Professor Gerard ‘t Hooft,  Universiteit Utrecht

Black Holes in Elementary Physics
In Physics, black holes are known as extremely dense forms of matter, of which, from the outside, only the gravitational force can be detected. Astronomers observe such object at various spots in the Universe.
When in laboratories on earth elementary particles are made to collide with the strongest possible force, these collisions are by far not energetic enough to produce black holes. However, we can try to imagine collisions that are so energetic that black holes do form, and then ask ourselves what exactly might happen then. The question is important because it turns out that our theoretical understanding falls short at this point. The gravitational force is so special that all beautiful theories we have today about the particles and the forces between them cannot describe it. Do black holes obey the laws of quantum mechanics? Are black holes also subatomic particles and vice versa? If so, our theories must be revised. This can lead to fundamental new insights about very basic features in physics, and give us new tools to describe space, time, and matter.