Avshalom Elitzur: The Dropout Who Proved Bombs Detect Themselves

Curt Jaimungal talks with physicist Avshalom Elitzur about his bold new vision where spacetime emerges from quantum interactions in pure nothingness. They explore ideas such as negative‑mass particles, continuous creation of spacetime, and the nature and asymmetry of time.0:00 Introduction3:04 Unifying Quantum Mechanics and Relativity4:42 Prof. Elitzur’s Unconventional Path in Physics7:02 The Problem of Unifying Forces in Physics10:06 Time’s Role in Relativity and Simplicity in Physics13:34 The Nature of Time and the Flow of Events19:20 Relativity of Simultaneity Explained24:22 Free Will and the Block Universe Debate28:49 Time Asymmetry in Physics31:06 The Universe’s Expanding Time and Black Holes35:39 Einstein, Minkowski, and the Concept of Time39:43 Paradigm Shifts in Quantum Mechanics43:00 The Concept of Becoming in Physics49:15 Quantum Mechanics and Time Symmetry55:43 The Two-State Vector Formalism (TSVF)1:06 15 Non-Locality and Quantum Zigzag1:12 50 New Physics from TSVF: Negative Mass1:23 00 Implications of Negative Mass in Physics1:32 00 The Emerging New Paradigm in Physics1:46 46 Biology, mistakes, and innovation1:48 01 Spacetime emerging from nothing1:50 03 Wave functions creating spacetime1:56 08 Schrödinger's cat and spacetime2:00 01 Unifying quantum mechanics and gravity2:11 05 Advice for young physicists2:16 29 Support TOESPONSORS:- I personally subscribe to The Economist. SUMMER SALE to Aug 17, 2026: 50% off the annual subscription! No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOERESOURCES:- Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad‑free audio episodes!)- Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE- Enjoy TOE on Spotify! https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE- Become a YouTube Member Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join- Join TOE's Newsletter 'TOEmail' at https://www.curtjaimungal.org- Avshalom’s citations: https://scholar.google.co.il/citations?user=ZivyhegAAAAJ&hl=en- Leonard Susskind on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p_Hlm6aCok- The Physicist and the Philosopher (book): https://www.amazon.com/Physicist-Philosopher-Einstein-Bergson-Understanding/dp/0691173176- Roger Penrose on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGm505TFMbU&list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlN6E8KrxcYCWQIHg2tfkqvR&index=7- Interpretations of quantum mechanics (paper): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-interpretations-of-quantum-mechanics- Lee Smolin on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOKOodQXjhc- Quantum mechanical interaction-free measurements (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9305002- Nonlocal Position Changes of a Photon Revealed by Quantum Routers (paper): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-26018-y- Manolis Kellis on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g56lxZwnaqg- The Quark and the Jaguar (book): https://www.amazon.com/Quark-Jaguar-Adventures-Simple-Complex/dp/0805072535- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices