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All right, so today we're gonna be looking at something

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that sounds a little like magic.

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This idea of getting something from nothing.

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Yeah, it's one of those.

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Usually you hear that and you think,

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oh, philosophy or some kind of magic trick.

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Right.

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But it turns out it's a question

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at the cutting edge of physics.

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Absolutely.

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So we are deep diving into some excerpts

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from terrifying quantum theory for scientists.

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Oh yeah.

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Don't let the title scare ya.

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It's actually pretty fascinating.

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It is.

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The question today is to unpack how modern physics

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really flips our understanding of reality on its head.

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Right.

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Especially this whole idea of nothingness.

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It is quite a shift.

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Yeah.

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You know, for centuries we pictured the universe

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as this collection of objects,

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but it turns out it's more accurate

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to think in terms of fields.

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Okay, so right off the bat,

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we need to get this fields concept clear.

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Sure.

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It's not exactly something we encounter in daily life.

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Right.

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What's a good way to wrap our heads around this?

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Well, think of a swimming pool.

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Okay.

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The water itself is like the field

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and the waves or splashes are disturbances in that field.

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Gotcha.

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Those disturbances are what we perceive as particles.

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So the field is like this underlying stuff

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that's everywhere.

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Yeah.

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And the things we see as solid objects

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are just temporary ripples in that stuff.

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Exactly.

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Whoa.

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And one of the most mind-bending discoveries in physics

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is that even if you remove all matter,

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Okay.

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All the stuff we can see and touch.

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Right.

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These fields still exist.

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They're fundamental to the very fabric of the universe.

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So even the seemingly empty space

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between stars and planets,

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Yes.

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It's not truly empty.

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Nope, not at all.

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Really?

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What we think of as vacuum is actually buzzing

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with activity.

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Okay.

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Full of these quantum fields constantly interacting.

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It's kind of like a simmering pot of energy

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waiting to bubble over.

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This is where it starts getting a little bit spooky for me.

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Yeah.

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If empty space is actually this hidden energy field,

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what kind of evidence do we have that this is real?

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And not just some theoretical idea.

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One of the most convincing pieces of evidence

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is something called the Casimir effect.

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Okay.

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It's a measurable force that proves emptiness

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is actually full of fluctuating electromagnetic fields

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and these things called virtual particles.

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Virtual particles.

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Okay, now you're making me think of science fiction movies.

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It does sound a bit like that, right?

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Yeah.

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But it's a real phenomenon.

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Okay.

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Imagine two plates placed incredibly close together

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in a vacuum.

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Okay.

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Logically, you'd expect them to just sit there.

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Right.

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Maybe experiencing a tiny bit of gravity.

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Right.

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But that's not what happens.

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Wait, so something actually happens to these plates

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in a vacuum?

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Uh-huh.

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What, are they moving or something?

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They actually get pulled together with a force

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much stronger than gravity can explain.

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What?

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It's almost as if the space itself

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is pushing them together.

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Okay.

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That's seriously freaky.

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Yeah.

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I would say around them be doing that.

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It all comes down to those virtual particles we mentioned.

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Right.

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They're constantly popping into and out of existence

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all around us.

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Like tiny fleeting disturbances in the quantum fields.

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But between those two plates,

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the space is so small

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that some of these virtual particles can't exist there.

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So it's like there's more pressure from these particles

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on the outside of the plates than on the inside.

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Exactly.

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More virtual particles are pushing on the outside

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and that difference in pressure forces the plates together.

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It's this invisible hand squeezing them and it's measurable.

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That's a pretty solid piece of evidence

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for something that sounds so unbelievable.

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Right.

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But I have to ask,

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are these virtual particles the same

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as the regular particles that make up?

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That's a great question.

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Well, us and everything we see.

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That's where it gets even weirder.

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Okay.

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They're not real in the way we usually think about matter.

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Okay.

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If you don't have these real measurable effects,

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imagine them as these fleeting glimpses of particles

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borrowing energy from the vacuum,

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popping into existence for a tiny fraction of a second

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than vanishing again.

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So they're like boosts of particles.

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Yeah, kind of like that.

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That's mind boggling.

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Yeah.

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But hold on,

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I thought what you were talking about

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getting something from nothing.

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Right.

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Are you telling me these ghost particles can become real?

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That's where we enter the territory

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of something called the Schwinger effect

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and things get even more interesting.

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Okay.

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I'm all ears.

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Right.

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What is this Schwinger effect?

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Okay.

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And how do we go from ghost particles to actual matter?

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All right.

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So the Schwinger effect is,

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it's a theoretical prediction.

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Yeah.

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Made by Julian Schwinger.

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Okay.

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He was a giant in the world of quantum physics.

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Gotcha.

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And he proposed that if you have

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a strong enough electric field.

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Yeah, okay.

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You can actually rip particle,

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anti-particle pairs out of the vacuum.

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Hold on.

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Making them real.

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Back up a second.

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Yeah.

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Are we talking about creating something out of nothing?

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Well.

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Isn't that breaking some fundamental law of physics?

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It's not exactly creating something

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from absolutely nothing.

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Okay.

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The energy to create these particles

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comes from the electric field itself.

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So you're basically transforming energy into matter.

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Think of it more like converting energy into matter.

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Right.

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Which when you really think about it

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is still pretty mind blowing.

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Yeah, that's like Einstein's famous equation

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E equals MC squared in action.

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Yeah.

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So we're talking about transforming pure energy

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into tangible matter.

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Right.

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Has anyone ever actually observed the Schwinger effect?

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Yeah.

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That's a good question.

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I mean, it sounds pretty theoretical.

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For a long time it was purely theoretical.

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Right.

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We just couldn't create electric fields strong enough

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to test it in a lab.

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Yeah.

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But recent breakthroughs using a wonder material

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called graphene.

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They've brought.

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Schwinger effect from the realm of theory into reality.

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Okay, wait.

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Isn't that the stuff they use

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in like those super strong tennis rackets?

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It is.

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What makes it so special

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for studying this something from nothing idea?

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Well, graphing is incredibly strong and versatile.

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Yeah.

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But for physicists, it's like a playground

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for exploring quantum phenomena.

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It's essentially a single layer of carbon atoms

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arranged in a honeycomb pattern.

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And it has some very unique properties.

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Okay. Like what?

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For one thing, it can withstand incredibly strong

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electric fields without breaking down.

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Wow.

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Because it's so thin.

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Yeah.

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Essentially two dimensional.

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Okay.

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It allows scientists to manipulate electrons

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in ways that are impossible with bulkier materials.

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So how did they actually use graphene

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to observe the Schwinger effect?

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Researchers at the University of Manchester

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created a super lattice structure.

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Using multiple layers of graphene

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arranged in a specific pattern.

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Okay.

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Then they applied a strong electric field.

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Okay.

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And watch what happened.

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And did they actually manage

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to pull particles out of thin air?

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They observed electron hole pairs

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popping into existence, seemingly out of nowhere.

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Wow.

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It's not exactly the creation of electrons

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and positrons as predicted by Schwinger.

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Okay.

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They're antimatter counterparts.

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Right.

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But it's a condensed matter analog of the same process.

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So they basically recreated the conditions

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of the early universe, but in a tiny piece of graphene.

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In a way, yes.

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And it's a stunning confirmation

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that even in seemingly empty space,

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the potential for something to emerge is always there.

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Okay.

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So we've got this buzzing void full of quantum fields

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and virtual particles that can become real

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under the right conditions.

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Yeah.

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It's a lot to take in.

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It is.

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But I can't help but think about the vastness of space,

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the emptiness that astronauts experience.

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Right.

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Doesn't that contradict all this?

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That's a great point.

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And it brings us to a very human perspective.

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Okay.

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On this whole idea of nothingness.

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Okay.

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Think about those images we've all seen of astronauts

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floating in space.

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All right.

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Surrounded by that inky blackness.

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Yeah.

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It looks empty, right?

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Yeah, it's the classic image of the void.

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Yeah.

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But you're saying even that emptiness

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isn't what it seems.

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Exactly.

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That empty space is actually teeming

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with the very quantum fields.

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Wow.

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And the particles we've been discussing,

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our human perception of emptiness

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just doesn't line up with the reality of the universe.

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So this nothingness we imagine

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when we think about outer space is really just an illusion.

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A trick our brains play on us

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because we can't perceive these quantum fields.

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It is.

289
00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:24,560
Wow.

290
00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,040
It's a humbling reminder that our senses

291
00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:30,480
can only take us so far in understanding the universe.

292
00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:31,320
Right.

293
00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:33,200
There's a whole hidden world out there

294
00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:37,040
operating by rules that defy our everyday experience.

295
00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,840
So if true nothingness is basically impossible,

296
00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:41,680
Yeah.

297
00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:44,520
what does that tell us about the universe we live in?

298
00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:48,520
What are the implications of this always on buzzing reality?

299
00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,120
It points to a universe that's inherently dynamic,

300
00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:55,560
constantly in flux, the most fundamental level.

301
00:08:55,560 --> 00:08:58,840
Even the vacuum state, the lowest energy state isn't static.

302
00:08:58,840 --> 00:08:59,680
Okay.

303
00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:01,760
It's full of potential with virtual particles

304
00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:03,400
popping in and out of existence

305
00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,440
and fields interacting in complex ways.

306
00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:07,440
So the universe is never truly off.

307
00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,440
It's always doing something

308
00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,000
even in the seemingly emptiest corners of space.

309
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:12,840
Precisely.

310
00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:13,680
Wow.

311
00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:15,200
And this has some pretty wild implications

312
00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:17,800
for our understanding of how the universe began

313
00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:18,920
and how it might end.

314
00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:20,960
Okay, now you've really got my attention.

315
00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:23,560
Tell me more about what this means for the big picture.

316
00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:25,040
Okay, so we've established

317
00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,360
that the universe is never truly off.

318
00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:28,200
Right.

319
00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:30,240
It's always simmering with this quantum activity

320
00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,960
even in the places that seem empty to us.

321
00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,080
It's a pre-radical shift in perspective.

322
00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:35,920
It is.

323
00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:36,760
But I have to wonder,

324
00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,520
what does this actually mean for us here on Earth?

325
00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:40,360
Yeah.

326
00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:44,480
Does knowing that nothing is actually something

327
00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,240
change anything practical?

328
00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:47,200
That's a great question.

329
00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,360
And it gets to the heart of why we do science

330
00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:50,200
in the first place.

331
00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:51,020
Right.

332
00:09:51,020 --> 00:09:51,840
While some of these concepts

333
00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:53,640
might seem purely theoretical.

334
00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:54,480
Yeah.

335
00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:55,800
They have the potential

336
00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,280
to completely revolutionize our technology.

337
00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:01,120
Okay.

338
00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,000
And deepen our understanding of the universe.

339
00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:04,160
Okay, I'm intrigued.

340
00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:05,000
Give me an example.

341
00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,560
How could something like the Casimir effect,

342
00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:10,720
those plates being pushed together by virtual particles,

343
00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:12,560
actually be useful in the real world?

344
00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:13,600
Well, on the nano scale,

345
00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,480
the Casimir effect becomes a significant force.

346
00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,320
As we develop ever smaller devices,

347
00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:23,520
tiny sensors, microchips, even nano machines,

348
00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,340
we need to understand how these quantum forces

349
00:10:26,340 --> 00:10:27,960
will affect their function.

350
00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:29,440
Okay.

351
00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,160
Imagine building a microscopic robot

352
00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:34,120
that can navigate the human bloodstream.

353
00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:34,960
Right.

354
00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,360
You can't ignore the Casimir effect at that scale.

355
00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:38,200
Uh-huh.

356
00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,520
It could make your robot stick together or malfunction.

357
00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,600
So it's like a whole new set of engineering challenges

358
00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:46,720
and possibilities,

359
00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,640
all because of this force that comes from empty space.

360
00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:50,480
Exactly.

361
00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:52,040
It's a great example of how

362
00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:54,640
something that seems abstract and theoretical.

363
00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:55,480
Yeah.

364
00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:58,600
Can have very real and practical implications

365
00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,240
as our technology advances.

366
00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:01,400
That makes a lot of sense.

367
00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:03,080
What about the Schwinger effect?

368
00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:03,920
Sure.

369
00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,920
This idea of creating matter from energy is incredibly cool.

370
00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:07,760
Yeah.

371
00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:09,000
But it also sounds like something straight out

372
00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:09,960
of science fiction.

373
00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:10,800
It does.

374
00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:11,720
Could we ever get to a point

375
00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:14,760
where we're like materializing objects out of thin air?

376
00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:16,840
Huh, let's not get too carried away.

377
00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:17,680
Okay.

378
00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:20,760
The energy requirements to create even a tiny amount

379
00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,960
of matter using the Schwinger effect are astronomical.

380
00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:25,480
We're not gonna be 3D printing cars

381
00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:27,040
at a pure energy anytime soon.

382
00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,000
Okay, so maybe not flying cars just yet.

383
00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:29,840
Right.

384
00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:31,440
Are there any potential applications

385
00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,200
for this kind of technology even on a smaller scale?

386
00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:35,560
Absolutely.

387
00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:39,320
One area of active research is in particle physics.

388
00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:40,200
Okay.

389
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,880
Understanding how particles and antiparticles

390
00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,400
are created and destroyed could lead to new ways

391
00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:50,760
of generating energy or even probing the fundamental nature

392
00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:51,920
of matter itself.

393
00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,520
So the nothing of the quantum vacuum

394
00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:58,800
could hold the key to unlocking some of the biggest

395
00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:00,320
mysteries of the universe.

396
00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,480
It very well could and that's what makes this field

397
00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:03,320
so exciting.

398
00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:04,160
Yeah.

399
00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:05,000
We're literally just scratching the surface

400
00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:06,480
of what we know about the quantum world.

401
00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:07,320
Right.

402
00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,480
And every new discovery opens up a whole new realm

403
00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:10,400
of possibilities.

404
00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:12,640
It's mind blowing to think that something we perceive

405
00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,800
as nothing could be so fundamental to, well, everything.

406
00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:16,640
Right.

407
00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,880
So to wrap things up for our listener today.

408
00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:19,720
Okay.

409
00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:21,600
What's the big takeaway from all this?

410
00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:22,440
Right.

411
00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:23,840
What should they be thinking about

412
00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:25,360
as they go about their day?

413
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,880
Encountering the apparent nothingness of their daily lives.

414
00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:30,320
I think the key takeaway is this.

415
00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,640
Ectiness is an illusion.

416
00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:37,640
What we perceive as void is actually a sea of potential,

417
00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,520
of quantum fields and virtual particles

418
00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:43,960
constantly interacting and shaving the fabric of reality.

419
00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:45,600
Even the most mind blowing events

420
00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,760
like the creation of the universe

421
00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:49,960
might be rooted in this fundamental truth.

422
00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,560
So as we go about our lives, we should remember

423
00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:56,000
that even the seemingly empty spaces around us

424
00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,480
are teeming with possibility and potential

425
00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,120
just waiting to be understood and maybe even harnessed.

426
00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:02,960
Absolutely.

427
00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,000
It's a pretty awe-inspiring way to look at the world.

428
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:05,840
It is.

429
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:07,360
And it's a great reminder that there's always more

430
00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,600
to discover, more to learn.

431
00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,840
Our journey of understanding the universe is far from over.

432
00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:14,800
That's a perfect note to end on.

433
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,880
So to our listener, keep those minds open

434
00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:18,200
and keep asking questions.

435
00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:19,040
Yeah.

436
00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,800
The universe is a much stranger and more wonderful place

437
00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:23,440
than we could have ever imagined.

438
00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:24,280
And who knows?

439
00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,800
Maybe someday we'll even learn to harness the power

440
00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:31,000
of nothing to create something truly extraordinary.

441
00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,000
That's it for our deep dive today.

442
00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:33,840
All right.

443
00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:34,960
Thanks for joining us on this journey

444
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:37,440
into the mind-bending world of quantum physics.

445
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:38,320
It's been fun.

446
00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,360
We'll be back next time with another fascinating exploration

447
00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:42,600
of the world around us.

448
00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:43,440
Sounds good.

449
00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:53,200
And stay curious.