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Developments in string theory and black hole physics indicate that gravity should be viewed as an emergent phenomenon that is derived from an underlying microscopic description. Following these insights I illuminate the basic mechanisms responsible for the emergence of gravity. I will argue that space time, matter and gravity originate from a highly entangled quantum mechanical system, whose energy contains the dark energy. Gravity, or rather inertia, appears as an adiabatic reaction force, while non-adiabatic corrections due to slow relaxation processes lead to the phenomena attributed to dark matter. These considerations lead to a universal formula for the dark matter distribution which explains the observed velocity profiles for all types of galaxies and galaxy clusters and agrees with the cosmic dark matter density obtained from the WMAP and Planck-data.

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Prof. Erik Verlinde, University of Amsterdam
HS 2
Contact: Johannes Berg