Why does light exist? - with Gideon Koekoek
Find out the answer to one of the most fundamental questions in physics, not just "what is light", but "why must light exist?".--
This lecture was filmed at the Ri on 26 April 2025.
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Light is one of the most interesting aspects of the Universe, letting us see and feel the world around us in the most beautiful colours and phenomena. No wonder light is one of the most studied topics in all of physics. It is the way we see, learn, and connect to the Universe. But underneath it all lies a deeper question still: why does light exist in the first place? Is the fact that light permeates so much of our Universe a mere happenstance, or are there deeper mysteries at work?
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Physicist and gravitational wave expert Gideon Koekoek is on a mission to demystify the complexities of physics, so that everyone can understand the revolutionary experiments being done by physicists every day. In this talk, Gideon highlights the special properties of light and shows that it is a necessary ingredient of all fundamental physics. Without electromagnetism and its waves, the laws of quantum mechanics, relativity, and thermodynamics will break down individually and would not be able to work together at all. Gideon will show that these individual phenomena, which are normally presented independently of each other, are connected in surprising ways.
When Nature came into existence, it had no choice but to douse it in light. Gideon is excited to show you why.
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Gideon Koekoek is associate professor of physics at Maastricht University, where he is senior staff member in the department of Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics. He obtained his BSc, MSc, and PhD in theoretical physics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Nikhef for subatomic physics, and additionally obtained a second MSc degree in Education. Gideon spends equal time between education, research in gravitational waves and general relativity, and being outreach coordinator for the Virgo Collaboration, the Dutch Black Hole Consortium, and the Einstein Telescope Consortium. He coordinates regional, national, and international projects for public, educational, and political outreach of gravitational wave science, and is a frequently asked presenter on physics, research, and education.
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