The Science of Interstellar
I have completed reading the book "The Science of Interstellar", by theoretical physicist Kip Throne. As the name suggests, this book explains the science of the feature film "Interstellar", directed by auteur Christopher Nolan.
Can I say I comprehended the physics of the interstellar? If I say so, perhaps, I'm lying. No one can ever claim that they acquired complete understanding of Science. It took five years for me to complete reading the book as it as was a phased reading. Thanks to the lockdown imposed by the pandemic (Covid 19), I could increase the pace and complete the pending chapters.
I watched Interstellar at Devi Paradise theatre (Madras, Southern India) on the first date of its release 7th November 2014. It was an evening 7'0 clock show. It was preplanned that I was going to watch the film back to back (one show after another). Therefore, I already booked a ticket for night 10.30 show. Even my first show began, I was exhilarated as it progessed it was both a bewildering and perplexing experience. I came out of the theatre with many questions. I didn't take food, and straight away entered for the night show. By the time it was over the time was 2 in the morning. I didn't go home. Instead I roamed around thinking the concepts. I couldn't sleep.
Earlier, at British Library, Mount Road, Madras, I happened to read the magazine "Empire", which featured exclusive interview of Christopher Nolan and Kip Throne on the making and physics of the film. It was an opportunity for me to anticipate and study the physics. I spent considerable amount of time in attempting to understand complex yet basics physics of the film - Time dilation, centrifugal force of the spaceship Endurance, Worm Hole, Black Hole and gravitational waves. This prepation gave me a better understanding than most at least while the watching the film on the first day.
While browsing the Amazon app looking for books written by Kip Throne so as to develop a deeper understanding of the physics of interstellar, I happened to notice two books 1.The Science of Interstellar and 2. Black Holes and Time Warps. Both written by Kip Throne. Since I have managed to complete the former, I may soon begin reading the latter.
I have shared some of the physics of the film in the blog, which is my interpretation, and I will be adding more. Moreover, I must admit that I have managed to acquire only superficial understanding of the science of Interstellar. If someone claims even including Kip Throne, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, they are lying. Do read the book, you will understand for yourself. This blog is not exhaustive as there will be addendums.
It took about 13 months to complete reading 'Gargantua'. The fact that I'm a slow learner and a procrastinator, takes time to consume the speculative and actual sciences of Gargantua. Have I been able to comprehend it? I'd say partially yes and no. Now, stepping into 'Disaster on Earth'.
What I infer from reading the chapter 'Interstellar Travel' is that propulsion technologies of the twentieth century cannot attain the speed of light (186,000 miles/second), only advanced human civilization with sophisticated comprehension of geophysics would be able to put humans at the speed of light. Therefore, Interstellar and intergalactic travels are possible. Until then, we can only imagine doing so, like the way I dream daily of light speed travel. Now, I'm stepping into the next chapter 'The Wormhole'.
#Wormholes are not a natural phenomenon, but #blackholes are. There exists no known physics to warp space-time, make it traversable and significantly shorten distances in space. The Wormhole depicted in 'Interstellar' is such one. One of the screenwriters of Interstellar, #KipThrone, a Nobel laureate and theoretical physicist attempted in portraying wormhole mathematically accurate. But #ChristopherNolan felt that the film was already loaded with a panoply of science. Therefore, he chose to make the wormhole artistically fresh with permissible science.
Image: Wormhole exhibited in Interstellar (Credit: Warner Bros)
P.S: I'm in the process of consuming mind bending physics from the book '#TheScienceofInterstellar'.
Unlike most of you, I do not have the luxury of completing reading a book from a sofa. My livelihood demands to be in the field throughout the day and extended hours in the nights. I thought it was time I must resume fueling my aspirations of becoming a spacefarer. Therefore, I have resumed reading theoretical physicist #KipThrone's "#TheScienceofInterstellar" from the chapter "Extreme Physics" when I was waiting for someone on the road to complete the business.
Physicists reason that when someone or something falls into a black hole, it is squeezed and stretched, consequently death is inevitable, even light cannot escape from the singularity of a black hole - the apparent end of black hole, where the laws of physics break and quantum physics prevails. But, how did #Cooper survive? According to the science interpretation of the film "#Interstellar", by theoretical physicist #KipThrone, who is the author of the book "#TheScienceofInterstellar", Copper is trapped between an infalling and outflying singularity - a gentle singularity, and eventually rescued by a Tesseract, deployed by bulk beings. Now, moving on the chapter Tesseract.
#ChristopherNolan's complexified #Tesseract:
The moment #Cooper is rescued by the Tesseract (according to my interpretation Tesseract is a time travel mechanism) deployed by the bulk beings (advanced human civilization) at the singularity of the Gargantua (black hole), it travels through the bulk (hyper space) to our brane (universe, precisely Earth), particularly Murph's bedroom through a sandwich of bulk and brane (not to be misinterpreted as worm hole), technically named "ADS sandwich". An interconnection between Tesseract and Murph's bedroom is established, where time is a dimesion - physical dimension. Hence, Cooper could travel along the time dimension at the various points of timeline of Murph's life and communicate the quantum data from the singularity to solve the gravity problem in the professor's equation and eventually lift human colonies off the earth. Now, moving onto the chapter, "Messaging the past".
#TheScienceofInterstellar by theoretical physicist #KipThrone.
Messaging the past: #TheScienceofInterstellar
According to Einstein's relativistic laws and consensus among the physicists, backward time travel is not feasible as the wormhole (if it exists) can't establish the connection/warping of space-time between two points in the universe or between brane (universe) and bulk (hyperspace) for the required time for the light or objects to travel. The connection or wormhole collapses even before the journey is completed.
#ChristopherNolan learnt what the physics forbids, hence he set the backward time travel forbidden along with only gravity can communicate from bulk to the brane as the rules of the film "#Interstellar". The Tesseract built and deployed by bulk beings (probably advanced human civilization) is sort of a time travel mechanism from the singularity of the gargantua (black hole) to #Murph's bedroom (brane - universe) through hyper space (for details, refer to my previous post on Tesseract).
Remember, technically #Copper doesn't reach earth, he is able to access the light from the Murph's bedroom travelling forward in time from the Tesseract, where time is a physical dimension, which means Cooper can access the various timelines of Murph. That's why while Murph ages in the brane (universe - earth), Cooper doesn't age in the Tesseract. Time is relative.
TARS, from somewhere in the singularity of the gargantua interprets the quantum data required to solve the gravity problem or the professor's equation and transmits to Cooper in the singularity. Cooper soon realises that only gravity can travel from the Tesseract to brane (universe), rather Murph's bedroom. Cooper generates gravity by pushing the books from the Murph's bedroom seen through the Tesseract. Subsequently, he transmits the quantum data to Murph through morse codes by gravity, which Murph feared as "Ghost" initially, eventually through the ticking clock (wrist watch), she recognises that the ghost is his father (Cooper), transmitting the quantum data to lift humanity off earth.
Lifting the humanity off the Earth: #TheScienceofInterstellar
What deters humanity from being saved from the blight (catastrophe) in earth is gravity? In order to lift human colonies into space by rockets, gravitational force of planet earth needs to be reduced, else rockets with enormous thrust needs to be produced, which is not only an uphill task but humanly impossible.
Professor Brand learns that gravity can be controlled, he writes an equation but it cannot be solved, unless a critical quantum data from the universe of quantum physics existing in a singularity of a black hole is extracted. In the meantime, he starts building space colonies with the help of NASA and persuades Cooper and a team of researches to embark on a journey where returning to Planet Earth is not possible.
Taking a leap to Cooper and TARS at the singularity of black hole (gargantua), Cooper transmits the required quantum data to Murph. What Murph does and how exactly humans managed to lift enormous space colonies into space are untold. Theoretical physicist Kip Throne suggests Christopher Nolan being a master of sequel, perhaps has plans of unraveling it in "Interstellar 2".
Earth's gravitational constant is varied across locations. Using the quantum data from the black hole, earth's gravity is reduced to 50%, subsequently massive rockets escaped earth's gravity and lifted human space colonies into space. While manipulating earth's gravity, deformation of earth's core happened - leading to earthquakes, movement of tectonic plates and tsunami. It happened on restoring the gravity to the original levels as well. In the meantime, Murph by solving the gravity problem in the professor's equation had taken humans away from the earth.
When Tesseract collapses, pushing Cooper out of the singularity (black hole) through a worm hole into space, he is rescued by the humans of the space colonies and visits their habitat. Cooper, TARS, Murph and Professor Brand played were instrumental in putting humanity into space, rather ensured continuance of humanity as a species.
I wouldn't remember the 7th of November for any other reason, but for Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' (2014). Seven years ago today, I took the Interstellar travel two consecutive times, followed by multiple phased visits either.
Here is my decoding of the science of interstellar (I must thank theoretical physicist Kip Throne)
Now, addendums and the technical notes to be completed.
This blog is a WIP - work in progress. I need to add more.
Authored by Balaji Thangapandian aka #BT - a spacefarer, who is also curious about film-making, connectivity technologies and military history.
Comments
Post a Comment