Super God-Level Top Student

Li Jiangao nodded subtly, indicating that he couldn't be bothered to ask for the proof process.

"So, how are we going to prove or disprove whether our universe is real? Are we or are we not 'brains in a vat'?" For the first time, Li Jiangao heard a tone of confusion in Qiao Ze's voice.

"But this... where do you plan to start your research?" Li Jiangao couldn't help asking.

"There are many directions. Take the first one, for instance, proving or disproving the discreteness of macroscopic space. That is, we need to know what the world below the Planck length is like.

If the Planck length really is the smallest scale of the universe, then space below the Planck length would no longer have physics; if we could observe below the Planck length, it would become a meaningless pixelated world. Conversely, if we could prove that space is continuous, it means that there is new and yet undiscovered physics below the Planck length.

The former implies that our universe might indeed be virtualized, while the latter would prove our universe is real." Find exclusive stories on mvl

"This..." Li Jiangao furrowed his brow and asked, "How much do you know about the Planck length?"

"1.6 x 10 to the negative 35th meters, but of course, that's merely an appearance. Because the way we now study, observe, and measure the microscopic world is by compressing more energy into a smaller space. This is what the European Organization for Nuclear Research does, colliding particles in a particle accelerator.

But △X equals reduced Planck constant h-bar times the speed of light divided by energy E. That is, the greater the energy, the more precise the observation of the microscopic world."

However, if we cram too much energy into an observational space, there's also the possibility of creating a black hole; here, we need to understand this in conjunction with the Schwarzschild radius. The Schwarzschild radius formula is △X mass M times the gravitational constant G divided by the square of the speed of light. That is, the energy corresponds to the Schwarzschild radius.

Thus the paradox arises: increasing energy can resolve smaller scales, but at the same time, increasing energy also leads to a reduction in size.

According to the relativistic formula E equals mass M times the speed of light squared, the final result is the Planck constant. Uncle Li, don't you think this is fascinating? That is, existing theoretical physics supports the Planck length as the ultimate resolution limit of our universe's macroscopic structure.

If we want to study further, we will observe a succession of black holes, which means that space is discrete rather than continuous, further implying that our universe is created by a higher power. Unless current physical theories have significant flaws."

Li Jiangao listened silently, his mind gradually calming.

He finally understood why he could always see the gleam of wisdom in Qiao Ze's eyes.

All the mathematical puzzles, all the natural language frameworks, were just passing clouds.

The issues this youngster contemplated were probably akin to those pondered by elite scientists in their later years.

And it was not the kind of idealistic thinking but an attempt to overhaul the entire theoretical system of scientific development.

So, Li Jiangao felt his earlier judgment was correct; if Qiao Ze could truly make a contribution in the future, his status in the scientific community might far surpass that of giants like Newton, Einstein, and other scientists who have driven the world's rapid development.

What Li Jiangao found most ironic was that, in their eyes, this youngster's interest and research in mathematics were all intended to help him contemplate an ultimate physical question.

No wonder he couldn't have been bothered to discuss non-commutative geometry with Zhang Hongcai at the dinner party that day.

Thinking this way was actually quite terrifying.

Just dabbling in mathematics, he had already come up with an intelligent algorithm more powerful than ChatGPT. Li Jiangao was somewhat afraid to imagine what achievements Qiao Ze could unfold in physics in the future.

However, now that they had opened up the conversation, he was genuinely curious to know what else was packed into Qiao Ze's little head, so he asked again, "Hmm, you just mentioned that this is only one direction, meaning you have other research directions planned?"

"Yes, many. For example, the problem of the dimensional structure of the universe, why is our world three-dimensional? One-dimensional, two-dimensional are easy to explain; their structures are not complex enough, the Periodic Table of Elements cannot be formed, utterly incapable of supporting the development of intelligent life.

The reason it can't be four-dimensional is because the stability of higher-dimensional space is far less than that of three-dimensional. All objects in the universe cannot be separated from fundamental forces such as gravity, electromagnetic force, etc., and additional dimensions cause a severe attenuation of forces."

"If an additional macroscopic dimension were to appear in our universe, it would result in planets being extremely sensitive to distances, any minute fluctuation in their orbits could cause them to leave their star system or directly collide. Such a structure could never form large material structures like galaxy clusters, nor could it sustain the lengthy evolution of life.

Higher dimensions are even less likely to exist. So, does our universe follow the anthropic principle, or is it designed this way?"

Li Jiangao was drawn into Qiao Ze's train of thought and asked, "Then what do you think of the Superstring Theory that is currently proposed by the physics community? According to the theory, the universe must have nine dimensions. So is Superstring Theory wrong?"

Qiao Ze looked at Li Jiangao and said, "No. Three-dimensional space cannot accommodate more dimensions, but Superstring Theory discusses the microscopic. Perhaps below the Planck length, there are another six dimensions hidden? And this also precisely proves why the current standard model can't explain the neutrino's mass."

"What do you mean?" Obviously, Li Jiangao was truly captivated by what Qiao Ze was discussing.

"For example, when we observe the trajectory of a particle, from the larger dimensions that we can observe, particle paths appear as straight lines. But in fact, during their movement, particles will also oscillate slightly up and down or left and right due to spin or other forces. It's just that these dimensions are too small for us to see.

That is to say, the other dimensions have curled up because we can't see them, so we can only assume that the universe has only three dimensions."

"Speaking of neutrinos, the Higgs Mechanism in the standard model cannot give neutrinos mass, but the latest observed neutrino oscillations indicate that neutrinos must have a slight mass.

Because if neutrinos had no mass, they would pass through the earth at the speed of light, and particles traveling at the speed of light do not experience the passage of time; without time as a reference for motion, the particle cannot oscillate between three different states. The fact that neutrinos oscillate between three different states proves that they are experiencing time."

So the question arises, if the Higgs Mechanism responsible for giving particles mass does not give mass to neutrinos, yet neutrinos have been determined to have mass, then is it possible that part of the neutrino's velocity is actually leaking into extra dimensions below the Planck length?

If I could prove this, it would also prove that our universe is not discrete, but a continuous space, and it would also prove that below the Planck length, there exists a new physics that we currently cannot comprehend or touch."

This looped back to the beginning, but this was precisely proof of Qiao Ze's careful and thorough thinking.

After listening to Qiao Ze, Li Jiangao subconsciously raised his hand and patted Qiao Ze's shoulder.

Qiao Ze turned his head and looked at Li Jiangao with a trace of confusion in his eyes.

In fact, Li Jiangao's thought was quite simple; he had just patted the shoulder of a future scientific giant.

It was great to take advantage of Qiao Ze's current obscurity.

After all, once the kid achieved success and gained a name for himself, he really wouldn't have the nerve to pat him on the shoulder.

Another sleepless night ensued.

Li Jiangao had initially thought that Qiao Ze's contemplation and obsession with the mass gap hypothesis were the ultimate goals of the kid's life.

But who would have thought that the kid wanted to solve this mathematical problem that has stumped the world for nearly a century, merely as a convenient mathematical tool for his physical research.

Surely, heaven must be dissatisfied with the long stagnation in the development of basic science in this world and specifically sent Qiao Ze down, right?

Indeed, after so much talk of materialism, it was Qiao Ze's words that had led Li Jiangao to start thinking idealistically.

"Kid, the problems you ponder are very meaningful! Really, follow your ideas. With your talent, seven years is enough to make a name for yourself in the world of mathematics. I am waiting to see you establish a new physical theoretical framework! I also believe that within my lifetime, I will definitely see it!"