Juan Maldacena is Carl P. Feinberg Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, where his work focuses on quantum gravity, string theory, and quantum field theories. In this episode, Robinson and Juan discuss the relationship between string theory and black holes, the holographic principle, and Juan’s groundbreaking paper on the AdS/CFT Correspondence.

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:48 Introduction

04:04 What Is the Purpose of String Theory?

16:35 Working at the IAS

17:55 String Theory and The Black Hole Information Paradox

41:19 Is Space Curved?

47:00 What is Conformal Field Theory?

50:24 String Theory and the AdS/CFT Correspondence

01:27:00 Quantizing Gravity

01:40:20 De Sitter Space Correspondences

01:56:36 Fine-Tuning and String Theory

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.