Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe: A Revolutionary Recipe for Gravity That Merges Einstein’s Theory with Quantum Physics

A new approach to understanding gravity might unlock some of the universe’s biggest secrets. Researchers are exploring how the idea of “quantum gravity” could be linked to entropy. This could lead to answers about dark matter and dark energy, and even connect Einstein’s theory of general relativity with quantum physics.

Since the 20th century, Einstein’s general relativity has been our best explanation for gravity. It shows how mass warps spacetime, making objects with greater mass exert a stronger gravitational pull. Meanwhile, quantum mechanics also emerged around the same time, but these two theories just don’t fit together seamlessly.

Many brilliant minds, including Stephen Hawking, have tried to create a “theory of everything” that merges general relativity and quantum mechanics. A central issue is the absence of a clear theory of “quantum gravity,” which would explain how gravity behaves at the quantum level. This is where Ginestra Bianconi from Queen Mary University of London steps in.

Bianconi suggests a framework where quantum gravity emerges from a concept called “quantum relative entropy,” which assesses how different two quantum states are. This fresh perspective might help bridge the gap between these two foundational theories.

General relativity, established in 1915, explains that gravity occurs because massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime. The more massive an object, the greater its effect on spacetime and gravity. Time and again, experiments have confirmed this theory, proving it more accurate than Newton’s ideas of gravity.

Despite its success, relativity can’t explain everything. For instance, general relativity doesn’t account for dark matter and dark energy. These two components combined make up about 95% of the universe — a significant portion that traditional gravity theories can’t touch.

Moreover, Einstein’s gravity theory struggles to mesh with quantum physics, which describes nature at tiny scales. Bianconi’s novel theory takes elements from general relativity and reconsiders them as operators, mathematical tools that help reshape quantum states according to changing conditions.

In practical terms, this new framework leads to equations that, under low-energy conditions, mirror those of general relativity. However, it goes beyond by introducing an expected cosmological constant that aligns better with our observations of how the universe expands, driven by dark energy.

Additionally, the theory suggests a possible “G-field” that could represent the gravitational effects attributed to dark matter. Bianconi noted that this could lead to a better understanding of the discrepancies between predictions and real observations about the universe’s behavior.

While Bianconi’s ideas are still young, they hold promise for how we think about the universe. Exploring these concepts could reshape our grasp of gravity, dark matter, and the cosmos as a whole. Her research appeared recently in the journal Physical Review D.