lee smolin: the new einstein?
The basic idea is that black holes give rise to new regions of space and time, and that at these events, which resemble our Big Bang, the laws of physics can change. When worked out in detail, this idea leads to a scientific theory which makes predictions which are testable. The basic prediction is that no small change in the masses of the elementary particles or the strengths of the forces would lead to a world with more black holes than ours. So far, although a number of astronomers have tried to find counterexamples, this prediction has held up . . . What for me is most provocative is the possibility that, for this to work, we will have to extend the Darwinian idea that the structure of a system must be formed from within by natural processes of self-organization' to the properties of space and time themselves.
~~ Lee Smolin, "What is the Future of Cosmology?"
Lee Smolin: The New Einstein?
Penn State University professor and theoretical physicist Lee Smolin has written some of the most provocative theories about cosmology and theoretical physics in the 21st century. Once touted by Discover Magazine as "the new Einstein", Smolin's contribution to a cosmological Theory of Everything will redefine how you perceive time-space and the grand evolution of the universe.
Early 20th century physics was shaped by two opposing models: Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity (which dealt with large-scale matter such as planets, solar systems and galaxies) and the quantum mechanics models explored by Niels Bohr, Erwin Schroedinger, Werner Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli and others (which dealt with small-scale atoms, molecules and subatomic particles). What complicated both theories were their different views on the geometric viewpoint of space-time: Einstein concluded that space arose out of object relationships whereas quantum mechanics defined space as a pre-existing entity whose rules could be uncovered and manipulated. The incompatibility of these two theories has doomed attempts to discover a cosmological Theory of Everything.
The Event Horizon as Cosmological Sacrament
Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking captured the public's imagination with their respective theories. Relativity physicists such as Smolin, who perceive the universe as an unfolding of dynamic events and processes, are a professional minority. While many scientists treat matter in terms of quantum mechanics, they still define space-time in classical terms. Smolin entered the fray with his dazzling book The Life of The Cosmos (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), which posed an intriguing question: Could Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection be applied to cosmology and theoretical physics? His answer received critical praise and public attention.
The centerpiece to Lee Smolin's answer to how cosmological evolution actually works was his "Theory of Cosmological Natural Selection." The general theory of relativity contended that time and space have a relational structure and that the universe evolves through changing relationships. Astronomers have discovered that chaotic dynamics and self-organizing systems (cycles and feedback loops) influence the evolution of stars and galaxies. Astrobiologists and biochemists have noted that the universe has been defined by narrow "laws" that support life. Smolin's insights about cosmological time merged these streams with theoretical biology and post-quantum mechanics.
Smolin noted that when a black hole reached a state of infinite density/gravitational field, not only was the space beyond its event horizon unobservable, but also time essentially stopped. This configuration of space-time was possibly similar to the Big Bang cosmology and the Big Crunch scenario. If a "singularity" inside a black hole spawned a new universe, then this meant that universes were subject to Darwin's natural selection and self-organizing principles of complex systems. The new "baby" universe would have "laws" that were slight variations of its "parent" universe. Those universes with a greater number of star systems and black holes would create more "baby" universes, as Darwin predicted with biological life-forms, than those that didn't. Eventually the only universes that would survive would also contain stars. They would come into being ex nihilo: no need for an external creator, god or independent observer.
