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PBS Space Time

Quantum Theory's Most Incredible Prediction

Season 4 Episode 35 | 12m 36s

Quantum field theory is notoriously complicated, built from mind-bendingly abstract mathematics. But are the underlying rules of reality really so far from human intuition? Or are physicists just showing off? For better or worse, the physicists are definitely on the right track. We know this because the predictions of quantum field theory stand up to experimental test time and time again.

Aired: 08/14/18
Extras
Watch • 20:48
PBS Space Time
We’ve Been Looking for Aliens for 70 Years. We've Been Doing It Wrong All Along
Are there no alien signals to find... or do we need to update how we search for them?
Episode: S11 E29 | 20:48
Watch • 14:27
PBS Space Time
We Thought Black Holes Ended in Singularities. They Might End In a Frozen Big Bang
Physicists hope Planck stars can save us from black hole singularities and paradoxes.
Episode: S11 E28 | 14:27
Watch • 17:41
PBS Space Time
We Found Galaxies Too Old for the Universe
Galaxies older than the universe? Webb's findings keep defying our best explanations.
Episode: S11 E27 | 17:41
Watch • 16:16
PBS Space Time
Earth’s Core Should Be Impossible. A New State of Matter Explains It.
Earth's core: solid or liquid? Yes — we know more about distant galaxies than our own interior.
Episode: S11 E26 | 16:16
Watch • 14:42
PBS Space Time
Something Disturbing Happens When You Solve Einstein's Equations This Way
Gödel found a time-travel solution in General Relativity, revealing spacetime can loop on itself.
Episode: S11 E25 | 14:42
Watch • 18:46
PBS Space Time
Martian Soil Is Deadly. And That's Why It Might Support Life
Tardigrades can survive almost anything—even most of Mars. But one Martian chemical stops even them.
Episode: S11 E24 | 18:46
Watch • 18:18
PBS Space Time
Is the LHC Creating Dark Matter?
The Higgs boson may open a portal to hidden particles that could explain dark matter.
Episode: S11 E23 | 18:18
Watch • 19:02
PBS Space Time
Dark Energy Is Driving the Universe Apart. We May Finally Know Why.
The universe expands faster. “Dark energy” may not be constant after all.
Episode: S11 E22 | 19:02
Watch • 16:26
PBS Space Time
Our Only Chance To Finally Unlock The Gravity Particle
There’s a new generation of experiments that may unlock the gravity particle.
Episode: S11 E21 | 16:26
Watch • 18:33
PBS Space Time
The Particle We’ve Been Chasing for 30 Years Might Not Exist
The universe thrums with quantum fields, except something may be missing: the sterile neutrino.
Episode: S11 E20 | 18:33
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Watch • 20:48
PBS Space Time
We’ve Been Looking for Aliens for 70 Years. We've Been Doing It Wrong All Along
Are there no alien signals to find... or do we need to update how we search for them?
Episode: S11 E29 | 20:48
Watch • 14:27
PBS Space Time
We Thought Black Holes Ended in Singularities. They Might End In a Frozen Big Bang
Physicists hope Planck stars can save us from black hole singularities and paradoxes.
Episode: S11 E28 | 14:27
Watch • 17:41
PBS Space Time
We Found Galaxies Too Old for the Universe
Galaxies older than the universe? Webb's findings keep defying our best explanations.
Episode: S11 E27 | 17:41
Watch • 16:16
PBS Space Time
Earth’s Core Should Be Impossible. A New State of Matter Explains It.
Earth's core: solid or liquid? Yes — we know more about distant galaxies than our own interior.
Episode: S11 E26 | 16:16
Watch • 14:42
PBS Space Time
Something Disturbing Happens When You Solve Einstein's Equations This Way
Gödel found a time-travel solution in General Relativity, revealing spacetime can loop on itself.
Episode: S11 E25 | 14:42
Watch • 18:46
PBS Space Time
Martian Soil Is Deadly. And That's Why It Might Support Life
Tardigrades can survive almost anything—even most of Mars. But one Martian chemical stops even them.
Episode: S11 E24 | 18:46
Watch • 18:18
PBS Space Time
Is the LHC Creating Dark Matter?
The Higgs boson may open a portal to hidden particles that could explain dark matter.
Episode: S11 E23 | 18:18
Watch • 19:02
PBS Space Time
Dark Energy Is Driving the Universe Apart. We May Finally Know Why.
The universe expands faster. “Dark energy” may not be constant after all.
Episode: S11 E22 | 19:02
Watch • 16:26
PBS Space Time
Our Only Chance To Finally Unlock The Gravity Particle
There’s a new generation of experiments that may unlock the gravity particle.
Episode: S11 E21 | 16:26
Watch • 18:33
PBS Space Time
The Particle We’ve Been Chasing for 30 Years Might Not Exist
The universe thrums with quantum fields, except something may be missing: the sterile neutrino.
Episode: S11 E20 | 18:33