[SOT] Is the universe a big hologram?

[J.A. Terranson]

[OT but interesting. The image produced [see link] looks a lot like what 
you'd get taking an x-ray photomicrograph of DNA (helical ladder 
formations from <whatever, but DNA is the best known and understood 
AFAIK>).]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/Cool-Astronomy/2010/1025/Is-the-universe-a-big-hologram-This-device-could-find-out.

During the hunt for the predicted ripples in space-time . known as 
gravitational waves . physicists stumbled across a rather puzzling 
phenomenon. Last year, I reported about the findings of scientists using 
the GEO600 experiment in Germany. Although the hi-tech piece of kit hadn.t 
turned up evidence for the gravitational waves it was seeking, it did turn 
up a lot of noise.

Before we can understand what this .noise. is, we need to understand how 
equipment designed to look for the space-time ripples caused by collisions 
between black holes and supernova explosions.

Gravitational wave detectors are incredibly sensitive to the tiniest 
change in distance. For example, the GEO600 experiment can detect a 
fluctuation of an atomic radius over a distance from the Earth to the Sun. 
This is achieved by firing a laser down a 600 meter long tube where it is 
split, reflected and directed into an interferometer. The interferometer 
can detect the tiny phase shifts in the two beams of light predicted to 
occur should a gravitational wave pass through our local volume of space. 
This wave is theorized to slightly change the distance between physical 
objects. Should GEO600 detect a phase change, it could be indicative of a 
slight change in distance, thus the passage of a gravitational wave.

While looking out for a gravitational wave signal, scientists at GEO600 
noticed something bizarre. There was inexplicable static in the results 
they were gathering. After canceling out all artificial sources of the 
noise, they called in the help of Fermilab.s Craig Hogan to see if his 
expertise of the quantum world help shed light on this anomalous noise. 
His response was as baffling as it was mind-blowing. .It looks like GEO600 
is being buffeted by the microscopic quantum convulsions of space-time,. 
Hogan said.

Come again?

The signal being detected by GEO600 isn.t a noise source that.s been 
overlooked, Hogan believes GEO600 is seeing quantum fluctuations in the 
fabric of space-time itself. This is where things start to get a little 
freaky.

According to Einstein.s view on the universe, space-time should be smooth 
and continuous. However, this view may need to be modified as space-time 
may be composed of quantum .points. if Hogan.s theory is correct. At its 
finest scale, we should be able to probe down the .Planck length. which 
measures 10-35 meters. But the GEO600 experiment detected noise at scales 
of less than 10-15 meters.

As it turns out, Hogan thinks that noise at these scales are caused by a 
holographic projection from the horizon of our universe. A good analogy is 
to think about how an image becomes more and more blurry or pixelated the 
more you zoom in on it. The projection starts off at Planck scale lengths 
at the Universe.s event horizon, but its projection becomes blurry in our 
local space-time. This hypothesis comes out of black hole research where 
the information that falls into a black hole is .encoded. in the black 
hole.s event horizon. For the holographic universe to hold true, 
information must be encoded in the outermost reaches of the Universe and 
it is projected into our 3 dimensional world.

But how can this hypothesis be tested? We need to boost the resolution of 
a gravitational wave detector-type of kit. Enter the .Holometer..

Currently under construction in Fermilab, the Holometer (meaning 
holographic interferometer) will delve deep into this quantum realm at 
smaller scales than the GEO600 experiment. If Hogan.s idea is correct, the 
Holometer should detect this quantum noise in the fabric of space-time, 
throwing our whole perception of the Universe into a spin.

For more on this intriguing experiment, read the Symmety Magazine article 
.Hogan.s holometer: Testing the hypothesis of a holographic universe..

Ian O'Neill blogs at AstroEngine.