Erik Verlinde: The Origin of Gravity
03/16/2011
16:00 h
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Building Physics and Mathematics, room M143
Erik Verlinde: The Origin of Gravity
Prof. dr. Erik Verlinde, UvA, Amsterdam
Faculty of Sciences
Sciences
Other
ABSTRACT
Insights from string theory and black hole physics indicate that gravity arises from an underlying microscopic description of our universe in which there is no gravitational force. Starting from first principles we argue that gravity is caused by fact that changes in the positions of material objects influence the entropy associated with the microscopic system. Application of these ideas to cosmology leads to surprising new insights into the nature of dark energy and dark matter.