173 - Ken Olum: What Are Cosmic Strings?

Ken Olum is Research Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Tufts University, where he works on exotic physics and topics in cosmology like cosmic strings, gravitational waves, anthropic reasoning, and inflation. In this episode, Robinson and Ken talk all about cosmic strings, which are spindly, hypothesized astronomical objects of intense mass and energy that may have been created in the earliest periods of the universe.

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:27 Introduction

03:00 Exotic Astrophysics and NANOGrav

16:19 What Are Cosmic Strings?

37:14 String Theory and the Multiverse

42:34 Details About Cosmic Strings

48:46 How Can We Detect Cosmic Strings?

01:00:03 Travel Within the Multiverse

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.