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Science fiction, science fact: reports from the frontiers of physics
What is time? What is space? How did the Universe start? Does infinity exist? Join Plus and FQXi on a journey exploring these and many more questions on the frontiers of physics. What do you think is science fiction and what is science fact? Find out more about scientific developments in these areas, ask your own questions and debate the answers!
This project is a collaboration between Plus and FQXi, an organisation that supports and disseminates research on questions at the foundations of physics and cosmology. The FQXi community website does for physics and cosmology what Plus does for maths: provide the public with a deeper understanding of known and future discoveries in these areas, and their potential implications for our worldview.
During this two-year project we will run a continuous poll to identify your most burning question from the list on the right. At six special moments we'll take a snap-shot of your mood to identify the current top question. We'll then put together a package of articles and podcasts with answers from leading experts. You can also suggest your own question by posting a comment and we'll include the most popular ones in our poll. Below the competing questions briefly introduce themselves and lobby for your vote with a couple of taster examples of the type of material you can expect.
So what would you like to know? Get voting now!
The question that won the latest poll is "does infinity exist?" We're consulting the experts and will bring you some answers soon.
The previous two winning questions were "is there free will?" and "what is time?". Click on the links for the answers!
What is space?
Is space continuous or is there a smallest length scale we can't break down further? What would that mean for the way we do physics? What is geometry of space? To find out, vote for the space question and read these articles:
- On Plus: Quantum geometry — is space made up of tiny chunks?
- On FQXi: High fidelity — is space analogue or digital?
How did the Universe start?
What does modern physics say about the origin (or non-origin) of the Universe? And how can we test these theories? Vote for the start of the Universe or read these taster articles:
- On Plus: What happened before the Big Bang? — the answer will make your mind bubble.
- On FQXi: The holographic Universe — turning the Universe into a hologram to understand the birth of the cosmos.
Does infinity exist?
This is the latest winner in our poll! We have just interviewed John D. Barrow and will be publishing an answer soon. Meanwhile get a feel for infinity with these articles:
- On Plus: Cantor and Cohen: infinite investigators — why there's more than one infinity
- On FQXi: Taming infinity — a theory of everything is within reach if you know how to handle infinity.
How many dimensions are there?
Are there more than the three spatial and one time dimensions we can perceive? If yes, why can't we see them and can we detect them in experiments? Vote for dimensions or read these articles:
- On Plus: Hidden dimensions — exploring string theory's hidden dimensions.
- On FQXi: Testing times for natures constants — how clocks an open the door to extra dimensions.
What's the role of chance in the Universe?
Did chance have a hand in the early stages of the Universe? What does this mean for physics and how can we calculate the probabilities of different outcomes? To find out, vote for chance or read these articles:
- On Plus: Lambda marks the spot — is the biggest mystery of theoretical physics, the cosmological constant, a result of chance?
- On FQXi: Phantasms of infinity — can you define probabilities in the face of infinity?
Is the Universe complex or simple?
Is everything in the Universe "computable"? How does complexity emerge from simplicity? What are the limits of mathematical logic and how do they impact on physics? Vote for complexity vs simplicity, or read the following taster articles:
- On Plus: Omega and why maths has no TOEs — complexity and why there's no mathematical theory of everything.
- On FQXi: Baby steps — why did the Universe start simple?
What is information?
What does information really look like? Are there fundamental laws of information processing? And can they lead us to a physical theory of everything? Vote for information and read these articles:
- On Plus: The illusory Universe — what happens to information when it falls down a black hole?
- On FQXi: DoubleThink — storing information using quantum physics.
Will there be a theory of everything?
Finding a theory of everything is the biggest challenge for modern physics. Will we ever find it? And what will it look like? Vote for the theory of everything and read these articles:
- On Plus: String theory: from Newton to Einstein and beyond — on the currently hottest contender for a theory of everything.
- On FQXi: The quantum PlayStation — how the PS3 is helping physicists develop a theory of quantum gravity.
What is quantum cosmology?
We've all heard of quantum mechanics, the physical theory that describes the microscopic world so well. But what happens when you apply quantum mechanics to the whole Universe? If you'd like to find out, then vote for quantum cosmology or read our taster article:
- On FQXi: The holographic Universe — Take one universe, turn it into a hologram, find its quantum wavefunction and understand the birth of the cosmos.
Latest from FQXi
Black holes: paradox regainedIn 2004, Stephen Hawking famously conceded that black holes do not devour all information when they swallow matter—seemingly resolving the black hole information paradox that had perplexed physicists for decades. But some argue that the paradox remains open, and we must abandon our simple picture of spacetime to unravel it.
