'I'm worried about science denial'

It is popularly said that curiosity is the beginning of all knowledge. And he said Albert Einstein This study should not be viewed as an obligation, but rather an opportunity to enter the wonderful and wonderful world of knowledge. Both ideas perfectly describe what Miguel Alcubierre (Mexico City, 1964) It was the foundation of his prolific scientific career, leading him to make significant contributions to the world of research.

There are many reasons to deserve the undeniable appreciation for this Mexican theoretical physicist, who between 2012 and 2020 served as Director of the Institute of Nuclear Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.But without a doubt, it is the mathematical model that bears his name that gave him a place on the platform of global scientific research. We are talking about the Alcubierre scale published in the famous magazine Classical and quantum gravityIt is the model in which he proposed that it is possible to travel faster than the speed of light without violating general relativity (Consequently, nothing in space has the ability to travel at a speed higher than those mentioned.)

He worked at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam, Germany.In research that helped us understand the physics of black holes. Later, starting in 2002, he coordinated work in numerical relativity to propose solutions to famous physical equations postulated by Einstein.

In short, there were years of study that led him to develop this contribution, as well as his time at prestigious universities such as the one where he works today, in addition to Welsh from Cardiff He obtained his doctorate there; However, curiosity – as mentioned earlier – was the seed from which his love of research was born. It all started when young Miguel, who was watching the famous TV show Star Trek, imagined that he could, like the heroes of that classic series, find ways to travel faster than light in the universe.

Most people understand that the maximum speed is the speed of light. How can you travel faster than this and in less technical terms?

In principle, what relativity confirms is that it is not possible to travel locally faster than light. That is, if I were here, the ray of light would always reach any destination faster than me.

But we can cheat because, in theory, it is possible to alter space and time. How? Well, it turns out Einstein's theory of general relativity tells us that gravity is a distortion of the geometry of space and time. So, if someone deviates in a way appropriate to the place and time, It would arrive faster than light if it were a flat place. This is the idea in a very broad sense. I mean that one can overcome light, if it travels only through a flat space and not through a distorted space.

The goal would be to reach the star faster, for example. A distance of four light years would usually take us the same amount of time to reach it. But to do that we have to distort the space, and there are different ways to do that.

the firstBorn about a hundred years ago, he is known as Einstein-Rosen tunnelsOr known in fictional literature as “wormholes.”

By this I mean it We can travel in twisted space as if we were the handle of a cup, and thus we will arrive faster than if we did so in flat space. What is clear is that light, in the same place where the person is, will always arrive first. The point to understand is that the fastest flight must take place in warped space. But so far this only exists in theory. This is also allowed by the laws of physics, although it has problems like anything else, because, for example, we have no idea how to form a wormhole if it did not exist from the beginning, and it also requires huge amounts of energy.

My idea, the one that came to my mind in the '90s, is different because, Instead of punching holes in space, what we're doing is local distortions, and the inspiration comes from the idea of ​​the universe expanding. It should be clear that, in general, the galaxies are at rest, but the space between them is expanding, and this would be a form of geometric deformation, as if they were an elastic net. I mean they move away based on the extension, but they haven't moved from where they originally were.

Is it possible that there is a galaxy that is so far away from us and moving away from us at a speed faster than light? The answer is yes. But this only happens due to the distortion of space. No, it does not violate relativity. However, this is only possible in theory. In the coming decades, I cannot understand why an object would not, in fact, reach a faster-than-light destination, that's for sure.

In reality, How much do we know and how much do we not know about black holes? We know a lot about them. We know how they form and that they form at the end of massive stars. We also know how they behave, and what warps in time and space they produce. In this sense, we understand them well. Because, equally, we know what's going on inside. We know all this thanks to our equations. Of course, we've never been inside one before. What we understand is that through equations, we can predict the expansion of the universe or gravitational waves. The doubts we have go elsewhere. Inside black holes, right in the center, is what we call a singularity. This is the point where the power is The force of gravity is infinite, and so is the density of matter. Anything that reaches the center of the black hole will be destroyed because it has, in theory, infinite power.

Now, here comes the question, when infinity appears in some physical theories, what we assume is that that theory is wrong because infinity does not exist in nature, it is a mathematical concept, but it does not exist in reality. And that's why we think Einstein's theory of relativity is a failure, because we're going to need a new theory that tells us that the power out there is not infinite, and that it can be as enormous or as monstrous as you want, but it is never infinite. But we don't have that theory yet. We only hope for a theory that has something to do with quantum physics, what we call quantum gravity, that is, a theory that would integrate the principles of quantum physics into the theory of gravity, something that has not been done to date. Which we assume will solve this problem. There have been physicists working on this for 70 years, but we haven't achieved it yet.

The other problem – and it's also related to quantum physics – It is called “information loss”. According to the laws of quantum physics, when a physical system evolves, it does not lose information, all of it is preserved. But black holes represent a paradox because it is assumed that all information that falls into a black hole can never leave, because it does not emit anything. however, This point was born when he was in the seventies, Stephen Hawkin Show that black holes emit some radiation. If this continues, the hole will eventually disappear thanks to the loss of information as well as mass.

Someone will almost certainly solve this highly technical problem, which leans toward the basic principles of modern physics at some point. Is the information saved or not? this is the question. Solving it will require very complex calculations; As physicists, this kind of contradiction frightens us.

In Surfing Time-Space, she asserts that the deepest details of the universe can bring out the quietest details of everyday life. some examples?

There are many examples.

We will then talk about thermodynamics, for example, in the case of heating up a cold object when it is next to a hot object. Another phenomenon is the fact that things fall. Why does this happen? The answer seems obvious, but it's not very obvious. This is how knowledge is generated, through asking initial questions and being curious about phenomena. This is what led us to understand the structure of space and time.

Or questions like: Why does matter exist, or why are atoms stable, or why do solid and liquid elements exist? The answers to these questions have very deep explanations and are what lead us to understand the nature of reality.

Let's talk about science denial in the digital age and academic hyperactivity.

I'm very worried about denial. Social media networks contributed to its rapid spread, in addition to fake news. It has always been around and now it is trendy again.

Some issues are more serious than others; For example, It is sad when you hear that there are still people who consider that the Earth is not round. They are literally denying nearly three thousand years of scientific research and evidence, but hey, if they want to believe it, that's what they do. However, what I find most disturbing is when the effectiveness of vaccines is denied, or even said to be harmful. This is very dangerous because it concerns public health.

However, people should be taught to think critically, and this does not mean denying everything. When experts say something, it's because they have a lot of research behind them. Scientists try to understand how nature works and find ways to help society. I know that when there is no evidence for something, of course you can question it, but when there is evidence, you have to accept it.

This is the basic difference between doubt and denial. We are skeptical by nature, that is, we do not accept something unless there is evidence to prove it. Denial, on the other hand, is a problem because it denies evidence, and even if there is evidence, it denies it. He simply confirms that they are conspiracies.

How can science be promoted in Mexico outside the classroom?

Scientific publishing is essential.

Of course, there must be encouragement in the classroom. It is there where we achieve our first approaches to science. Basic concepts are taught there, as well as how scientists think. I say it this way because for many people this will be their only contact with science their entire lives.

Books and videos, as well as the work of museums, are essential, because publishing, as I said before, is essential. This is because many people who are already interested can then learn complex problems in more detail.

However, many will not go to a museum if they do not have an interest in science, and this must be achieved through the classroom. That's why we have to think about new ways of teaching. We must not only show formulas or data, but also how they were arrived at. Also teach the history of science and the processes of how we arrive at current knowledge.

According to science, At the center of every galaxy is a black hole, that is, a self-devouring space from which not even light can escape. Are there any similarities between this and some mundane human issues?

I do not think so. There is no need to look for explanations for human behavior in the stars, for example. We are talking about completely different systems.

Society works according to its rules and conditions, and nature works on its own. I won't do the parallel. Moreover, it is not even true that there are black holes at the center of all galaxies. There appear to be very large ones, but we don't know how they were formed. But we also know that there are galaxies that function perfectly well without it.