Gravity as a Quantum Computer – Dr. Raphael Bousso (UC Berkeley)

By allowing space and time to bend, Einstein’s theory of gravity, General Relativity, explains how apples fall, how planets move, how the universe expands, and how black holes form. Quantum Mechanics, on the other hand, describes subatomic physics — in a very different language that seems incompatible with General Relativity. Yet, unlike any other classical theory in physics, General Relativity “knows” about Quantum Mechanics. Einstein’s theory allows us to compute how many quantum states a black hole has, and how much quantum information fits in the universe. Somewhat like an oracle, it has revealed to us profound properties of quantum theory that have since been rigorously proven. Amazingly, gravity encodes quantum information using sophisticated tools that are central to emerging quantum technologies. Our Wonderfest speaker is Raphael Bousso, Professor of Physics at UC Berkeley. Dr. Bousso leads the Bousso Group at the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics. This event took place in Marin County, California, on July 29, 2025. The host is Tucker Hiatt, Wonderfest's founding director. The video was edited by Wonderfest Science Editor, Neeti Sonth. Our introductory music, "Wonder Song," was composed and performed by Jack Conte. Please visit the online home of nonprofit Wonderfest, the San Francisco Bay Area Beacon of Science, at wonderfest.org .