Brian Greene sits down with theoretical physicist Rafael Bousso to explore some of the deepest puzzles in modern physics. Their conversation centers on the black hole information paradox, one of the most important challenges in theoretical physics. If quantum mechanics says information can never be destroyed, how can black holes, once thought to erase everything that falls into them, be reconciled with that principle? Bousso discusses recent ideas suggesting that black holes may return information to the universe, raising the possibility that the smooth event horizon predicted by general relativity may give way to new physics such as “firewalls.” Along the way, Greene and Bousso reflect on how physicists think about theory, evidence, and discovery. The discussion also touches on the multiverse, the limits of current experiments, and how artificial intelligence may influence the future of scientific research. This conversation offers a window into the frontier of modern physics, where black holes, quantum theory, and gravity converge in the search for a deeper understanding of the universe.
This program is part of the Rethinking Reality series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
This program can be watched here, and on our YouTube channel, starting at 4PM on Friday, March 13.
Brian Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, and is recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in his field of superstring theory. His books, The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality, have collectively spent 65 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.
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Raphael Bousso is recognized for discovering the general relation between the curved geometry of space-time and its information content, known as the “covariant entropy bound.” This allowed for a precise and general formulation of the holographic principle, which is believed to underlie the unification of quantum theory and Einstein’s theory of gravity.
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