David Kaiser: MIT Physicist on Black Holes Older Than the Universe

MIT physicist and historian David Kaiser examines primordial black holes, exploring how they might explain dark matter and connect to cosmic inflation. He discusses their potential impact on our understanding of the early universe, linking quantum theory, cosmology, and the history of physics.

0:00 What Are Primordial Black Holes?
1:41 Could They Be Dark Matter?
5:21 Kaiser’s Academic Journey
10:56 Studying Physics and Its History
11:57 Cosmic Inflation Basics
15:31 Direct Collapse vs. Stellar Collapse
25:14 Bell’s Theorem Explained
38:32 Quasars and the Cosmic Bell Test
43:04 High-Precision Astronomy
47:38 Learning Curves & Interdisciplinary Research
48:17 Scalar Fields and Inflation Models
55:05 Black Hole Formation from Inflation
58:41 Black Hole Mass as a Cosmic Clock
1:02:50 Quark-Gluon Plasma & Color Charge
1:08:46 Critical Collapse and Mass Spread
1:11:34 Charged Primordial Black Holes
1:13:54 Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Implications
1:20:14 Detecting Black Holes Locally
1:23:51 Tracking Planetary Wobbles
1:26:04 Hawking Radiation & Positron Signatures
1:30:06 Why Track Mars, Not Earth?

SPONSORS:

- I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE
- Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
- Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE
- YouTube Membership (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join

Every episode days early, ad-free, plus my essays: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe

RESOURCES:

- David Kaiser's published papers: https://arxiv.org/a/kaiser_d_1.html
- Bell, J. S. "On the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox" (1964): https://cds.cern.ch/record/111654/files/vol1p195-200_001.pdf
- "Ultra-High-Energy Neutrinos from Primordial Black Holes" (2025): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2503.19227
- "Cosmic Bell Test Using Random Measurement Settings from High-Redshift Quasars" (2018): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1808.05966
- "Close Encounters of the Primordial Kind" (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2312.17217
- "Primordial Black Holes from Multifield Inflation with Non-minimal Couplings" (2022): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2205.04471
- "Testing Bell's Inequality with Cosmic Photons" (2013): https://arxiv.org/pdf/1310.3288
- "Planck Constraints & Gravitational-Wave Forecasts for PBH Dark Matter Seeded by Multifield Inflation" (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.02168
- "Light Scalar Fields Foster Production of Primordial Black Holes" (2025): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.13251
- "Debye Screening of Non-Abelian Plasmas in Curved Spacetimes" (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2309.15385
- "Primordial Black Holes with QCD Color Charge" (2023): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2310.16877
- A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553380168
- In Search of Schrödinger's Cat - John Gribbin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553342533
- How the Hippies Saved Physics - David Kaiser: https://www.amazon.com/dp/039334231X
- Drawing Theories Apart - David Kaiser: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Y5W2X2

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.

- Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices