coupling description of non-gravitational systems.

Like water, string theory enjoys many distinct phases in which the low-energy phenomena take qualitatively different forms. In its most familiar phases, string theory reduces to a perturbative theory of quantum gravity. These phases are useful for studying, for example, the resolution of singularities in classical gravity, or the set of possibilities for the geometry and fields of spacetime. Along these lines, Adams is particularly interested in microscopic quantization of flux vacua, and in the search for constraints on low-energy physics derived from consistency of the stringy UV completion.

In other phases, when the gravitational interactions become strong and a smooth spacetime geometry ceases to be a good approximation, a more convenient description of string theory may be given in terms of a weakly-coupled non-gravitational quantum field theory. Remarkably, these two descriptions—with and without gravity—appear to be completely equivalent, with one remaining weakly-coupled when its dual is strongly interacting. This equivalence, known as gauge-gravity duality, allows us to study strongly-coupled string and quantum field theories by studying perturbative features of their weakly-coupled duals. Gauge-gravity duals have already led to interesting predictions for the quark-gluon plasma studied at RHIC. A major focus of Adams's present research is to use such dualities to find weakly-coupled descriptions of strongly-interacting condensed matter systems which can be realized in the lab.
More profile about the speaker
Allan Adams | Speaker | TED.com