The very first– the Standard Model of Physics– is the quantum mechanical theory of particles, fields, and forces, and the methods which they engage to develop the universe we live in. The second– Einsteins theory of general relativity– explains the impact of gravity and how the essential force pulls together matter to construct the planets, galaxies, and other enormous objects.
Both theories do remarkably well in their particular lanes. Einsteins theory breaks down when trying to describe how gravity works at quantum scales, while quantum mechanics makes reality-bending predictions when applied at huge, cosmic measurements. For over a century, physicists have actually looked for ways to unify the 2 theories and get to the fact of what makes our universe tick.
Harlow thinks that any connecting thread may be too fragile to comprehend in our existing universe. Instead, hes trying to find answers in a “boomerang” variation– an alternate truth that folds back on itself, similar to a boomerangs trajectory, rather than broadening and extending without end as our real universe does. Quantum gravity in this boomerang universe ends up being easier to understand, as it can be reformulated in terms of traditional quantum theory (without gravity) using a powerful concept called holographic duality. This makes it far easier to ponder, a minimum of from a theory viewpoint.
MIT physicist Daniel Harlow seeks to understand how our universe can comply with two incompatible rulebooks, the Standard Model of Physics and Einsteins theory of general relativity. He is searching for responses in an alternate “boomerang” reality that represents the universe as a hologram of itself. Credit: Gretchen Ertl
In this boomerang environment, Harlow has actually made some exciting, unanticipated discoveries. He has actually revealed, for instance, that the formulas that explain how gravity behaves in this “toy” universe are the extremely exact same formulas that manage the quantum error-correcting codes that will ideally quickly be utilized to build real-world quantum computers. That the mathematics explaining gravity must have anything to do with securing info in quantum computers was a surprise in itself. The fact that both phenomena shared the same physics, a minimum of in this alternate universe, suggests a possible connection between Einsteins theory and quantum mechanics in the real universe.
The discovery, which Harlow made as a postdoc at Princeton University in 2014, triggered fresh lines of query in the research study of both quantum gravity and quantum information theory. Considering that joining MIT and the Center for Theoretical Physics in 2017, Harlow has actually continued his look for essential connections in between basic relativity and quantum mechanics, and how they may intersect in the contexts of great voids and cosmology.
” One of the things thats been enjoyable is, despite the fact that in physics and more in typically science were all studying different systems and experiments, numerous of the ideas are the very same,” says Harlow, an associate professor who got period in 2022. “So, I attempt to have an open mind and keep my ears open, and look for how things may be related.”
” A humanist viewpoint”
Born in Cincinnati, Harlow moved as a child with his household to Boston, where he spent numerous years before the household moved once again, putting down roots in Chicago. When he was 10, he took up piano lessons, focusing initially on classical music, then rock. In junior high, he played keyboard in various bands before discovering his groove in the looser, more improvisational style of jazz.
” I love sitting down and having fun with people, and seeing where things will go,” Harlow says.
His love of jazz was partly what drew him to New York City after high school, where he went to Columbia University, which took place to be near some of the very best jazz clubs in the city. The universitys curriculum, which needed trainees to check out traditional works of literature and viewpoint, also appealed.
” You cant finish from Columbia without reading “The Iliad,” Harlow states. “That gives you a shared neighborhood of things you can talk about. I liked the humanist viewpoint that drives the location. Even if I selected to be a physicist, I would still have this more comprehensive cultural experience.”
Harlow worked for three years as an undergraduate research study assistant in an experimental cosmology lab on school, where he discovered to operate in a clean room and run simulations to enhance the performance of filters that were developed to select subtle indications of radiation left over from the Big Bang.
Harlow especially valued the general method of the laboratorys leader, Amber Miller, who was then a junior professor.
” She had this terrific way she ran her group, where she wasnt so hung up on publications or getting things done on a brief timescale,” Harlow recalls. “She just let us mess around.”
Open questions
That mental freedom to explore new ideas would stick with Harlow throughout his career. From Columbia, he went west to Stanford University in 2006. Within the physics department, he found he lined up most naturally with Professor Leonard Susskind, a theoretical physicist and leader in the study of string theory.
” His strong desire to identify the things that arent crucial and set them aside so you can concentrate on the essence of the issue– that was also the way I attempt to believe,” states Harlow, who wound up picking Susskind as his consultant. “Lenny said, deal with whatever you desire, and Ill speak with you about it.”.
With this open invitation, Harlow kept an ear on conversations within Susskinds group to get a sense of the big questions in the field. What he heard was an issue that would form the rest of his research career: the question of how to connect quantum mechanics with general relativity, in the context of cosmology, and scientists understanding of the large-scale structure and evolution of deep space.
In search of a response, Harlow researched everything he might discover on both theories. His reading also bled into quantum information science– primarily, a field that concentrates on applying principles of quantum mechanics and info theory to the research study and advancement of quantum computer systems.
” Whenever I have a hint that some tool will be very important for an issue Im trying to solve, I discover much more about it than what I think I need,” Harlow says. “More typically than not, that investment pays off.”.
At the end of his time at Stanford, Harlow decided to “take a hard turn,” rotating from cosmology to great voids, which he thought about to be a simpler system to study for any basic threads linking quantum mechanics and basic relativity.
In 2012, he returned east to Princeton for a three-year postdoc, throughout which he began to explore the quantum behavior of gravitational black holes. To simplify the problem, he did so in a “boomerang” universe– what physicists referred to as “anti-de Sitter space,” called after the physicist who studied the curvature of the universe. As Harlow found out more on quantum info, he discovered, and eventually verified, an unexpected overlap in the physics of gravity around black holes and the quantum error-correcting codes designed to protect info.
” That was a very exploratory, transformative time,” Harlow says. “Im still checking out a great deal of the courses that I started there.”.
After a second postdoc at Harvard University, Harlow joined MIT as a junior professor in 2017, where he continues to make surprising connections in the study of quantum gravity and quantum details science. At the Institute, and in the field of theoretical physics more broadly, hes delighted in a collegial, productive neglect for authority.
” This is a community where I can go up to the most well-known theoretical physicist in the world, tell them that theyre incorrect, and if I have an argument, theyll listen to me,” Harlow says. Theres this core shared arrangement that, what matters is that we find the ideal response.
Among Harlows accomplishments since concerning MIT are a proof that there are strong limitations on the possible proportions of quantum gravity, a much deeper understanding of the nature of energy in gravitational systems, and a concrete mathematical framework for understanding the interiors of quantum mechanical black holes.
Beyond research study, Harlow is working to bring more varied voices and perspectives into the field of physics. In addition to mentoring and advocacy work outside of MIT, he is running a program within the physics department that invites students from underrepresented and impoverished backgrounds to perform physics research study at MIT each summertime.
” Unfortunately physics remains rather white and male, and making it more inviting and available to a wider slice of humankind is among my top priorities moving forward,” he states.
Looking ahead, Harlow is thinking about taking a brand-new turn in his research study course, perhaps to focus less on black holes in a hologram universe, and more on cosmology, and the quantum structure and development of our actual universe.
” Ive been residing in anti-de Sitter space for a long period of time,” Harlow states. “Thats fine, however I do want to understand the world we reside in too. Which must be fun.”.
MIT physicist Daniel Harlows research in a theoretical “boomerang” universe has actually revealed connections in between the mathematics of quantum gravity and quantum information theory, potentially bridging Einsteins theory and quantum mechanics. Harlow also emphasizes diversity in physics, promoting chances for underrepresented students.
Physicist Daniel Harlow explores an alternate quantum truth searching for basic truths to our physical universe.
Dan Harlow invests a lot of time thinking in a “boomerang” universe.
The MIT physicist is browsing for responses to among the greatest concerns in contemporary physics: How can our universe follow 2 incompatible rulebooks?
Einsteins theory breaks down when attempting to describe how gravity works at quantum scales, while quantum mechanics makes reality-bending predictions when applied at massive, cosmic dimensions. Quantum gravity in this boomerang universe turns out to be easier to comprehend, as it can be reformulated in terms of standard quantum theory (without gravity) utilizing a powerful idea called holographic duality. He has revealed, for instance, that the formulas that explain how gravity acts in this “toy” universe are the really same formulas that control the quantum error-correcting codes that will ideally quickly be used to build real-world quantum computer systems. The truth that both phenomena shared the very same physics, at least in this alternate universe, recommends a prospective connection between Einsteins theory and quantum mechanics in the genuine universe.
As Harlow checked out more on quantum details, he discovered, and eventually confirmed, an unanticipated overlap in the physics of gravity around black holes and the quantum error-correcting codes created to protect details.
