Cool Worlds

Project Starshot | New Research on Relativistic Light Sails

Cool Worlds

Show Notes

New research paper from the Cool Worlds Lab about one the most exciting missions ever proposed, "Starshot". Starshot plans to send tiny probes to distant planets beyond our Solar System, the first true interstellar spacecraft. To do this within our lifetimes requires a very fast probe, reaching one-fifth the speed of light. That means Einstein's theory of special relativity starts to become important and so in our new paper, explained in the video, we figured out how much of a difference that makes...::More about this Video::► David Kipping (2017), "Relativistic Light Sails": https://arxiv.org/abs/1704.04310► Live stream of the Breakthrough Discuss meeting at Stanford (04/20-04/21): https://www.facebook.com/BreakthroughPrize► Breakthrough Initiatives website: https://breakthroughinitiatives.org► Cool Worlds Lab website: http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.edu► Columbia University Department of Astronomy: http://www.astro.columbia.edu► Background music by Thomas Bergersen "Final Frontier": http://www.thomasbergersen.com ::Playlists For Channel::Latest Cool Worlds Videos ► http://bit.ly/NewCoolWorldsCool Worlds Research ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsResearchGuest Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsGuestsQ&A Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsQAScience of TV/Film ► http://bit.ly/ScienceMovies::Follow us::SUBSCRIBE to the channel http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsSubscribeCool Worlds Lab http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.eduTwitter https://twitter.com/david_kippingInstagram https://www.instagram.com/cool.worldsTHANKS FOR WATCHING!! ヅ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Oct 26, 2026

Use code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.One of the leading interpretations of quantum theory is that every probabilistic event leads to a branching of reality, where all possibilities occur. This "many worlds" interpretation has been growing in prominence, but it implies a bizarre consequence. It might mean that you can never die, and will continue to survive not only life threatening events but even old age. Join us today as we explore the extraordinary idea of quantum immortality.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, D. Ohman, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, T. Tarrants, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, A. Taylor, D. Wedgewood, J. Alley, D. Aron & G. Thomsen.REFERENCESTegmark, Max (1998), "The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Many Worlds or Many Words?", Fortsch. Phys. 46, 855-862: http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/quant-ph/9709032MUSICLicensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via CC Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) or with permission from the artist.0:00 Hill - A Flickering Start2:48 Joachim Heinrich - Stjärna5:48 Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Five9:24 Chris Zabriskie - World of Wonder10:51 Stephen Keech - Selha13:25 Hill - A Sad Scene from a Sad Film16:54 Hill - The Persecuted19:39 Falls - Life in Binary22:10 Hill - Mourning Wakes25:35 Hill - The Now is Only a Thin Slice of Who I Am28:46 Kyle Preston - An Ocean of Quiet Confession31:29 Kyle Preston - Up The Oregon Coast33:43 Joachim Heinrich - YCHAPTERS0:00 Introduction5:48 The Wavefunction Never Collapses9:26 Incogni10:55 Quantum Russian Roulette14:41 Generalized Immortality16:57 Anthropic Reasoning19:28 Corrected Intensity Rule22:10 Non-Quantum Analogies28:45 What is Self?31:26 Final Thoughts35:43 Outro & Credits#CoolWorlds #QuantumImmortality #ManyWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 26, 2026

When will our civilization end? Whether it be by our own means or an external threat, there are many plausible scenarios which could extinguish humanity. Remarkably, using the Principle of Mediocrity (that we are just typical observers and not special) it is possible to answer this question statistically with a line of thought called the Doomsday Argument. We get into how this works and what it says about our prospects for survival...::More about this Video::► Richard Gott (1993), "Implications of the Copernican principle for our future prospects": http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v363/n6427/abs/363315a0.html► Fergus Simpson (2016), "Apocalypse Now? Reviving the Doomsday Argument": https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.03072► Carter & McCrea (1983): "The Anthropic Principle and its Implications for Biological Evolution [and Discussion]", http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/310/1512/347► Outro music by Taylor Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9kI1yQKZk::Playlists For Channel::Latest Cool Worlds Videos ► http://bit.ly/NewCoolWorldsCool Worlds Research ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsResearchGuest Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsGuestsQ&A Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsQAScience of TV/Film ► http://bit.ly/ScienceMovies::Follow us::SUBSCRIBE to the channel http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsSubscribeCool Worlds Lab http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.eduTwitter https://twitter.com/david_kippingInstagram https://www.instagram.com/cool.worldsTHANKS FOR WATCHING!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 26, 2026

Light sails are a promising method for traveling through space - indeed, Breakthrough Starshot proposed a laser driven version could reach nearby stars. But the exorbitant costs and engineering challenges of such a proposal have stymied its realization. What if there was a way of using the Sun - no lasers required - but keeping our dream of interstellar travel in tact? Introducing TARS.This video is based on published research(see https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.17615 ) supported by the Cool Worlds donors (see below). Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/cool-worlds→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastCheck out Anton’s Starshot video at https://youtu.be/HwPTF_TZvWYTHANK-YOU to D. Smith, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, J. Rockett, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Armstrong, B. Smith, J. Kruger, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, T. Edris, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, M. Czirr, I. Williams, B. Reese, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, P. Borisoff, H. Schiff, J. Cos, C. Hansen, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, J. Alley, D. Aron, G. Thomsen, S. Shardool, B. Kingston, A. Phan Le, N. Offor, A. Huch, J. Morrison & C. Fitzsimmons.MUSICLicensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via CC Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) or with permission from the artist.0:00 Hill - Circle3:37 Hill - Rough Mix6:51 Sid Acharya - Stories from the Sky8:15 Kyle Preston - An Ocean of Quiet Confession10:40 Atlas - Waking Up14:43 Hill - There is but One Good19:57 One Guitar Orchestra (@OneGuitarOrchestra) - No Time For Caution22:19 Hill - Interstellar25:28 Hill - Rough MixCHAPTERS00:00 Echoes00:30 Sea Longing4:06 Breakthrough Starshot6:51 The Cavalry Ain't Coming8:39 The Art of Pragmatism10:54 No Lasers Required14:31 Enter the Quasite16:39 Going Interstellar18:32 Optimization20:19 For Our Next Trick23:26 Juicing TARS27:13 Closing Thoughts28:55 Outro and Credits#TARS #Interstellar #CoolWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 26, 2026

Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video! Download unlimited stock media at one set price with Storyblocks: https://storyblocks.com/CoolWorldsThe Standard Model of Cosmology has reigned supreme for decades, confirmed over and over again. But chinks in the armour have been developing, such as the Hubble Tension. Now, however, a new result threatens to completely upend our view of the Universe - we no longer even know how it will end.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, R. Chaffee, A. Ortiz, B. McMillan, B. Cartmell, J. Bryant, J. Obioma, M. Zeiler, S. Murray, S. Patterson, C. Kennedy, G. Le Saint, W. Ruf, A. Kochkov, B. Langley, D. Ohman, P. Stevenson, T. Ford, T. Tarrants, A. Laroye, I. Venzor, R. Raszka, B. Gaalen, A. Taylor, D. Wedgewood, J. Alley, D. Aron & G. Thomsen.REFERENCESThe DESI papers are available here: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/public-libraries/XCj7bW-vSMaNZVV0C0QyGA#CoolWorlds #DarkEnergy #DESI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 26, 2026

UFOs, UAPs are dominating the media, but what do astronomers really think is going on? Check out our sponsor by using the code coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/coolworlds Over the last few years, there has been growing public attention and interest in UFOs/UAPs fuelled by whistleblowers, leaked videos and of course the media. But astronomers have been looking for life in the Universe for decades already, using systematic searches and established scientific methodologies. No-one spends more time looking up and thinking about aliens than astronomers, so what do we think about this? How does science more broadly ingest UFO claims? Today, in the spirit of transparency, we explore this complex and evolving topic...Written and presented by Prof David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas.→ Support our research program: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get Stash here! https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast over at www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to our supporters D. Smith, M. Sloan, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, A. Jones, S. Brownlee, N. Kildal, Z. Star, E. West, T. Zajonc, C. Wolfred, L. Skov, G. Benson, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, M. Forbes, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, T. Donkin, K. Myers, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Black, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, K. Weber, S. Marks, L. Robinson, S. Roulier, B. Smith, J. Cassese, J. Kruger, S. Way, P. Finch, S. Applegate, L. Watson, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, E. Dessoi, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, C. Hays, W. Evans, D. Bansal, J. Curtin, J. Sturm, RAND Corp., M. Donovan, N. Corwin, M. Mangione, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, G. Genova, R. Provost, B. Sigurjonsson, G. Fullwood, B. Walford, J. Boyd, N. De Haan, J. Gillmer, R. Williams, E. Garland, A. Leishman, A. Phan Le, R. Lovely, M. Spoto, A. Steele, M. Varenka, K. Yarbrough, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, B. Pearson, S. Thayer, T. Edris, A. Harrison, B. Seeley, F. Blood, M. O'Brien & P. Muzyka::References::► Yingling et al. (2023), "Faculty perceptions of unidentified aerial phenomena", Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, 246, : https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-01746-3► Kopparapu & Haqq-Misra (2020), Scientific American, ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,’ Better Known as UFOs, Deserve Scientific Investigation: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unidentified-aerial-phenomena-better-known-as-ufos-deserve-scientific-investigation/::Music::Music licensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via Creative Commons (CC) Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), or with permission from the artist.► 0:00 - A Slowly Lifting Fog - Brad Hill► 3:41 - Falls - Life in Binary► 6:46 - Northern Boards - Brad Hill► 10:34 - To Quiet the Drumming Inside My Head - Brad Hill► 14:48 - Chasing Out the Chaos - Brad Hill► 19:44 - Cylinder Seven - Chris Zabriskie► 25:55 - Joachim Heinrich - Y::Chapters::00:00 Introduction02:27 A Science 10105:07 Sponsored Message06:47 Ingesting UAPs into Science19:30 Academics on UAPs21:53 SETI Scientists on UAPs24:39 Concluding Thoughts26:59 Outro & Some Interviews#UFO #UAP #SETI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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