The Holographic Principle Andrew J. Birk Jr. Argosy University

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Abstract

The holographic principle; a seemingly abstract idea almost out of reach from the mentality of the average person that suggests the entire basis of existence is merely illusory images. William Blake, the early 18th century English poet in Auguries of Innocence made allegory to this notion: "To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, old infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour." The idea that everything in the world is subjective and the physical manifestations of matter are purely a construct of observation. The properties of certain immutable cosmic laws of the universe, physics and even mentality intertwine to depict a reality of literal imagination. The purpose of this thesis is to prove this very cogitation; the universe is most likely intangible and thus holographic by nature.
Since, as human beings, our experience is totally confined to perception and it’s interpretation and due to many anomalous events and devices within the physical world; there lies credence in this theory. Anomalous objects such as black holes and their “informational paradox”, dark matter, atomic structure and even the manner of which the brain works all play a crucial role in supporting this outrageous, yet sensible idea.
Keywords: quantum physics, reality, gravity, observation, perception

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Information; the basis of the 21st century and the driving force behind mankind’s monumental bounds forward in technology. We presently live in an age where information can be shared seamlessly and instantly between areas that are very distant. The World Wide Web can serve as a crude hyperbole of the universe as a whole; the power of the internet and its wide sphere of influence. Data is information, just as events, matter and energy, and data’s basic core for computers is called binary code. Binary code is a complex series of 1’s and 0’s that congregate into mathematical algorithms that dictate the commands for computers or even the rudimentary interpretation of DNA and RNA. This information is an integral and immutable aspect to the universe as it too is comprised of and creates information. This information is theorized to be processed by a giant galactic supercomputer, to phrase it crudely, and then is ‘displayed’ so to speak on a two dimensional projection screen. This is the holographic principle. To state it bluntly; the holographic principle declares that all physical matter does not exist on three dimensions but actually on two and we perceive as three. The two dimensional computer that generates an image does so like a projector, displaying all information provided by the supercomputer around the screen that is the universe. Working closely and interlacing with the single string theory, screens for information gathering are almost obvious. However, proving this can be exceedingly difficult, but through deduction and mathematical reasoning, certain hypotheses can be disproven and when all impossibilities are eliminated, only the logical and realistic conclusion remains. There are several competing and cooperating theories that have yet to be disproven that attempt to explain this phenomenon range from inside the mind to our tenuous understanding of black holes.
“What is real? How do you define real? Is real what you can taste, what you can smell, see or touch? Then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” This is one of my favorite quotes from Laurence Fishburne’s classic portrayal of the character Morpheus from the 1997 release of The Matrix. A poignant reminder of just how fragile our grasp on ‘reality’ really is. A simple question that always plagued me as a young student in middle school learning about Neil Bohr’s atomic structure model was “If the nucleus is a tiny fragment in the middle and the electron cloud is inconsistent and immeasurably thin; what makes the atom and the combination of atoms tangible?” The reactionary answer is electron repulsion, much how two magnets of the same polarity react to one another. This answer however, only suffices temporarily but could not slate my desire for the truth. When considering that over 90 percent of an atom is empty space it leaves a grand inequality that would appear mostly clear but it does not. Most of the space around us is comprised of something known as dark matter anyway, which is undetectable by most conventional means and can really only be noticed by examining the background for irregularity. It is, for all intents and purposes, the “evil twin” of matter, not truly existing in this dimension. This paradox leads into another that is known as the ‘multiverse’ theory which states that the universe is filled with multiple dimensions stacked on top of each other that can be traversed by altering vibrational frequency; if the M, or single string, theory is applied. A two Page 4 dimensional layered universe would easily be able to stack other universes on top like a stack of paperwork. The single string theory makes it possible to explain many of the interesting prospects in the universe by maintaining that all matter exists on a vibrational frequency in one dimension. Since these dimensions are incalculably thin, they stack on top of each other, creating an indiscretion in the three dimensional model, but supplementing almost perfectly the two dimensional hologram theory. The two dimension theory can be best expressed through the study of black holes. Black holes are vacuous regions of space formed from an imploding brown dwarf star that sucks in all forms of matter, energy and light that surround it. Black holes have been at the center of much debate about what happens to information that is captured within the maw of the black hole, or even what transpires when it passes the event horizon (the area that separates the black hole from the rest of space). Leonard Susskind and Stephen Hawking supposed a unique perspective on the transition across the event horizon that seems completely preposterous but is the only feasible solution mathematically. If a person is in space and they are outside a spacecraft being observed by another person and the astronaut out of the ship passes through the event horizon what the observer will see is what one would expect. The observer would see the other astronaut’s molecular structure dismantled and disseminated. However, the astronaut passing through the event horizon would experience nothing at all, merely pass through without incident. Hawking’s struggle with the information paradox (whether information can be destroyed or not, among other things) was dismissed around the time of this development (Hawking, 2010). This holds solid to the holographic principle because it is a scenario where observation is a key element to the stipulations of the theory. This harkens to the law of the conservation of energy, but applies to information as well. However, this is only one minor fragment of the evidence toward the holographic principle held by black holes.
The quantum application of gravity is another prominent section of support for the holographic principle, demonstrating that gravity is an entropic force. Entropy being defined as the forces of nature which careen into chaos by a naturally occurring order and eventually reach thermodynamic equilibrium, which is the pinnacle of entropic force. Gravity being counted among these forces would mean that gravity not a casually generated byproduct of planetary rotation as is suggested by Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. Also another medium of possibility for the holographic principle is contained within the mind. Perception of our environment is the only means of defense for the three dimensional theory, but what if our perception is merely an interpretation of a vague arrangement of molecules and energy, an idea that brings to memory Morpheus’ quote from the Matrix. Perhaps even our minds are arranging the molecules to specific order to suit our needs for existence. This would lend credence to the philosophical idea of existing in a holographic universe, what Anton LeVey would eloquently refer to as ‘self-indulgence’ and even perhaps the soul in certain respects. Manifesting an idea of God considering these characteristics would not be unreasonable to fathom especially when in accordance with the computer theory. To extrapolate; if the world is a hologram that is created or maintained by a giant ‘supercomputer’, the ‘supercomputer’ would irrefutably play the role that we would commonly associate with God. Page 4
There are however, arguments to this theory. Dr. Archil Kobakhidze provides a compelling argument that directly opposes Dr. Erik Verlinde, Gerard T’Hooft and even Karl Schwarzchild, the German physicist who developed the Quantum Theory of Relativity. His contention is that gravity is indefinitely not an entropic force. Secondly, recent advances in technology (a new European satellite) create a new image on the smallest units of existence, Planck units, and the lack of quantum fuzziness that they are theorized to possess to illustrate the instability and intangibility of matter. Fortunately, the holographic principle has many variables that can be utilized to respond.
"I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics. Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, 'But how can it possibly be like that?' because you will go down the drain into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that." - Richard Feynman

Observation is the act of viewing existing events or objects. Or is it? Could it be possible that the only reason the object or event manifested was because we willed it to be through observation? The familiar idea of the chicken and the egg comes to mind. However, the fragile fortitude of that thin line of reality we metaphorically tiptoe across remands an answer to it’s frailty in perception. So many reasons encircle this idea, because perception could be viewed from it’s quantum relevance or it’s psychological, perhaps even philosophical, one. An idea that observation is an innate prerequisite to the galactic continuum in aggregate espouses well to the quantum explanation. It could be possible to postulate another notion, that the mind constructs what it requires for reality to exist. This anthro-theistic view does relieve a great deal of the doubt shrouding the holographic principle, and as I mentioned before satisfies the pseudo-scientific views of the Satanic Church (of which I am personally intrigued by but not a follower). Quantum mechanics would define this occurrence under Werner Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle as the wave-function collapse. Wave-function collapse is when an atom expressing several eigenstates will be reduced to only one if an observer intervenes (Heisenberg, 1927). This has been recorded while using supercolliders in more recent times. So the stability of matter can be linked with observation at this present juncture. I would further postulate that organisms exist to further perpetuate the continuance and growth of the universe. The universe as a whole before the emergence of basic life forms was a volatile and inhospitable place, even here on earth. After life made its permanent residence here on earth, that situation changed. Everything suddenly met with equilibrium very suddenly. Whether the stability happened because of the organisms, or the organisms happened because of the life is uncertain and unknowable, it is just an interesting reaction I noticed. My further cogitations on this are, by way of logic, that the information gathered during these organisms lifespans are accumulated into this collective ‘supercomputer’, processed and programmed in the form of evolution to ensure the life forms can survive longer and are better equipped for observation. Another interesting theory is the mirror neuron theory. A Page 5 very sudden and arcane source presented itself but the information I was privy to was substantial and peer-reviewed. The mirror neuron theory, in the simplest explanation, suggests that mirror neurons (transmitters for signals inside the brain) manipulate the matter around us to create the world in which we envision. We construct our own selves (known as residual self image) and the world around us. They also connect us to other people via empathy which would theoretically create a comparison to a vast multiuser room on the internet (Chiren, 2011). Even more simply, perhaps perception is literally all there is and there is no world on the outside, a nihilistic view, but albeit a possible one. Quite similar again to the Matrix, has no real scientific backing, only philosophical ones. To further my own hypothesis about evolution, I believe mankind, or higher intelligence in general, found it’s niche as primary observers, so to speak. David Deutsch agrees by saying “…all living processes involve virtual reality too, but human beings in particular have a special relationship with it. Biologically speaking, the virtual-reality rendering of their environment is the characteristic means by which human beings survive. In other words, it is the reason why human beings exist. The ecological niche that human beings occupy depends on virtual reality as directly and as absolutely as the ecological niche that koala bears occupy depends on eucalyptus leaves” (Deutsch, 1997). Particle behavior plays it’s own roles within this conundrum. The scant and mostly empty atomic structure model demonstrates this, as well as the existence of dark matter. There are many others conversely and can be expressed one way through quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement is an interesting theory, a modern discovery that demonstrates that if two things, atoms originally, are bonded if they separate they will always have a bond between them that transcends space and time. This nullification of distance would suggest an alternative dimensional existence. Distance and time are both primary features of the three dimensions, anything above the third and those properties are forfeit. The wave-function collapse is an excellent example of particle behavior’s roll in the holographic universe principle as well. Particle behavior on the Planck scale in regards to the holographic principle dictates that not only are all the contents and information involved in the object depicted on the surface of set object, from a two dimensional perspective of course, and secondly that the object should contain at least one Planck area (an area the size of a Planck unit) of freedom (DAMTP, 2012). This is countered by the lack of quantum ‘fuzziness’ found by the European satellite I described earlier. This GRP’s (or Gamma Ray Photons) travel through space possibly originating from the collapse of fallen stars, and theoretically would render the space time around them to a warping or twisting creating the quantum fuzziness. This however has not been observed or recorded (O’Neill, 2011). This could be due to equipment error, but Gerard t’Hooft offers another reason. He states that on a Planck scale level quantum mechanics is rendered useless because there is a finite space of operation (t’Hooft, 1993). Dr. Archil Kobakhidze deduced that neutrons are not effected in their eigenstates by observation. This is a prominent discovery because it can damage the wave-function collapse that observation has a serious connection with the existence of Page 6 matter. Quantum mechanics is a wild and unusual field though and reason, however incomprehensible, resides there. Most of the principles of this theory are of a contradictory and counterintuitive nature. Occam’s Razor states in pedestrian terminology ‘the simplest answer is usually the correct answer’ and quite simply, despite all the minute details, this actually appears to me to be the simplest answer. All other theories about the multiverse, quantum entanglement and so on would be much simpler within the consideration of the holographic universe theory.
Returning back to old colleagues Stephen Hawking and Leonard Susskind and their debating, they actually went on an intrepid voyage of conversation on the topic of black holes. This spawned Hawking’s information paradox that plagued him for years until finally laying it to rest in 2010 and of course the projector theory. Involving other scientists they eventually came to an understanding that information can not be destroyed, the information that is sucked into the black hole not only was displayed all over the event horizon of that black hole but that the entropy of the black hole itself is equal to the entropy of the space around it. This means the black hole’s existence is subjective to its surroundings, and that the universe as a flat surface since the event horizon will comprise the entirety of the black hole, according to this theory (Susskind, 1995). The black hole also presents a new contingency to the holographic principle, the fact that information is not destroyed would lead be to believe even more that the universe is itself a massive computing body. The information could be possibly interpreted at the center, but if a black hole is incapable to destroy it then supposedly nothing can. If the universe is a computer, then reality would surely be the monitor.
Gravity, a primary force for life on this planet has its own regards. If viewed as an entropic force it supports the holographic principle. Entropic gravity flies in the face of Isaac Newton’s gravitational constants when applied to the holographic principle. It can even adversely effect Newton’s inertia principle (gravity and inertia are inextricably linked with the equivalence principle) and change the entire scope of how we understand the transference of energy. Erik Verlinde proposes that gravity driving force is information and not proximity to other objects. This information correlates seamlessly to the holographic principle, as long as gravity is supposed as an entropic force. Verlinde agrees with t’Hooft in saying that at least one area of freedom should exist in a Planck area, but that there is a limited amount of it. The energy is equivalent to the matter distributed evenly over the free area. This leads to temperature, which is also an entropic force, and can be invariably measured in relation to Newtonian and Einsteinian principles. In an emergent holographic system, mathematically speaking, the system is successful, the universe is not a closed system so hence it is a feasible answer (Verlinde, 2010). Gravitational force is theoretically based off of two different interacting particles, Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and massive contact halo objects (MACHOs) which are both considered to be dark matter, which is also undetectable and solidifies the holographic principle even more. However, in response to Dr. Verlinde is Dr. Archil Kobakhidze again. He Page 7 stringently adheres to his own theory that gravity is not an entropic force. Kobakhidze recommends that classic gravitational standards apply, gravitons exists, not WIMPs and MACHOs through measuring neutrons, the neutral particles of an atom. When certain states of entropy are applied to neutrons in a closed state they exhibit classic behavior expected of them through the standard model and Einstein’s theories. Hence the holographic principle is not necessary to fulfill these requirements for the neutron the quantum mechanics and break down on a small scale (Kobhakidze, 2011). Verlinde dictates that small scale gravitational force is not a good indicator of the holographic principle because it is significantly weaker and t’Hooft states that small scale quantum mechanics is unnecessary because it has no bearing on that space. Since a finite amount of information can be stored in one location theoretically, it would be too small an amount to observe the quantum effects. This can be likened to trying to determine how a computer works by focusing on a few small kilobytes of a 2 Terrabyte (2000 gigabyte) hard disk they drive.
All of these theories manifest in a way that caters to the scientific community but a philosophical explanation exists as well. Some suggest time perception is measured in two ways; objectively and subjectively (time can also be read by others emotions using mirror neurons). Subjective time suggests that time is relative to the person who is experiencing it. This idea sounds familiar when compared to the observation principles stated earlier in this thesis that create a sort of shroud of creation around each person. Two people standing next to each other could have different lengths of day, one having a really long day and the other having a shorter day. Use of meditation, sensory deprivation and psychotropic drugs can alter this perception as well Does this mean we can manipulate time? Michael Talbot suggests time as a perfect model for the holographic principle. He suggests that the past time being stored has not only an effect on the future time experienced, but on our memory and perception of time in general. All memories of events are recorded as ‘multiple image holograms’ that, instead of being relegated to our minds alone, are recorded into the mass hologram, or the ‘galactic supercomputer’ as information (Talbot, 1994). The idea of a holographic universe could answer the age old question “What happens after death?” which would be best understood since information can not be destroyed according to this principle. The smallest fragment of information in a human, the informational cortex (the soul) would return to the supercomputer for processing, just as with all other organisms. The human brain excretes a substance known as DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) from an area located in the middle of the brain known as the pineal gland. This substance is understood to have an effect on the vibrational frequency of matter, perhaps to facilitate a passing of one’s essence to the afterlife. A simple solution to an age-old question, and Occam’s Razor would recommend the simplest answer as the most likely correct one. Conclusion
Upon the thorough examination of the universe’s many qualities that create dissonance Page 8 between the nature of reality, I think that the holographic one can not be effectively ruled out. Very few arguments are presented and the ones that are lack substance and can be defended rather easily. The world’s foremost astrophysicists seem to agree that this phenomenon is the most likely, both rationally and mathematically. The holographic principle also takes into effect the idea of an afterlife and perhaps a soul. Seemingly complicated it is the most simplistic upon examination when considering all the discrepancies in the cosmos. “When all impossibilities have been eliminated, only truth, no matter how improbable it may seem, remains.” –Sherlock Holmes

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References
Bourmaaza, Chiren (2011). Athene’s Theory on Everything * Peer reviewed statement of the function of mirror neurons in the creating capacity of the human experience
Deutsch, David (1997) The Fabric of Reality. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-7139-9061-9 * The origination and primary theoretical manifestation of the holographic universe theory.
Geere, Duncan (Jul, 2011) Physicists: Universe almost certainly not a hologram. Wired News. Retrieved from: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/hologram-universe/ * A recent argument to the theory of the holographic universe via the existence of Planck units, the smallest particles of time and space material.
Heisenberg, Werner (1927) The Uncertainty Principle.
Kobakhidze, Archil. (Aug, 2011) Once more: gravity is not an entropic force. ARC Center of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Terascale, School of Physics, The University of Melbourne * The main and most definitive counter to the holographic principle that dictates gravity is caused by particle interaction, which particles are tangible and neutron interference that lacks observational quality.
O’Neill, Ian (Jul, 2011) We may not live in a hologram after all. Discovery News. Retrieved from http://news.discovery.com/space/we-might-not-live-in-a-hologram-after-all-110701.htm * Observations gathered at Fermilab and the GEO600 gravitational wave experiment fail to show quantum “fuzziness”; a primary component of the holographic principle.
Susskind, Leonard (1995). "The World as a Hologram". Journal of Mathematical Physics * Expert computations from one of the world’s leading quantum physicists concerning mostly the relation of black holes to the holographic principle.
't Hooft, Gerard (1993). Dimensional Reduction in Quantum Gravity. Institute for Theoretical Physics Utrecht University. Page 10 * More expert computations from a leading, Nobel prize winning physicist detailing the properties of quantum gravity, a primary force in the holographic principle.
Talbot, Michael (1994) The Holographic Universe. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0 586 09171 8 * Philosophical idealist for the theory of the holographic universe.
University of Cambridge Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (2012). The Holographic Principle and M-Theory. Retrieved from: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/research/gr/public/holo/ * Basic mathematical reasoning to support the holographic principle.
Verlinde, Erik P. (Jan, 2010) On the origins of gravity and the laws of Newton. Institute for Theoretical Physics University of Amsterdam * Depictions of gravity as an entropic force which negates any idea of a physical nature to the universe.
World Science Festival Panel (2011) A thin sheet of reality: the universe as a hologram conference. * Top conference of the world’s most influential physicists on the ideas of the holographic principle and the various supporting theories.

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