lindau, july 3, 2008 utrecht university gerard ’t hooft in the 58th meeting of nobel laureates...

Lindau, July 3, 2008

Utrecht University

Gerard ’t Hooft

in the

58th Meeting of Nobel Laureates June 29 – July 4, 2008

Lindau, July 3, 2008

Figuring things out ...

... using known laws of physics !

- Acknowledgement :

- Excuse :

- Justification :

- Caveats :

Jack’s right ...

It’s fun ...

Knowing the laws of physics,one can really look intothe future ...

You will often be wrong ...often dead wrong ...and there will always bebetter solutions !

Lindau, July 3, 2008

❖ What can we do with modern science, and what will stay out of reach forever ?

❖ Will we solve problems concerning energy, poverty, climate change ?

❖ How far will we prolong human lifetimes? ❖ How will society change ?❖ Will humanity be able to conquer space, and how far will we get ? ❖ Will we outlive planet Earth? ❖ What can modern science say, using things known today ?

Questions

Lindau, July 3, 2008

Book: “Playing with Planets”,

G. ‘t Hooft, World scientific, Singapore, LondonTranslation: S.A. ’t Hooft

This talk: excerpts:

Nanoscience,Intelligent computersRobotsConquering outer space

mental exercise: What can we say about possibilities and restrictions using onlyknown laws of physics?

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Questions on Earth

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LHC, CERN, Geneva, magnets

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Proton

Neutron

Quarks

Atomic Nucleus

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Richard Feynman, 1959, APS CalTech:

“There is plenty of Room at the Bottom!”

Lindau, July 3, 2008

The information era has just started ...

Computer software and hardware can become gigantically faster and better ...

Computers can become intelligent, even surpass humans ...

Robots (automatically moving machines, remotely controlled by computers), can become very small and universally adaptable, however,

if they are small, they can see only very badly ... !

Moore’s Law

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Will NANO TECHNOLOGY determine our future?

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A proteineand DNA

10 nm

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Thehuman

Genome

Genetic engineering offers fantastic possibilities for the future

Food

water

energy

spacecolonization

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All that Earth is made of, is described by modern physics, very accurately !

and furthermore ...

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all visible objects in the entire Universe ...

are described by the same physical laws

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Will humanity conquer the distances in outer space ?

Lindau, July 3, 2008 A black hole

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Black holes can not be used as “wormholes”for transportation !

Why not ?

A black hole generates tremendous tidal forces;only large ones would be gentle enough notto tear us to pieces:

2 BH

c

GM

1: 100,000 secBHM M 10,000 ??BHM M

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The possible role of tethers

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The characteristic factor is the strength of a cable compared to its weight

is expressed inGigaPascal / (weight/ meter), orNewton meter / kg

2

2

Nm / kg

kg m / sec m / kg

(m / sec)

Steel: 154 000 Nm/kg = (392 m/sec) ²

Nano tubes: 48,462,000 Nm/kg= 7 km/sec ²

Lindau, July 3, 2008

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Our motives: curiosity ...

Colonization of the Universe only happens if affordable!

SF authors perhaps underestimate:

the Media the Internet

To keep fund providers happy

for essential information

remotely controlled robots

Human colonization ...

... expansion drift

Lindau, July 3, 2008

The tremendous advantages of robots in space

Information technology

Robots remotely controlled by genuinely intelligent computers

- this does not contradict anything we know

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Cassini

▼

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Our first aim: the MOON

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Lots of things to do there ...❖ colonization❖ exploration❖ exploitation❖ science:

❖ astronomy: large stable arrays of telescopes;

radio astronomy at

backside❖ ancient rocks from Earth:

early life?❖ low gravity science❖ low temperatures and pressures

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Colonization Step One :Simpler smaller versions of this typeof robots on wheels, equiped with tools, camera’s / webcams !

send dozens of them to the Moon

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Send also: an energy station, a powerful communication channel connecting Earth

All this starts as entertainment

Leasing a cambot is expensive (clients all over the world) It is fun (sight seeing, cambot quidditch, cambot rallies)Cambots are vulnerable and difficult - 3 secondssignal delay !

Glass and ice, to build a lunar hotel , are available ...

Lindau, July 3, 2008

John von Neumann:Robots can reproduce themselves.Robots can become semi-intelligent .

Self-reproduction and robot-intelligence are not possible today

but not forbidden by science !

Neumannbots

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The neumannbots can go well beyond Pluto.

Only after many thousands of years they can reach nearby stars

jumping from asteroid to asteroid - Just the way flora, founa, and human civilizations did,

when they colonized every part of planet Earth -

Neumannbots can colonize the galaxy.

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Travelling to stars takes millions of years

But living organisms can be distributed by Neumannbots.

Humans of flesh and blood don’t last that long. This will not be worth the trouble

To the stars?

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Our science is also the science for intelligentcreatures elsewhere in the Universe.

If these creatures exist at all, they will be subjectto the same limitations.

Therefore, we should not expect visits by creatures of flesh and blood

But their neumannbots might be able to reach us

They haven’t done so yet [?]

▼

E. Fermi: “Where is Everybody ?”

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THE ENDּ

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The elements in computer chips can become a lot smaller – and faster !

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Exclusively carbon atoms,

Young modulus 5 times that of steel;

semi-conducting or metallic, depending on “chirality”

Nanotubes

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After the hotel is finnished, the first humantourists are expected. They pay.

After a certain amount of time, permanent immigrants will come.

The Cambot drivers will:- build roads and power stations- digg- search for water and building material- learn

More difficult steps (next generation cambots):- cultivate plants and animals.- construct the first lunar hotel

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Are neumannbots dangerous ?

Not if we adhere to some fundamental principles. Read Richard Dawkins

All “evolutions” must be orchestrated from one central point (on Earth)

Then all neumannbots will be genetically identical. They behave like termites. The “queen” stays on Earth.

Lindau, July 3, 2008

Lindau, July 3, 2008

The Solar System

Can we go there ?

The Moon: 3 - 4 days Mars: 8 months

Asteroids ~ 1 yearJupiter’s moons ~ 2 years?Saturn’s moons ~ 3 years?

and: Uranus, Neptune, etc.Pluto and beyond ?