The entire universe might just be a giant hologram. Researchers found substantial evidences which support the holographic universe theory. It suggests that the perspective of "reality" conceived by the senses actually emanates from a flat, two-dimensional surface.
The idea of the holographic universe was first conceptualized in the 1990s. It suggests that all information (everything a person feel, hear or see) in the three-dimensional reality originates from a two-dimensional surface. The idea is similar to that of ordinary holograms but in this theory, the entire universe is encoded.
In a study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers tested holographic models of the early universe to cosmological observations. They found out that the cosmic microwave background (afterglow of the Big Bang) can explain anomalies in the holographic explanation of the universe. The study also brings new insight to the Big Bang theory and quantum gravity.
"We are proposing using this holographic Universe, which is a very different model of the Big Bang than the popularly accepted one that relies on gravity and inflation," Prof. Niayesh Afshordi of University of Waterloo said. "Each of these models makes distinct predictions that we can test as we refine our data and improve our theoretical understanding - all within the next five years," he added.
The theory is compared to watching movies in the cinema. The pictures are projected to have physical properties such as height, width and depth. However, in the 3D universe, the objects can be touched and they are what people believe as reality. Researchers used data from the microwaves or white noise left from the creation of the universe. They found out that the simplest theories in quantum field could explain most of the cosmological observations of the early universe.
The researchers also highlighted that the holography is a big step in understanding the creation of the universe. They added that the holographic universe theory could potentially combine the quantum theory and Einstein's theory of gravity. Scientists have been trying to combine the two for decades.
