Some scientists claim that humanity, Earth, and everything in the universe are part of a massive “holographic projection.”

According to theoretical physicist Professor Marika Taylor from the University of Birmingham, the universe is actually two-dimensional. However, like a 3D movie viewed on a flat screen, the images on that 2D surface create a sense of depth depending on how they are reflected, making them appear three-dimensional. So, although we perceive the world around us as a complex, three-dimensional structure, Professor Taylor believes that it is merely an illusion. This does not mean that our lives or the universe are less “real”; it simply shows that the universe can be much weirder than we think.

WHAT IS THE THEORY OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE?

The idea of the universe being a hologram may bring science fiction movies to mind, but what physicists refer to as a hologram is a structure that has a two-dimensional surface but appears three-dimensional. Professor Taylor, speaking to Daily Mail, along with other like-minded scientists, thinks that the entire universe has a two-dimensional surface but manifests a three-dimensional structure. According to the theory, in a universe that should be perceived more like an empty hollow sphere than as solid mass, solar systems and galaxies are located in the 3D space within this sphere, while the surface structure of the universe consists of only two dimensions. By following the “holographic principle,” understanding what is happening on this two-dimensional surface is sufficient to explain the movements of planets and stars. Professor Taylor defends her views with the following statement: “Visualizing this is very difficult. But imagining what’s inside an atom is also hard. In the early 20th century, we learned that atoms obey quantum rules. This was quite different from our everyday reality. Holography takes us to an even more extreme world: Not only are the forces quantum-natural, the number of dimensions is also different from the reality we perceive.”

DOES THIS MEAN THAT THE UNIVERSE IS NOT REAL?

One of the biggest misconceptions about the holographic theory is the idea that the universe is not real or that it is a simulation. While holograms in our daily lives are usually projected by someone and can be opened and closed at will, this is not what scientists mean. Professor Taylor explains this with the statement, “The Matrix movies are thought-provoking but do not capture holography in its entirety,” while the Fermilab laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy points out that the idea of the universe being a ‘simulation’ is misleading: “The fact that the universe appears three-dimensional when encoded on a two-dimensional base does not mean there is a being projecting this reflection.” So, even if the universe is truly holographic, the existence of a simulation like in the Matrix is not implied. According to scientists, gravity and the third dimension are ’emergent’ properties. Professor Kostas Skenderis, a mathematical physicist from the University of Southampton, compares this thesis to temperature: “Think of it like temperature. Each atom does not have a temperature; it only has position and speed. However, when a sufficient number of atoms come together and interact, the property we call temperature arises. Temperature is not inherent in the nature of fundamental particles. But it is an emergent property that arises collectively. This does not make temperature less real; instead, it clarifies it.” According to this thesis, gravity and the third dimension also emerge as a result of the interactions of parts of the 2D universe in certain ways.

WHY DO SCIENTISTS THINK THAT THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM?

The answer to this question is based on the “information paradox” proposed by Stephen Hawking. This paradox suggests that black holes violate one of the fundamental laws of physics. According to a law of physics, matter cannot be created or destroyed from nothing. Similarly, in quantum physics, information cannot be created from nothing or completely destroyed. According to the information paradox, a note that has been torn into pieces can be read again when the pieces are put together, but a note thrown into a black hole cannot be accessed again. In the late 1970s, scientists realized that looking at black holes as two-dimensional was a way to overcome this problem. According to this view, when the note is thrown into the black hole, the information is not destroyed; it is “spread” to the two-dimensional boundary of the black hole. This was a view adopted by Stephen Hawking himself in the final years of his life. Scientists who advocate for looking at the world from two dimensions claim that this perspective is especially useful during times when gravity is very strong, such as in the early seconds after the Big Bang or inside black holes. Professor Skenderis explains this perspective by stating, “Black hole physics shows us that we need only 2D information to explain a 3D universe.”

IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE FOR THIS THEORY?

Although Professor Taylor states that there is still no “conclusive evidence” for this theory, scientists continue to study it. The best candidate for this is said to be the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation carrying traces of the earliest moments of the universe. Professor Craig Hogan, an astrophysicist from the University of Chicago and director of the Fermilab Particle Astrophysics Center, believes that this radiation should contain “holographic noise.” Hogan, stating that “CMB and all large-scale structures should have emerged from quantum-gravitational noise,” says, “If the universe is holographic, we should see traces of this in the CMB pattern. It reflects a process of the universe’s creation.” Professor Hogan also points out that CMB shows “surprising symmetries” in the sky and believes these are signs expected in a holographic universe. Skenderis says, “We have tested the predictions of holographic models with the observed characteristics of the CMB and found a perfect match. This is the only direct observational test of holography to date.”