Thomas Hertog, a young Belgian researcher, and Stephen Hawking, a famed British theoretical physicist, hit it off from the moment the latter called on the former in the late 1990s. The two of us just hit it off,” Hertog added. Even when Hawking’s severe diagnosis of ALS robbed him of his final avenues of communication, the two remained connected, and together they completed a new theory that tries to flip the scientific worldview on its head.
Hawking’s final theory before his death in 2018 is described in detail for the first time in Hertog’s book “On the Origin of Time,” which was published in the UK earlier this month. The cosmologist spoke with AFP about their 20 years of working together, how they communicated by facial expressions, and Hawking’s realization that he had written his seminal work “A Brief History of Time” from the wrong perspective.
The ‘designed’ universe
Hawking didn’t waste any time bringing up the issue during their first encounter in 1998 at Cambridge University.
“The universe we observe appears designed,” Hawking said to Hertog using a speech machine and clicker. In his own words, Hertog stated, “The laws of physics—the rules on which the universe runs—turn out to be just perfect for the universe to be habitable, for life to be possible.”
This incredible run of good fortune encompasses everything from the stability of subatomic particles that enables chemical bonding to the expansion of the cosmos that enables the formation of enormous cosmic structures like galaxies.
Hertog cited the “trendy” concept of the multiverse as one possible solution to this issue in modern cinema. The 47-year-old said that this idea was “crap, lifeless, sterile” most of the other universes, explaining away the clearly designed nature of the cosmos. Hawking, Hertog argues, saw the “great mire of paradoxes the multiverse was leading us into” and concluded that another explanation was necessary.
Outsider’s perspective
Hertog remarked that after working together for some time, “it began to sink in” that they were overlooking something crucial.
Hertog argued that both the multiverse and “A Brief History of Time” were “attempts to describe the creation and evolution of our universe from what Stephen would call a ‘God’s eye perspective.'” Our theories, however, are inextricably bound to our own unique point of view, as he put it, because “we are within the universe” and not outside looking in.
For this reason, (Hawking) claimed, “A Brief History of Time” presents events from the wrong vantage point.
For the next 15 years, the two harnessed quantum theory’s quirks to create a new “observer’s perspective” theory of physics and cosmology. By 2008, Hawking was no longer able to communicate with the outside world via his clicker.
“I thought it was over,” Hertog admitted.
After then, he claimed, the two reached a “somewhat magical” level of non-verbal communication that allowed them to keep working together. Hertog would stand in front of Hawking and stare directly into his eyes while he asked him questions.
“His facial expressions ranged from strong disapproval to palpable enthusiasm,” he remarked.
Hertog claimed that he and Hawking had collaborated for so long that “it’s impossible to disentangle” which portions of the final theory came from each of them.
One grand evolutionary process
What occurred immediately following the Big Bang is the primary emphasis of their theory. They argue that the cosmos evolved together with the laws of physics, as opposed to exploding according to a predetermined set of principles. That’s why, as Hertog put it, “the laws of physics themselves begin to simplify and disappear” if you go back in time far enough.
“In the end, even time itself disappears.”
Hertog’s book title alludes to Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” since his theory postulates that the laws of physics and time itself evolved in a manner similar to biological evolution.
“What we’re essentially saying is that (biology and physics) are two levels of one grand evolutionary process,” Hertog explained.
That the early years of the universe are “hidden in the midst of the Big Bang” is a problem, he admitted, making proof of this idea impossible. He speculated that researching gravitational waves, which are vibrations in the fabric of space-time, and constructing quantum holograms on quantum computers would be able to shed light on the mystery.