Lifeboat Foundation

Motion sensors make holographic avatars dance, via Mark Bartkevitch.

According to new research, black holes could be like a hologram, where all the information is amassed in a two-dimensional surface able to reproduce a three-dimensional image.

We can all picture that incredible image of a black hole that traveled around the world about a year ago. Yet, according to new research by SISSA, ICTP and INFN, black holes could be like a hologram, where all the information is amassed in a two-dimensional surface able to reproduce a three-dimensional image. In this way, these cosmic bodies, as affirmed by quantum theories, could be incredibly complex and concentrate an enormous amount of information inside themselves, as the largest hard disk that exists in nature, in two dimensions. This idea aligns with Einstein’s theory of relativity, which describes black holes as three dimensional, simple, spherical, and smooth, as they appear in that famous image. In short, black holes “appear” as three dimensional, just like holograms. The study which demonstrates it, and which unites two discordant theories, has recently been published in Physical Review X.

The mystery of black holes.

The theory of relativity describes black holes as being spherical, smooth and simple. Quantum theory describes them as being extremely complex and full of information. New research now proposes a surprising solution to this apparent duality.

According to new research by SISSA, ICTP and INFN, black holes could be like holograms, in which all the information to produce a three-dimensional image is encoded in a two-dimensional surface. As affirmed by quantum theories, black holes could be incredibly complex, and concentrate an enormous amount of information in two dimensions, like the largest hard disks that exist in nature. This idea aligns with Einstein’s theory of relativity, which describes black holes as three dimensional, simple, spherical and smooth, as depicted in the first-ever image of a black hole that circulated in 2019. In short, black holes appear to be three dimensional, just like holograms. The study, which unites two discordant theories, has recently been published in Physical Review X.

The mystery of black holes

For scientists, black holes pose formidable theoretical challenges for many reasons. They are, for example, excellent representatives of the great difficulties of theoretical physics in uniting the principles of Einstein’s general theory of relativity with those of the quantum physics of gravity. According to the relativity, black holes are simple bodies without information. According to quantum physics, as claimed by Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking, they are the most complex existing systems because they are characterized by enormous entropy, which measures the complexity of a system, and consequently contain a lot of information.

We’re getting closer to technologies that let us exist forever in some way — using data to power our existence in VR, robots, chatbots and holograms. Should we do it?

Circa 2018

Laser and particle system produces three-dimensional moving images that appear to float in thin air.

Circa 2019

The Star Wars-like tactile 3D display isn’t a conventional hologram.

Continue reading “Scientists Created a ‘Hologram’ That You Can Feel and Hear” »

As the April 23rd French presidential election approaches, candidates are predictably stumping to bring voters out, but far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon may have the most effective strategy: using an optical illusion, he beamed “holograms” of himself to six cities around the country.

As Le Parisien reports, Mélenchon, who is often compared to Bernie Sanders, uses a technique known as Pepper’s Ghost (and not technically a hologram) to broadcast a 2-D version of himself. From Dijon, he simultaneously appeared in seven places at once yesterday.

Circa 2016

The tactile sensation is said to be very realistic-feeling.

Continue reading “Japanese scientists have created a new type of hologram that you can actually feel” »