Jonathan Oppenheim made a bet in 2023 regarding space-time and gravity's governing principles. Oppenheim wagers that space-time and gravity do not follow quantum theory rules.
Mainstream physics suggests gravity must be governed by quantum theory. Quantum theory explains three fundamental forces: electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force.
General relativity describes gravity by warping space and time around large objects. Experts generally agree that quantum theory and general relativity are fundamentally incompatible.
Most physicists believe the solution involves some form of quantum gravity. Oppenheim's calculations suggest his model might explain dark matter.
Oppenheim and colleagues found post-quantum gravity can reproduce gravitational effects linked to dark matter in work published this May. Observations suggest dark matter outweighs normal visible matter by a ratio of five parts to one.
General relativity states gravity springs from how mass deforms space-time. Resolving the conflict requires introducing randomness, or fluctuations, into space-time coordinates.
These space-time fluctuations mean clocks would wobble slightly. Oppenheim and Zachary Weller-Davies published a paper in July.
For post-quantum gravity to align with quantum mechanics, it must permit objects to exist in a superposition of two states simultaneously. If an object in two positions at once generates a gravitational pull from both, gravity is fundamentally quantum.
Oppenheim found that his model describes reality surprisingly well so far.
