Black Holes as Holograms: Rethinking Space, Time, and Gravity

Black holes are among the most mysterious objects in our universe. Their gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Yet after decades of study, our understanding of black holes remains incomplete. What makes these extraordinary objects so elusive? In this talk, I will explain what black holes are and how their unusual properties lead to certain paradoxes that challenge our basic understanding of nature. These puzzles reveal a deep tension between quantum physics and gravity—two theories that describe the universe extraordinarily well, yet remain difficult to reconcile. I will then discuss how new ideas from string theory, particularly the holographic correspondence, suggest that to fully understand black holes, we may need to radically rethink our very concept of space and time.
 

Jeremy van der Heijden (he/him) is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia. His research explores some of the most fundamental questions in modern physics, focusing on the nature of space, time, and gravity through the lens of string theory and holography. He earned a double BSc in Mathematics and Physics at the University of Amsterdam, followed by MSc degrees in both Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, for which he received the Sander Bais Prize for outstanding academic achievement. Jeremy completed his PhD in theoretical physics under the supervision of Prof Erik Verlinde, working on quantum chaotic aspects of black hole dynamics. Beyond his research, he shares his passion for physics as a writer and editor for quantumuniverse.nl and as a public speaker. Outside of science, Jeremy enjoys baking and drawing.