The

 Warped  Science  of  Interstellar  

Jean-­‐Pierre  Luminet  
Aix-­‐Marseille  Université,  CNRS,  Laboratoire  d'Astrophysique  de  Marseille  (LAM)  UMR  7326  
Centre  de  Physique  Théorique  de  Marseille  (CPT)  UMR  7332  
and  Observatoire  de  Paris  (LUTH)  UMR  8102  
France  
E-­‐mail: [email protected]
 
The  science  fiction  film,  Interstellar,  tells  the  story  of  a  team  of  astronauts  searching  a  distant  galaxy  for  
habitable   planets   to   colonize.   Interstellar’s   story   draws   heavily   from   contemporary   science.   The   film  
makes   reference   to   a   range   of   topics,   from   established   concepts   such   as   fast-­‐spinning   black   holes,  
accretion   disks,   tidal   effects,   and   time   dilation,   to   far   more   speculative   ideas   such   as   wormholes,   time  
travel,   additional   space   dimensions,   and   the   theory   of   everything.   The   aim   of   this   article   is   to   decipher  
some  of  the  scientific  notions  which  support  the  framework  of  the  movie.  
 
INTRODUCTION  
 
The   science-­‐fiction   movie   Interstellar   (2014)   tells   the   adventures   of   a   group   of  
explorers   who   use   a   wormhole   to   cross   intergalactic   distances   and   find   potentially  
habitable   exoplanets   to   colonize.   Interstellar   is   a   fiction,   obeying   its   own   rules   of   artistic  
license  :  the  film  director  Christopher  Nolan  and  the  screenwriter,  his  brother  Jonah,  did  
not   intended   to   put   on   the   screens   a   documentary   on   astrophysics   –   they   rather   wanted  
to  produce  a  blockbuster,  and  they  succeeded  pretty  well  on  this  point.  However,  for  the  
scientific   part,   they   have   collaborated   with   the   physicist   Kip   Thorne,   a   world-­‐known  
specialist   in   general   relativity   and   black   hole   theory.   With   such   an   advisor,   the  
promotion  of  the  movie  insisted  a  lot  on  the  scientific  realism  of  the  story,  in  particular  
on  black  hole  images  calculated  by  Kip  Thorne  and  the  team  of  visual  effects  company  
Double  Negative.  The  movie  also  refers  to  many  aspects  of  contemporary  science,  going  
from   well-­‐studied   issues   such   as   warped   space,   fast-­‐spinning   black   holes,   accretion  
disks,  tidal  effects  or  time  dilation,  to  much  more  speculative  ideas  which  stem  beyond  
the   frontiers   of   our   present   knowledge,   such   as   wormholes,   time   travel   to   the   past,    
extra-­‐space   dimensions   or   the   «  ultimate   equation  »   of   an   expected   «  Theory   of  
Everything  ».    
It   is   the   reason   why,   beyond   the   subjective   appreciations   that   everyone   may   have  
about   the   fiction   story   itself,   many   people   –   physicists   and   science   journalists   –   have  
taken  the  internet  to  write  articles  lauding  or  criticizing  the  science   shown  in  the  movie.  
Kip   Thorne   has   written   a   popular   book,  The  Science  of  Interstellar  1,   to   explain   how   he  
tried   to   respect   scientific   accuracy,   despite   the   sometimes   exotic   demands   of  
Christopher   and   Jonah   Nolan,   ensuring   in   particular   that   the   depictions   of   black   holes  
and  relativistic  effects  were  as  accurate  as  possible.  
The  aim  of  this  article  is  not  to  write  a  (inevitably  subjective)  review  of  Interstellar  as  
a   fiction   story,   but   to   decipher   some   of   the   scientific   notions,   which   support   the  
framework  of  the  movie.  
 
AN  ARTIFICIAL  WORMHOLE  IN  THE  SOLAR  SYTEM  ?  
 
In   the   first   part   of   the   film,   we   are   told   that   a   «  gravitational   anomaly  »,   called   a  
wormhole,   has   been   discovered   out   near   Saturn   several   decades   ago,   that   a   dozen  
habitable  planets  have  been  detected  on  the  «  other  side  »  and  a  dozen  astronauts  sent  
to   explore   them.   In   particular,   one   system   has   three   potentially   habitable   planets,   and   it  

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is  now  the  mission  of  the  hero,  Cooper,  to  pilot  a  spaceship  through  the  wormhole  and  
find   which   planet   is   more   suitable   for   providing   humanity   a   new   home   off   the   dying  
Earth.  
Wormholes   arise   as   mathematical,   idealized   solutions   of   the   equations   of   general  
relativity   that   describe   the   shape   of   space-­‐time   generated   by   a   black   hole.   Their  
description   can   be   made   pictorial   by   a   technique   called   embedding.   As   the   name  
suggests,  the  game  is  to  visualize  the  shape  of  a  given  space  by  embedding  it  in  a  space  
with  an  additional  dimension.  The  mapping  is  useless  for  the  full  4-­‐dimensional  space-­‐
time   of   general   relativity,   as   it   would   have   to   be   embedded   in   a   5-­‐dimensional   space,  
which  is  impossible  to  visualize.  But  in  the  case  of  a  non-­‐rotating  black  hole,  the  space-­‐
time   geometry,   described   by   the   Schwarzschild   metric,   remains   fixed   at   all   times  ;  
furthermore,   due   to   spherical   symmetry,   no   information   is   lost   by   looking   only   at  
equatorial   slices   passing   through   the   center   of   the   sphere.   It   then   becomes   easy   to  
visualize   all   the   details   of   the   curvature   of   the   Schwarzschild   geometry   as   a   2-­‐
dimensional   surface   embedded   in   the   usual   3-­‐dimensional   Euclidean   space.   The   result  
comes   to   a   surprise  :   the   embedding   surface   consists   of   a   paraboloid-­‐shaped   throat  
linking   two   distinct   sheets   of   space-­‐time.   Ludwig   Flamm   discovered   the   paraboloid  
shape   as   soon   as   1916,   and   Albert   Einstein   and   Nathan   Rosen 2  first   studied   the  
Schwarzschild   throat   in   1935.   It   has   a   minimum   radius   equal   to   the   Schwarzschild  
radius  r  =2GM/c2,  where  M  is  the  mass  of  the  black  hole,  G  the  gravitational  constant  and  
c   the   speed   of   light  :   it   corresponds   to   the   event   horizon   –   the   immaterial   frontier   of   the  
black  hole  –  reduced  to  a  circle.    For  a  typical  stellar  black  hole  with  M  =  10  solar  masses,  
we  get  r  =  30  km.  It  is  the  size  assumed  in  Interstellar.    
The  Schwarzschild  throat  (also  called   the  Einstein-­‐Rosen  bridge)  joins  the  upper  and  
lower  sheets  which  are  perfectly  symmetrical,  and  which  we  are  at  liberty  to  interpret  
as   «  parallel   universes  ».   In   other   words,   the   throat   appears   to   the   upper   universe   like   a  
black  hole  consuming  matter,  light  and  energy,  but  for  the  lower  universe  it  appears  as  a  
«  white  fountain  »  expelling  matter,  light  and  energy.    
Now,  general  relativity  determines  only  the  local  curvature  of  the  space-­‐time,  and  not  
its  global  shape.  In  particular,  it  allows  the  two  distinct  sheets  to  be  different  regions  of  
the  same  universe.  We  have  now  a  black  hole  and  a  white  fountain  in  the  same  space-­‐
time   at   an   arbitrary   distance   from   each   other,   but   linked   by   a   stretched-­‐out   throat,  
baptized   wormhole   by   John   Wheeler   in   1957   (Wheeler   also   coined   the   term   «  black  
hole  »,   but   only   ten   years   later).   We   can   figure   out   a   wormhole   like   a   tunnel   with   two  
ends,  each   in   separate   points   in   space-­‐time,   and   that   tunnel   would   work   as   a   shortcut   to  
travel   through   space   and   time.   For   example,   Charles   Misner3  found   a   solution   of   the  
wormhole   equations   allowing   to   travel   from   the   solar   system   to   the   nearest   star,  
Proxima   Centauri,   located   at   4.2   light-­‐years,   in   a   time   shorter   than   4.2   years,   however  
without  exceeding  the  speed  of  light.    
Now,  coming  back  to  the  Interstellar  story,  two  major  problems  arise.  First,  there  is  
no   wormhole   without   a   black   hole.   Second,   is   a   wormhole   traversable,   and   can   it   be  
really  used  by  a  spaceship  to  travel  in  space-­‐time  ?    
For  the  first  one,  there  are  clearly  several  scientific  caveats  in  the  scenario.  The  most  
common   black   holes   are   formed   by   the   gravitational   collapse   of   massive   stars,   and  
consequently   have   a   few   solar   masses.   According   to   the   Schwarzschild   formula   given  
above,   their   radius,   and   consequently   that   of   their   putative   wormhole,   is   of   order   of   a  
few   kilometers   only,   and   the   tidal   forces   they   generate   (see   below)   are   so   huge   that   any  
spaceship   or   astronaut   would   be   torn   apart   at   a   distance   of   several   thousands  
kilometers,   i.e.   well   before   being   able   to   reach   the   event   horizon   and   penetrate   it.  

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Besides,  since  about  one  star  over  10,000  is  massive  enough  to  generate  a  black  hole,  the  
latter  are  pretty  rare  :    it  is  estimated  that  the  average  density  of  stellar  mass  black  holes  
in  our  region  of  the  Milky  Way  is  of  the  order  of  0.00001  per  cubic  light  year.  It  would  
thus   be   extraordinarily   improbable   that   a   stellar   black   hole   is   so   close   to   us.   And   even   if  
it   were   so,   at   the   distance   of   Saturn,   its   huge   gravitational   field   would   completely  
destroy   the   stability   of   our   solar   system  !   It   is   the   reason   why   the   Nolan’s   brothers   have  
taken   a   pure   science-­‐fiction   option  :   the   wormhole   near   Saturn   has   been   artificially  
created   by   a   very   advanced   civilization,   and   placed   there   to   help   humanity   escape   the  
solar   system   (at   the   end   of   the   movie,   we   understand   that   these   aliens   were   in   fact  
advanced   humans   from   the   future  ;   they   created   the   black   hole   and   its   associated  
wormhole  in  the  first  place,  manipulating  time  and  events  so  that  things  had  to  unfold  
the  way  they  did).    
The   second   problem   is   the   traversability   of   wormholes.   The   calculations   for   a   non-­‐
rotating  black  hole,  described  by  the  Schwarzschild  geometry,  show  that  the  wormhole  
is   «  strangled   in   the   middle  »   by   the   infinite   gravitational   field   of   a   singularity   located   at  
the   center   r=0,   so   that   nothing   can   pass   through   it.   However,   natural   black   holes,   like  
stars,  must  be  rotating,  and  it  that  case  the  geometry  is  much  more  subtle  and  complex  
than  the  Schwarzschild  one.  It  is  described  by  the  Kerr  metric  (as  discovered  in  1962  by  
the   new   Zealand   physicist   Roy   Kerr).   And   in   that   case,   the   mapping   technique   described  
above   for   the   Schwarzschild   geometry   gives   a   much   more   complicated   and   interesting  
space-­‐time   structure,   investigated   in   the   1960’s   by   Brandon   Carter   (my   former   PhD  
advisor)  and  Roger  Penrose4.  First  of  all,  the  central  singularity  is  no  more  reduced  to  a  
central   point   at   r=0,   but   has   the   shape   of   a   ring   lying   in   the   equatorial   plane   of   the  
rotating   black   hole.   As   a   consequence,   the   ring   no   more   defines   an   edge   of   the   space-­‐
time   geometry,   because   a   traveller,   apart   from   the   dangers   of   tidal   forces,   could   come  
safely  within  a  hair’s  breadth  of  the  annular  singularity  provided  he  does  not  touch  it,  or  
he   can   even   pass   through   it.   The   Penrose-­‐Carter   diagrams   suggest   fascinating  
possibilities   for   exploration   (see   e.g.   Luminet5).   Allowable   trajectories   show   that   it   is  
theoretically   possible   to   penetrate   the   interior   of   a   rotating   black   hole   –   preferably   a  
very   large   one,   so   that   the   spaceship   is   not   destroyed   by   tidal   forces   -­‐,   fly   above   the  
plane   of   the   singular   ring,   and   escape   the   black   hole   by   emerging   into   an   exterior  
universe   (which   could   be   topologically   the   same   as   the   starting   one).   Along   other  
trajectories,   it   could   also   go   to   the   «  other   side  »   of   the   singularity   by   passing   through  
the   ring,   and   emerge   into   a   completely   unknown   universe.   In   such   cases,   Kerr   black  
holes  would  have  open  wormholes,  offering  fantastic  possibilities  for  space-­‐time  travel  !    
Alas,   the   Penrose-­‐Carter   diagrams   are   idealized   representations   of   the   space-­‐time  
structure.  In  the  real  universe,  astrophysical  black  holes,  rotating  or  not,  are  formed  by  
physical   processes   such   as   gravitational   collapse,   and   in   that   case,   all   the   general  
relativistic   calculations   say   that   wormholes   are   unstable  :   as   soon   as   they   are   formed,  
they   would   also   gravitationally   collapse   and   would   be   not   traversable.   But   this   is   not  
quite   the   end   of   the   story  :   come   into   play   general   relativistic   calculations   involving   also  
quantum   processes.   A   possible   escape   has   been   proposed   in   1988   by   Thorne   and   his  
students6  :   wormholes   that   are   laced   with   matter   or   energy   exerting   an   enormous  
«  negative   pressure  »   (i.   e.   a   repulsive   tension)   could   be   stable   and   traversable.   Such  
forms   of   matter   or   energy   are   called   «  exotic  ».   It   happens   that,   in   the   framework   of  
quantum   mechanics,   some   energy   states   of   the   quantum   vacuum   obtained   by   the   so-­‐
called   Casimir   effect  have  the  required  properties  to  produce  exotic  energy.  Of  course,  
all  of  this  is  highly  speculative,  but  not  theoretically  impossible  –  even  if  the  amount  of  
negative   energy   required   maintaining   the   wormhole   open   would   be   greater   than   the  

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total  energy  emitted  by  the  Sun  during  one  full  year...    
Later,  other  types  of  traversable  wormholes  were  discovered  as  allowable  solutions  
to   the   equations   of   general   relativity 7 .   Thus,   for   a   Hollywood   sci-­‐fi   movie,   the  
screenwriters   felt   free   to   imagine   that   a   very   advanced   civilization   could   construct   a  
negative  wormhole  –  perhaps  by  growing  a  microscopic  negative  one,  as  permitted  by  
quantum  mechanics  –,  and  use  it  effectively  as  a  space-­‐time  shortcut.    
Even  allowing  this  fantastic  idea,  there  is  nothing  telling  us  that  a  spaceship  (and  the  
humans  inside),  made  of  normal  matter,  could  cross  the  negative  energy  region  safely.  
Nevertheless,   the   theoretical   possibility   enabled   the   popular   American   astronomer-­‐
writer  Carl  Sagan  to  construct  his  novel  Contact  (1985)  using  the  idea  of  communication  
with   extra-­‐terrestrial   civilizations   by   means   of   wormholes,   and   already   at   the   time   it  
was   Kip   Torne   who   advised   Sagan   on   the   possibilities   of   wormholes.   For   Interstellar,  
Thorne  went  beyond  and,  just  to  help  the  team  of  visual  effects,  tried  to  calculate  what  
would  give  a  journey  through  an  artificially  created  wormhole.  Except  for  the  spherical  
shape   of   the   wormhole,   which   can   be   appreciated   by   the   spectators   when   the   spaceship  
approaches,   most   of   the   scientific   calculations   were   not   retained   by   the   filmmakers,  
because   of   the   strange   effects   generated,   arguably   non   understandable   for   a   general  
audience.   For   the   rest,   we   can   be   sure   that,   with   our   present-­‐day   knowledge,   a  
traversable   wormhole   is   not   only   very   improbable,   but   if   it   existed,   its   crossing   would  
not  at  all  look  like  it  is  shown  in  the  movie  !    
To  conclude  this  section,  it  is  to  be  noticed  that  scientific  visualizations  of  traversable  
wormholes   had   already   been   calculated   in   2006   by   Alain   Riazuelo   at   the   Institut  
d’Astrophysique   de   Paris,   and   the   result,   available   on   DVD8,   is   much   more   spectacular  
than  the  artistic  rendering  shown  in  Interstellar.    
 
THE  FAST-­‐SPINNING  BLACK  HOLE  «  GARGANTUA  »  
 
Once   on   the   other   side   of   the   wormhole,   the   spaceship   and   its   crew   emerge   into   a  
three-­‐planets   system   orbiting   around   a   supermassive   black   hole   called   Gargantua.  
Supermassive   black   holes,   with   masses   going   from   one   million   to   several   billion   solar  
masses,   are   suspected   to   lie   in   the   centers   of   most   of   the   galaxies.   Our   Milky   Way  
probably   harbors   such   an   object,   Sagittarius   A*,   whose   mass   is   (indirectly)   measured   as  
4   million   solar   masses   (for   a   review,   see   Melia9).   According   to   Thorne,   Gargantua   would  
be   rather   similar   to   the   still   more   massive   black   hole   suspected   to   be   located   at   the  
center   of   the   Andromeda   galaxy,   adding   up   100   million   solar   masses10.   Its   size   being  
roughly  proportional  to  its  mass,  the  radius  of  such  a  giant  would  encompass  the  Earth’s  
orbit  around  the  Sun.  
Such  enormous  black  holes  are  not  a  science-­‐fiction  exaggeration,  since  we  have  the  
observational  clues  of  the  existence  of  «  Behemoth  »  black  holes  in  faraway  galaxies.  The  
biggest  one  yet  detected  lies  in  the  galaxy  NGC  1277,  located  at  250  million  light-­‐years  ;  
its  mass  could  be  as  large  as  17  billion  solar  masses,  and  its  size  would  encompass  the  
orbit  of  Neptune11.  
Another  –  and  very  important  –  characteristic  of  Gargantua  is  that  it  is  a  fast-­‐spinning  
black   hole.   All   the   objects   in   the   universe   –   except   the   universe   itself   –   rotate.   Thus   a  
natural   black   hole   must   do   so,   and   be   described   by   the   Kerr   geometry.   The   latter   now  
depends   on   two   parameters  :   the   black   hole   mass   M   and   its   angular   momentum   J.   An  
important  difference  with  usual  stars,  which  are  in  differential  rotation,  is  that  the  Kerr  
black  holes  are  rotating  with  perfect  rigidity  :  all  the  points  on  their  surface  (the  event  
horizon)   move   with   the   same   angular   velocity.   There   is   however   a   critical   angular  

  4  
momentum   Jmax   above   which   the   event   horizon   would   «  break   up  »  :   this   limit  
corresponds  to  the  horizon  having  a  spin  velocity  equal  to  the  speed  of  light.  For  such  a  
black  hole,  called  «  extremal  »,  the  gravitational  field  at  the  event  horizon  would  cancel,  
because   the   inward   pull   of   gravity   would   be   compensated   by   the   huge   repulsive  
centrifugal  forces.    
It  is  quite  possible  that  most  of  the  black  holes  formed  in  the  real  universe  have  an  
angular  momentum  rather  close  to  this  critical  limit.  For  instance,  a  typical  stellar  black  
hole   of   3   solar   masses,   believed   to   be   the   engine   of   many   binary   X-­‐ray   sources,   must  
rotate  at  almost  5000  revolutions  per  second.  For  reasons  that  will  be  explained  later,  
the   black   hole   Gargantua   shown   in   Interstellar   was   assumed   to   have   an   angular  
momentum   as   close   as   10-­‐10   to   the   critical   value   Jmax.   If   theoretically   possible,   this  
configuration  is  physically  quite  unrealistic,  because  the  more  a  black  hole  rotates  fast,  
the   more   the   material   orbiting   in   the   same   direction   is   hard   to   capture,   due   to   the  
centrifugal  forces,  while  the  matter  orbiting  in  the  opposite  sense  is  easily  sucked  into  
the  hole,  where  it  slows  the  spin.  As  a  consequence,  a  too-­‐fast  spinning  black  hole  would  
have   the   tendency   to   slow   down   to   an   equilibrium   velocity   smaller   than   that   of  
Gargantua  (general  relativistic  calculations  say  that  black  holes  spin  no  faster  than  about  
0.998  Jmax).    
However,   the   advantage   of   a   very   fast-­‐spinning   black   hole   is   that   it   permits   to   have  
planets  orbiting  extremely  close  to  the  event  horizon  without  being  swallowed.  And  this  
is  a  key  point  of  the  movie,  for  it  also  allows  for  a  huge  time  dilation,  see  below.  For  a  
Schwarzschild   black   hole   (i.e.   with   angular   momentum   J=0),   the   innermost   stable  
circular   orbit,   inside   which   any   object   would   spiral   and   crash   into   the   black   hole,   is  
located  at  3  times  the  black  hole  radius.  For  a  100  million  solar  masses  black  hole,  this  
gives   a   minimum   distance   of   900   million   kilometers   (a   little   bit   more   than   Jupiter’s  
distance  to  the  Sun).  But  for  a  Kerr  black  hole  spinning  very  close  to  the  critical  limit  Jmax,  
the   innermost   stable   circular   orbit   can   be   as   close   as   the   event   horizon   itself  :   100  
million   kilometers   only.   It   is   the   reason   why,   in   Interstellar,   the   closest   planet   (called  
Miller)  can  orbit  safely  very  close  to  the  event  horizon  without  being  swallowed.    
Another  noticeable  point  is  that  a  Kerr  black  hole  is  not  a  spinning  top  revolving  in  a  
fixed  exterior  space  :  as  it  rotates,  it  drags  the  entire  fabric  of  space-­‐time  along  with  it.  
As  a  consequence,  Miller’s  planet  must  orbit  at  a  velocity  close  to  the  speed  of  light.    
 
ILLUMINATED  PLANETS  ?    
 
All   right   for   the   gravitational   safety   of   the   three-­‐planets   system   around   Gargantua.  
But  where  do  these  planets  get  heat  and  light?  In  principle  a  star  is  needed  for  that,  but  
there  is  no  star  around.  Heat  cannot  come  from  the  black  hole  itself  in  the  form  of  the  
Hawking   radiation   or   the   recently   advanced   «  firewall  »   phenomenon12  :   these   effects  
being   purely   quantum   in   nature,   they   could   be   noticeable   for   microscopic   black   holes,  
but  are  completely  negligible  for  astrophysical  ones.  Can  light  and  heat  come  from  the  
gaseous   ring   that   orbits   around   Gargantua,   called   an   accretion   disk  ?   Such   an  
explanation  is  not  very  consistent  with  the  rest  of  the  story,  because  later  in  the  movie  
Cooper  inevitably  has  to  go  inside  the  black  hole,  and  he  does  not  get  fried.  The  theory  of  
accretion   disks   around   black   holes   was   actually   developed   decades   ago   (for   a   review,  
see  Abramowicz13)  and  are  in  agreement  with  recent  astrophysical  measurements  using  
gravitational   lensing14.   Because   of   the   incredible   forces   involved,   accretion   disks   are  
extremely   hot,   like   millions   of   degrees   hot.   They   are   so   brilliant   that   they   can   be   seen  
millions  of  light-­‐years  away,  and  blast  out  enough  radiation  to  completely  destroy  any  

  5  
normal   material.   Thus   the   astronauts   would   have   been   fried   as   soon   as   they   emerged  
from   the   wormhole.   Happily   for   the   continuation   of   the   story,   it   was   not   the   case.   So,  
how  the  planets  can  be  habitable  despite  no  nearby  source  of  warmth  ?    
In   his   popular   book   as   well   as   in   various   interviews,   Thorne   claimed   that   the   light  
could   come   from   a   very   «  anemic  »   accretion   disk,   that   has   cooled   down   to   the  
temperature   of   the   Sun   basically   (5500   °C).   Here   «  anemic  »   means   that   the   disk   has   not  
been  fed  by  new  gas  (coming  for  instance  from  a  tidally  disrupted  star,  see  below)  in  the  
last  million  years,  and  that  the  accretion  rate  onto  the  black  hole,  a  critical  parameter  on  
which   depends   the   disk   luminosity,   is   extremely   low.   In   that   sense,   such   a   quiescent  
accretion   disk   could   be   relatively   safe   for   humans.   But   I   doubt   that   it   could   provide  
enough  light  and  heat  to  the  planet,  like  the  Sun  to  us,  just  because  an  anemic  accretion  
disk   would   also   be   optically   thin   (i.e.   transparent),   while   the   Sun’s   photosphere   is  
optically  thick  (i.e.  opaque).    
 
VISUALISATION  OF  THE  ACCRETION  DISK  
 
Since   a   black   hole   causes   extreme   deformations   of   spacetime,   it   also   creates   the  
strongest   possible   deflections   of   light   rays   passing   in   its   vicinity,   and   gives   rise   to  
spectacular   optical   illusions,   called   gravitational   lensing.   Interstellar   is   the   first  
Hollywood   movie   to   attempt   depicting   a   black   hole   as   it   would   actually   be   seen   by   an  
observer   nearby.   For   this,   the   team   at   Double   Negative   Visual   Effects,   in   collaboration  
with   Kip   Thorne,   developed   a   numerical   code   to   solve   the   equations   of   light-­‐ray  
propagation   in   the   curved   spacetime   of   a   Kerr   black   hole.   It   allows   to   describe  
gravitational  lensing  of  distant  stars  as  viewed  by  a  camera  near  the  event  horizon,  as  
well  as  the  images  of  a  gazeous  acccretion  disk  orbiting  around  the  black  hole.  For  the  
gravitational   lensing   of   background   stars,   the   best   simulations   ever   done   are   due   to  
Alain  Riazuelo15,  at  the  Institut  d’Astrophysique  in  Paris,  who  calculated  the  silhouette  of  
black   holes   that   spin   very   fast,   like   Gargantua,   in   front   of   a   celestial   background  
comprising  several  thousands  of  stars.    
But   perhaps   the   most   striking   image   of   the   film   Interstellar   is   the   one   showing   a  
glowing   accretion   disk   which   spreads   above,   below   and   in   front   of   Gargantua.   Accretion  
disks   have   been   detected   in   some   double-­‐star   systems   that   emit   X-­‐ray   radiation   (with  
black  holes  of  a  few  solar  masses)  and  in  the  centers  of  numerous  galaxies  (with  black  
holes  whose  mass  adds  up  to  between  one  million  and  several  billion  solar  masses).  Due  
to  the  lack    of  spatial  resolution  (black  holes  are  very  far  away),  no  detailed  image  has  
yet   been   taken   of   an   accretion   disk  ;   but   the   hope   of   imaging   accretion   disks   around  
black   holes   telescopically,   using   very   long   baseline   interferometry,   is   nearing   reality  
today  via  the  Event  Horizon  Telescope16.  In  the  meanwhile,  we  can  use  the  computer  to    
reconstruct  how  a  black  hole  surrounded  by  a  disk  of  gas  would  look.  The  images  must  
experience   extraordinary   optical   deformations,   due   to   the   deflection   of   light   rays  
produced   by   the   strong   curvature   of   the   space-­‐time   in   the   vicinity   of   the   black   hole.  
General  relativity  allows  the  calculation  of  such  an  effect.    
In   1979   I   was   the   first   to   simulate   the   black   and   white   appearance   of   a   thin   accretion  
disk  gravitationally  lensed  by  a  non-­‐spinning  black  hole,  as  seen  from  far  away,  but  close  
enough  to  resolve  the  image17.  I  took  a  Schwarzschild  black  hole  and  a  thin  disk  of  gas  
viewed   from   the   side,   either   by   a   distant   observer   or   a   photographic   plate.   In   an  
ordinary  situation,  meaning  in  Euclidean  space,  the  curvature  is  weak.  This  is  the  case  
for  the  solar  system  when  one  observes  the  planet  Saturn  surrounded  by  its  magnificent  
rings,   with   a   viewpoint   situated   slightly   above   the   plane.   Of   course,   some   part   of   the  

  6  
rings  is  hidden  behind  the  planet,  but  one  can  mentally  reconstruct  their  elliptic  outlines  
quite  easily.  Around  a  black  hole,  everything  behaves  differently,  because  of  the  optical  
deformations  due  to  the  space-­‐time  curvature.  Strikingly,  we  can  see  the  top  of  the  disk  
in   its   totality,   whatever   the   angle   from   which   we   view   it   may   be.   The   back   part   of   the  
disk   is   not   hidden   by   the   black   hole,   since   the   images   that   come   from   it   are   to   some  
extent   enhanced   by   the   curvature,   and   reach   the   distant   observer.   Much   more  
astonishing,   one   also   sees   a   part  of   the   bottom   of   the   gaseous   disk.   In   fact,   the   light   rays  
which   normally   propagate   downwards,   in   a   direction   opposite   to   that   of   the   observer,  
climb  back  to  the  top  and  furnish  a  «  secondary  image  »,  a  highly  deformed  picture  of  the  
bottom   of   the   disk   (in   theory,   there   is   a   tertiary   image   which   gives   an   extremely  
distorted   view   of   the   top   after   the   light   rays   have   completed   three   half-­‐turns,   then   an  
image   of   order   4   which   gives   a   view   of   the   bottom   which   is   even   more   squashed,   and   so  
on  to  infinity).    
Thus,  when  I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  image  of  the  accretion  disk  in  Interstellar,  I  was  
not   surprised   to   see   the   disk   spreading   above,   below   and   in   front   of   Gargantua’s  
silhouette.   The   visual   result   was   awesome,   and   the   team   at   Double   Negative   could   be  
proud   of   that.   But   when   I   read   in   press   releases   that   this   image   was   the   first   and   the  
more   realistic   image   of   a   black   hole   accretion   disk   ever   made,   I   was   puzzled,   because  
basic  visual  effects  were  obviously  missing.    
In   my   1979   simulation,   I   had   also   taken   into   account   the   physical   properties   of   the  
gaseous   disk   :   rotation,   temperature   and   emissivity.   In   a   thin   accretion   disk,   the  
intensity   of   radiation   emitted   from   a   given   point   on   the   disk   depends   on   its   distance  
from   the   black   hole.   Therefore   the   brightness   of   the   disk   cannot   be   uniform,   as  
suggested   in   Interstellar.   The   maximum   brilliance   comes   from   the   inner   regions   close   to  
the   horizon,   because   it   is   there   that   the   gas   is   hottest.   In   addition,   the   apparent  
luminosity   of   the   disk   is   still   very   different   from   its   intrinsic   luminosity  :   the   radiation  
picked   up   at   a   great   distance   is   frequency-­‐   and   intensity-­‐shifted   with   respect   to   the  
emitted  one.  There  are  two  sorts  of  shift  effects.  There  is  the  Einstein  effect,  in  which  the  
gravitational   field   lowers   the   frequency   and   decreases   the   intensity.   And   there   is   the  
better-­‐known  Doppler  effect,  where  the  displacement  of  the  source  with  respect  to  the  
observer   causes   amplification   as   the   source   approaches   and   attenuation   as   the   source  
retreats.  In  this  case,  the  disk  rotating  around  the  black  hole  causes  the  Doppler  effect.  
The  regions  of  the  disk  closest  to  the  black  hole  rotate  at  a  velocity  approaching  that  of  
light,  so  that  the  Doppler  shift  is  considerable  and  drastically  modifies  the  image  as  seen  
by  a  faraway  observer.  The  sense  of  rotation  of  the  disk  is  such  that  matter  recedes  from  
the  observer  on,  say  the  right-­‐hand  side  of  the  photograph,  and  approaches  on  the  left-­‐
hand  side.  As  the  matter  recedes,  the  Doppler  deceleration  is  added  to  the  gravitational  
deceleration,  implying  a  very  strong  attenuation  on  the  right-­‐hand  side.  In  contrast,  on  
the  left-­‐hand  side  the  two  effects  tend  to  cancel  each  other  out,  so  the  image  more  or  less  
retains   its   intrinsic   intensity.   In   any   case,   a   realistic   image   must   show   a   strong  
asymmetry  of  the  disk’s  brightness,  so  that  one  side  is  far  brighter  and  the  other  is  far  
dimmer.  
To  describe  the  complete  image  I  obtained  (now  easily  available  on  the  internet18),  no  
caption  could  fit  better  than  these  verses  by  the  French  poet  Gérard  de  Nerval,  written  
as  soon  as  in  1854:    
 
In  seeking  the  eye  of  God,  I  saw  nought  but  an  orbit    
Vast,  black,  and  bottomless,  from  which  the  night  which  there  lives    
Shines  on  the  world  and  continually  thickens    

  7  
  
A  strange  rainbow  surrounds  this  somber  well,    
Threshold  of  the  ancient  chaos  whose  offspring  is  shadow,    
A  spiral  engulfing  Worlds  and  Days  !19  
 
All  the  above-­‐mentioned  effects  change  also  the  colors,  e.g.  from  blue  on  one  side  to  
red  on  the  other,  and  so  on.  This  could  not  be  seen  on  my  black  and  white  (bolometric)  
image,  but  my  pioneering  work  motivated  visualizations  of  accretion  disks  around  black  
holes   with   ever   increasing   sophistication.   Especially,   Fukue   and   Yokoyama 20  added  
colours  to  the  disk  ;    Viergutz21    made  the  black  hole  spin  and  produced  coloured  images  
including   the   disk’s   secondary   image   wrapping   under   the   black   hole;   Marck22  laid   the  
foundations   for   a   nice   movie   available   on   the   web23,   with   the   camera   moving   around  
close   to   the   disk,   and   included   higher   order   images.   Sophisticated   ray-­‐tracing   codes   and  
accretion   flow   models   have   been   developed   recently,   including   full   3D-­‐simulations   of  
accretion   flows   and   images   of   these,   see   for   instance   Chan   et   al.24  for   simulating   the  
aspect  of  the  Galactic  black  hole  Sagittarius  A*.  
Of   course   Kip   Thorne   did   not   ignore   these   effects.   But,   as   he   wrote   me   in   a  
spontaneous  mail,  the  film  director  estimated  that  a  general  audience  would  have  been  
totally  baffled  by  what  they  are  looking  at  ;  so  a  conscious  decision  was  made  to  leave  
out   the   Einstein   and   Doppler   shifts   as   well   as   the   physical   properties   of   the   disk,   and  
have   an   accretion   disk   with   the   right   shape   but   not   the   right   lopsidedness.   As   an  
additional   simplification,   they   have   also   chosen   to   apply   their   calculations   to   a   black  
hole   smaller   than   Gargantua,   and   with   a   much   more   moderate   spin   –   otherwise   the  
visual   effects   would   have   become   completely   weird   and   incomprehensible,   even   for  
educated  physicists  !  However,  in  order  to  fully  exploit  their  ray-­‐tracing  code,  in  parallel  
to   the   movie   and   the   popular   nook   Thorne   and   the   team   at   Double   Negative   have  
submitted  to  a  peer-­‐review  a  technical  paper25  including  all  the  corrections.  
 
TIDAL  STRESS  
 
When  an  object  –  a  planet,  a  star  –  moves  around  a  black  hole,  the  forces  of  gravity  act  
more   strongly   on   the   side   of   the   body   nearer   to   the   black   hole   than   on   the   other   side.  
The   difference   between   the   two   forces   is   called   the   tidal   force.   If   the   celestial   body  
moves   along   an   approximately   circular   orbit   at   a   reasonable   distance,   the   tidal   forces  
remain   small   and   the   body   is   able   to   adjust   its   internal   configuration   to   the   external  
forces,  adopting  an  elongated  shape  oriented  towards  the  hole.  However,  if  the  body  is  
moving  along  an  eccentric  orbit,  as  the  distance  r  from  the  black  hole  decreases  the  tidal  
forces  increase  rapidly  (like  r-­‐3).  Eventually  there  comes  a  point  where  these  forces  are  
as  large  as  the  forces  binding  the  body  together.  The  planet  or  the  star  have  no  longer  
time   to   adjust   their   internal   configuration,   begin   to   deform   catastrophically   and   are  
inevitably   disrupted.   This   happens   rather   frequently   in   the   universe.   In   the   1980’s,   I  
worked   a   lot   on   the   process   of   disruption   of   full   stars   by   massive   black   holes26.   For  
extreme   cases,   when   the   star   grazes   the   event   horizon   along   a   parabolic   orbit   without  
being  swallowed,  I  predicted  the  occurrence  of  «  flambéed  stellar  pancakes  »,  releasing  a  
lot   of   radiative   energy27.   Our   telescopes   have   since   captured   such   scenes.   However,  
these  events  occur  only  when  the  body  gets  within  some  critical  radius  from  the  black  
hole,  called  the  Roche  limit  –  after  the  French  mathematician  who  studied  the  problem  
of  tidal  forces  in  1847  in  the  context  of  planets  and  their  satellites.  
On   the   Internet,   some   bloggers   have   claimed   that   the   Miller’s   planet   should   be  

  8  
completely  destroyed  by  tidal  forces,  since  it  is  so  close  to  the  black  hole’s  surface.  This  
is   not   necessarily   so,   and   Interstellar   is   marginally   correct   on   this   point.   In   effect,   the  
Roche   limit   depends   on   the   mass   of   the   black   hole   and   on   the   average   density   of   the  
external  body  according  to  the  law  RR  ~  (M/ρ*)1/3,  where  M  is  the  mass  of  the  black  hole  
and  ρ*  the  density  of  the  body.  Applying  this  formula  to  the  case  of  Gargantua  (M  =  108  
solar   masses)   and   a   water   planet   (ρ*   ~1   g/cm3)   we   get   RR   ~   1013   cm.   Now   the  
gravitational   radius   of   the   Gargantua   black   hole,   GM/c2,   is   also   of   order  1013   cm.  
Therefore  Miller’s  planet  must  suffer  large  tidal  forces,  but  not  enough  to  be  torn  apart  
(for  black  holes  still  more  massive  than  108  solar  masses,  such  as  those  suspected  to  lie  
in   the   centers   of   quasars,   the   Roche   limit   becomes   significantly   smaller   than   the  
gravitational   radius,   and   in   that   case,   planets   or   stars   can   be   broken   up   by   the   tidal  
forces  only  once  they  are  inside  the  black  hole).    
Now,  in  the  movie,  once  the  explorers  have  «  landed  »  on  Miller’s  planet  -­‐  a  water  one  
-­‐,  they  find  it  suffering  periodic  and  enormous  tidal  waves  sweeping  around.  These  are  
unexplained,   but   we   can   assume   they   are   caused   by   the   tides   from   the   black   hole.   We  
would  have  to  solve  some  equations  to  find  out  whether  such  kilometer  high  waves  are  
physically  realistic.  These  equations  both  involve  laws  of  gravity  (if  their  origin  is  indeed  
tidal)   and   hydrodynamics,   more   precisely   the   Navier-­‐Stokes   theory.   From   the   film,   we  
notice   that   the   wavelength   of   the   water   waves   is   much   greater   than   the   depth   of   the  
water  itself  ;  such  a  situation  is  ripe  for  the  «  shallow-­‐water  »  approximation,  which  are  
obtained   by   applying   the   Navier-­‐Stokes   equations   to   such   a   problem.   Fluid   mechanics  
textbooks   discuss   these   equations   at   length  ;   they   are   coupled,   nonlinear   partial  
differential  equations,  depending  on  various  parameters  such  as  the  surface  gravity  on  
the  planet  g,  its  rotation  rate,  the  viscous  drag  forces,  and  so  on.    
For  the  situation  in  Interstellar,  we  are  told  that  the  acceleration  due  to  gravity  on  the  
planet  is  130%  that  of  Earth’s,  which  means  that  g  =  9.81  x  1.30  =  12.75  m/s2.  The  other  
parameters   will   be   influenced   by   internal   forces   in   planet’s   structure,   combined   with  
complex  external  effects  due  to  the  gravitational  field  of  the  rotating  black  hole.  There  
are   too   many   uncertainties   on   the   knowledge   of   all   the   parameters   to   be   able   to   solve  
numerically  the  equations.    
Nevertheless,  I  suspect  some  inconsistency  in  the  film.  A  tidal  wave  is  actually  a  bulge  
of  water  fixed  in  space,  always  oriented  in  the  same  configuration,  so  the  astronauts  on  
the  planet  rotate  in  and  out  of  that  bulge.  They  feel  it  as  a  wave  coming  towards  them  
and  away  from  them,  experiencing  from  a  high  tide  part  of  the  water  to  a  low  tide  part  of  
the   water.   In   Interstellar,   the   waves   come   every   hour   or   so,   which   means   that   the   planet  
rotates  once  ever  two  of  those  (because  there  are  two  high  tides  for  every  rotation).  The  
problem   is   that   with   such   huge   tides,   the   planet   should   become   quickly   tidally   locked  
with  the  black  hole  (i.e.,  like  the  Moon  to  the  Earth,  always  presenting  the  same  face  to  
the  black  hole).  We  have  formulas  telling  how  fast  tidal  locking  occurs  in  binary  systems.  
Using  a  108  solar  masses  black  hole  and  a  planet  with  a  surface  gravity  about  13  m/s2,  
we   find   that   the   time   scale   for   tidal   locking   is   only   1   millisecond  !   Once   the   planet   is  
tidally  locked  to  the  black  hole,  it  spins  only  once  per  revolution,  and  on  top  of  it  water  
stays  in  place,  always  pulled  towards  the  black  hole.    
 
A  HUGE  TIME  DILATION  
 
The  elasticity  of  time  is  a  major  consequence  of  relativity  theory,  according  to  which  
time   runs   differently   for   two   observers   with   a   relative   acceleration   –   or,   from   the  
Equivalence   Principle,   moving   in   gravitational   fields   of   different   intensities.   This   well-­‐

  9  
known  phenomenon,  checked  experimentally  to  high  accuracy,  is  called  «  time  dilation  ».  
Thus,   close   to   the   event   horizon   of   a   black   hole,   where   the   gravitational   field   is   huge,  
time   dilation   is   also   huge,   because   the   clocks   will   be   strongly   slowed   down   compared   to  
farther  clocks.  This  is  one  of  the  most  stunning  elements  of  the  scenario  of  Interstellar  :  
on   the   water   planet   so   close   to   Gargantua,   it   is   claimed   that   1   hour   in   the   planet’s  
reference   frame   corresponds   to   7   years   in   an   observer’s   reference   frame   far   from   the  
black  hole  (for  instance  on  Earth).  This  corresponds  to  a  time  dilation  factor  of  60,000.  
Although  the  time  dilation  tends  to  infinity  when  a  clock  tends  to  the  event  horizon  (this  
is   precisely   why   no   signal   can   leave   it   to   reach   any   external   observer),   at   first   sight   a  
time   dilation   as   large   as   60,000   seems   impossible   for   a   planet   orbiting   the   black   hole   on  
a  stable  orbit.  As  explained  by  Thorne  in  his  popular  book,  such  a  large  time  dilation  was  
a   «  non-­‐negotiable  »   request   of   the   film   director,   for   the   needs   of   the   story.   Intuitively,  
even  an  expert  in  general  relativity  would  estimate  impossible  to  reconcile  an  enormous  
time   differential   with   a   planet   skimming   up   the   event   horizon   and   safely   enduring   the  
correspondingly   enormous   gravitational   forces.   However   Thorne   did   a   few   hours   of  
calculations   and   came   to   the   conclusion   that   in   fact   it   was   marginally   possible   (although  
very   unlikely).   The   key   point   is   the   black   hole’s   spin.   A   rotating   black   hole,   described   by  
the   Kerr   metric,   behaves   rather   differently   from   a   static   one,   described   by   the  
Schwarzschild  metric.  The  time  dilation  equation  derived  from  the  Kerr  metric  takes  the  
form:  
1  –  (dτ/dt)2  =  2GMr/c2ρ2,  where  ρ2  =  r2  +  (J/Mc)2cos2θ.    
Substituting  for  dτ  =  1  hour  and  dt  =  7  years,  one  obtains  the  following  relation:  
1.334×10!!" 𝑀! 𝑟 3369802499
!" ! ! ! !
=  
8.98755×10 𝑀 𝑟 + 𝐽 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃 3369802500
 
This   equation   fully   describes   a   black   hole   of   mass   M,   rotating   with   angular  
momentum  J,  as  observed  by  an  observer  at  radial  coordinate  r  and  angular  coordinate  
θ.  The  fraction  on  the  right-­‐hand-­‐side  fully  depicts  the  1  hour  =  7  years  dilation  effect.  
For  the  Schwarzschild  metric,  the  orbital  radius  should  be  no  smaller  than  3  times  the  
gravitational   radius,   and   such   a   time   dilation   could   not   be   achieved   for   the   planet   of   the  
film.   But   as   already   said,   the   Kerr   metric   allows   for   stable   orbits   much   closer   to   the  
event  horizon.  Calculations  indicate  that  for  M  =  108  solar  masses,  we  get  r  =  1.48x1013  
cm,   θ   =   π   and   J   =   8.80275x1057   J.s.   This   implies   a   black   hole   angular   momentum   J  
extraordinarily  close  (at  10-­‐10)  to  the  maximal  possible  value  Jmax,  a  circular  orbit  lying  in  
the   equatorial   plane   and   a   radius   orbit   practically   equal   to   the   black   hole’s   gravitational  
radius.  All  this  is  theoretically  possible,  but  by  no  ways  realistic.    
 
A  CLEVER  USE  OF  THE  PENROSE  PROCESS  
 
Another   effect   specific   to   the   physics   of   rotating   black   holes,   which   was   correctly  
depicted   in   Interstellar,   is   the   Penrose   process.   The   astronauts   use   it   to   benefit   of   a  
particularly   efficient   gravitational   assistance   (called   «  slingshot   effect  »),   which   allows  
their  spaceship  to  plunge  very  close  to  the  event  horizon  and  escape  with  an  increased  
energy.   In   effect,   the   laws   of   Kerr   black   hole   physics   say   that,   although   a   black   hole  
prevents   any   radiation   or   matter   from   escaping,   it   can   give   up   a   part   of   its   rotational  
energy   to   the   external   medium.   The   key   role   is   played   by   the   ergosphere,   a   region  
between  the  event  horizon  and  the  static  limit  below  which,  like  in  a  maelstrom,  space-­‐
time  itself  is  irresistibly  dragged  along  with  it  (the  so-­‐called  «  Lense-­‐Thirring  effect  »).  In  
a   thought   experiment,   Roger   Penrose   suggested   in   1969   the   following   mechanism28.   A  

  10  
projectile   disintegrates   into   the   ergosphere,   one   of   the   fragments   falls   into   the   event  
horizon  in  a  direction  opposite  to  the  black  hole’s  rotation,  while  the  other  fragment  can  
leave   and   be   recovered,   carrying   more   energy   than   the   initial   projectile.   Replace   the  
projectiles   by   a   spaceship   which   leaves   a   part   of   it   to   fall   into   the   black   hole   along   a  
carefully  chosen  retrograde  orbit,  and   le  tour  est  joué.  The  calculations  indicate  that  one  
can  extract  an  energy  equivalent  to  the  rest-­‐mass  energy  of  the  part  lost  into  the  black  
hole,   which,   according   to   the   famous   formula   E=mc2   can   already   be   huge,   plus   an  
additional  energy  extracted  from  the  spinning  black  hole,  which  has  been  slowed  down  
by  the  infalling  fragment  in  a  retrograde  orbit.  For  a  black  hole  like  Gargantua,  rotating  
at  almost  the  maximal  speed,  repeated  Penrose  processes  could  extract  29%  of  its  mass.        
 
TIME  TRAVEL  INSIDE  GARGANTUA  
 
In  the  last  part  of  the  film,  the  main  character,  Cooper,  plunges  into  Gargantua.  There,  
beware   the   tidal   forces   breaking   anything   up  !   Indeed   in   the   Schwarzschild   geometry,  
the   tidal   forces   become   infinite   as   r   -­‐>   0  ;   so,   even   for   a   supermassive   black   hole   like  
Gargantua,   once   past   safely   the   event   horizon   and   approaching   the   central   singularity,  
everything   will   be   ultimately   destroyed.   Happily   for   the   continuation   of   the   story,  
Gargantua  has  a  high  spin,  and  its  lethal  singularity  has  the  shape  of  an  avoidable  ring.  
Thus  the  space-­‐time  structure  allows  Cooper  to  use  the  Kerr  black  hole  as  a  wormhole  ;  
he   avoids   the   ring   singularity   and   transports   to   another   region   of   space-­‐time.   In   the  
movie   he   ends   up   in   a   five-­‐dimensional   universe,   in   which   he   will   be   able   to   go  
backwards   in   time   and   communicate   with   his   daughter   by   means   of   gravitational  
signals.    
A  lot  of  research  has  been  done  on  whether  the  laws  of  physics  permit  travel  back  in  
time   or   not.   Black   hole   physics   gives   interesting   results   but   no   firm   answers.   As   seen  
above,   according   to   Penrose-­‐Carter   diagrams   a   rotating   black   hole   could   connect  
myriads   of   wormholes   to   different   parts   of   the   space-­‐time   geometry.   Since   two   events  
can  differ  in  time  as  well  as  in  space,  it  would  be  possible  to  pass  from  one  given  position  
at  a  given  time,  along  a  carefully  chosen  trajectory,  through  a  wormhole,  and  arrive  at  
the   same   position   but   at   a   different   time,   in   the   past   or   future.   In   other   words,   the   black  
hole  could  be  a  sort  of  time  travel  machine.    
Noneless  a  journey  back  through  time  is  an  affront  to  common  sense.  It  is  difficult  to  
accept  that  a  man  could  travel  back  through  time  and  kill  his  grandfather  before  he  has  
had  the  time  to  produce  children.  For  the  murderer  could  not  have  been  born,  and  could  
not   have   murdered   him,   and   so   on…   Such   time   paradoxes   have   been   pleasantly  
presented  in  the  celebrated  series  of  movies  Back  to  the  future.    
A   journey   into   the   past   violates   the   law   of   causality,   which   requires   that   the   cause  
always   precedes   the   effect.   However,   causality   is   a   rule   imposed   by   logic,   not   by   the  
theory   of   relativity.   Causality   is   implicit   in   Special   Relativity,   where   there   is   no  
gravitation.   Here,   travelling   into   the   past   requires   motion   faster   than   light,   and   is  
absolutely   forbidden.   However   in   general   relativity,   the   universe   is   curved   by  
gravitation,  and  the  space-­‐time  geometry  can  be  distorted  –  by  a  wormhole  associated  to  
a  rotating  black  hole,  for  example  –,  enabling  the  past  to  be  explored  without  having  to  
go  faster  than  light.    
Do  such  strange  time  warps  exist  in  the  Universe  ?  Perhaps  yes  at  the  quantum  scale  –  
i.e.  at  a  size  much  less  than  proton’s  radius  –,  due  to  the  quantum  fluctuations  of  space-­‐
time.   If   microscopic   black   holes   were   created   soon   after   the   Big   Bang29,   the   laws   of  
quantum   physics   would   govern   them,   microscopic   wormholes   would   also   be   created,  

  11  
and  some  elementary  particles  could  furtively  take  these  transitory  tunnels  in  order  to  
move  back  in  time.  It  is  not  theoretically  impossible  that  very  special  conditions  in  the  
early   universe   lead   to   the   formation   of   mini-­‐wormholes   that   have   grown   to   become  
macroscopic  after  a  phase  of  primordial  inflation.  As  a  consequence,  some  supermassive  
black   holes,   such   as   the   Gargantua   depicted   in   Interstellar,   could   be   fossil   giant  
wormholes,   namely   open   gates   leading   to   other   regions   of   the   cosmos,   or   to   parallel  
universes.  And  why  not  a  5-­‐dimensional  universe  ?  This  is  precisely  what  is  assumed  in  
the  movie.  
 
 
THE  FIFTH  DIMENSION  
 
From   this   moment,   the   story   becomes   more   than   ever   speculative   –   as   much   as   the  
new   theories   that   subtend   it.   The   standard   theory   of   gravity   –   general   relativity   –  
describes   our   universe   as   geometry   of   three-­‐dimensional   space   plus   one   dimension   of  
time.  This  is  sometimes  called  3  +  1  space,  and  it  gives  a  very  accurate  description  of  the  
universe   we   observe.   But   theorists   like   to   play   around   with   alternative   models   to   see  
how  they  differ  from  regular  general  relativity.  They  may  look  at  2  +  1  space,  a  kind  of  
«  flatland  »   with   time.   There   is   not   necessarily   anything   «  real  »   about   these   models,   and  
there  is  not  any  experimental  evidence  to  support  anything  other  than  3  +  1  gravity.  But  
alternative   models   are   useful   because   they   help   us   gain   a   deeper   understanding   of  
gravity.    
One   of   these   alternative   models   stems   from   the   so-­‐called   brane   cosmologies30.   The  
central   idea   of   brane   cosmologies   is   that   our   4-­‐dimensional   universe   is   restricted   to   a  
«  brane  »   inside   a   higher-­‐dimensional   space,   called   the   «  bulk  »   (an   analogue   of   the  
science-­‐fiction   notion   of   «  hyperspace  »).   In   the   brane   models,   some   of   the   extra-­‐
dimensions   are   possibly   infinite,   and   other   branes   can   be   moving   through   the   bulk.  
Gravitational   interactions   with   the   bulk   can   influence   our   brane,   and   thus   introduce  
effects  not  seen  in  standard  cosmological  models.    
Lisa  Randall  and  Raman  Sundrum31  have  proposed  one  of  these  brane  cosmologies  at  
the  end  of  the  1990’s.  There  are  two  different  versions  of  it,  but  both  assume  that  our  4-­‐
dimensional   universe   is   a   brane   inside   a   5-­‐dimensional   space-­‐time,   the   bulk.   In   such   a  
framework,   we   can   imagine   (although   very   unrealistically)   to   create   an   artificial   mini-­‐
black   hole   and   mini-­‐wormhole,   for   instance   in   a   powerful   particle   accelerator   such   as  
the  CERN’s  Large  Hadron  Collider,  and  make  it  growing.  In  a  Randall-­‐Sundrum  universe,  
matter   and   light   cannot   propagate   in   the   fifth   dimension,   and   gravitational   waves   are  
the  only  physical  entities  that  can  propagate  in  the  bulk.  It  is  exactly  what  is  suggested  in  
the  movie.  The  screenwriters  have  imagined  a  very  advanced  civilization  born  into  the  
bulk,   able   to   master   the   laws   of   gravity   to   create   wormholes   and   influence   our   usual  
brane   by   means   of   gravitational   waves.   Since   we   learn   at   the   end   that   this   advanced  
civilization   is   nothing   else   than   our   future   humanity,   we   realize   that   one   of   the  
«  philosophical  »  issues  of  the  film  is  that  humanity  should  tend  to  understand  the  laws  
of  quantum  gravity  and  master  the  new  physical  effects  involved  in  order  to  save  itself  !  
 
THE  FINAL  EQUATION  
 
At  the  very  end  of  the  film,  the  scientist’s  character  called  Murph  begins  to  write  an  
equation   aimed   to   solve   the   problem   of   the   incompatibility   between   general   relativity  
and   quantum   mechanics.   We   can   see   blackboards   covered   by   diagrams   and   equations  

  12  
supposed   to   be   a   possible   way   to   the   «  ultimate   equation  »   of   a   so-­‐called   «  Theory   Of  
Everything  ».   If   discovered   by   the   scientists,   it   would   eventually   help   to   solve   all   the  
problems  of  humanity.  I  will  not  discuss  the  naivety  of  such  a  view,  but  briefly  discuss  
the  question  whether  the  equations  on  the  screen  have  any  meaning.    
At  first  sight  we  can  doubt  because  the  unification  of  general  relativity  and  quantum  
mechanics   remains   unsolved   –   even   if   various   approaches,   such   as   the   loop   quantum  
gravity32,  the  string  theory33  (of  which  the  Randall-­‐Sundrum  model  referred  above  is  a  
very   particular   solution)   or   the   non-­‐commutative   geometry34,   are   intensively   explored  
by  theoretical  physicists  all  around  the  world.    
Clearly   the   Interstellar   filmmakers   have   bet   on   the   most   «  fashionable  »   attempt   for  
unifying   all   fundamental   interactions  :   string   theory.   String   theory   stipulates   that   the  
fundamental   constituents   of   matter   are   not   point-­‐like   particles   but   open   or   closed  
strings   on   the   scale   of   the   Planck   length   (10-­‐33   cm),   whose   vibrational   modes   define  
particle   properties.   In   this   framework,   space-­‐time   becomes   a   derived   concept,   which  
only  makes  sense  at  a  scale  larger  than  that  of  the  strings.  String  theory,  which  comes  in  
five   different   varieties,   aroused   such   keen   interest   that   in   the   1990’s,   certain   theorists  
believed  it  was  capable  of  giving  a  «  Theory  Of  Everything  ».  However,  the  mathematical  
difficulties   involved   are   formidable,   and   it   is   not   certain   that   they   will   be   resolved   in   the  
future35.  The  five  different  string  theories  have  given  birth  to  a  larger  supposed  theory,  
of  which  the  string  theories  would  only  be  limits  :  not  only  one-­‐dimensional  lines  could  
vibrate,  but  also  two-­‐dimensional  surfaces  and  other  spaces  of  higher  dimension,  such  
as  membranes  -­‐  from  whence  the  name  M-­‐theory  given  to  this  hypothesis.  
Returning  to  the  ultimate  equation  briefly  seen  in  Interstellar  on  Murph’s  blackboard,  
something  looking  like  𝑆 = −𝑔! 𝑑 ! 𝑥 ℒ!"#$ + ⋯  as  far  as  I  can  remember,  physicists  
who  know  a  little  bit  of  string  theory  will  recognize  the  so-­‐called  effective  action  of  M-­‐
theory  in  the  lowest  approximation  of  its  perturbative  development.  In  simpler  terms,  it  
gives  a  hint  of  what  would  like  the  «  ultimate  equation  »  of  physics  if  M-­‐theory  was  the  
correct   framework.   It   is   probably   not,   but   I   imagine   that   Kip   Thorne   made   a   clin  d’œil   to  
string   theorists   to   mean   that,   in   his   opinion,   a   future   Theory   of   Everything   will   probably  
be  similar  to  M-­‐theory.  I  do  not  share  this  point  of  view,  but  it  is  rather  unexpected  to  
find  such  a  sophisticated  message  in  a  Hollywood  movie.    
The  g5  and  d5x  terms  mean  that  we  deal  with  a  theory  in  5  dimensions  :  1  for  time  and  
4   for   space,   like   in   the   Randall-­‐Sundrum   case.   In   a   4-­‐dimensional   space   without  
curvature,  the  analog  of  the  cube  is  called  an  hypercube  or  a  tesseract.  The  tesseract  is  to  
the   cube   as   the   cube   is   to   the   square.   Just   as   the   surface   of   the   cube   consists   of   6   square  
faces,  the  hypersurface  of  the  tesseract  consists  of  8  cubical  cells,  giving  a  visual  effect  
which   has   been   excitingly   represented   in   Interstellar.   But   for   my   part,   from   an   artistic  
point   of   view,   I   am   much   more   moved   by   the   Corpus   Hypercubus   painted   in   1954   by  
Salvador   Dali.   The   Spanish   artist   depicted   the   cross   of   crucufixion   as   a   tesseract   to  
signify   that,   just   as   God   could   exist   in   a   space   which   is   incomprehensible   to   the   humans,  
the   hypercube   exists   in   four   space   dimensions   which   are   equally   inaccessible   to  
ordinary  minds.    
 
CONCLUSION  
 
To  summarize,  the  movie  Interstellar  is  appealing  by  the  fact  that  it  tries  to  combine  a  
great  story  (saving  humankind  by  interstellar  travel)  with  accurate  science,  more  or  less  
realistic   depictions   of   general   relativistic   phenomena,   and   hazardous   extrapolations  
about  new  physical  laws  that  could  stem  from  quantum  gravity  scenarios.  But  we  must  

  13  
keep   in   mind   that   Interstellar   is   primarily   a   science-­‐fiction   movie,   so   that   artistic   license  
and   scientific   extrapolation   are   integrant   part   of   the   game.   The   main   interest   of  
discussing   its   science   accuracy   is   thus   educational.   Hollywood   becoming   aware   of  
science   and   trying   to   present   its   ideas   in   a   correct   way   is   good   news.   A   few   months  
earlier   one   could   see   Gravity   and   its   impressive   show   of   a   hostile   and   weightlessness  
space.  But  most  of  the  science  shown  in  Gravity  could  be  understood  in  the  framework  of  
Newtonian  theory,  published  more  than  400  years  ago  and  assumed  to  be  well-­‐known  of  
everybody.   On   the   contrary,   most   of   the   phenomena   depicted   in   Interstellar  require   to  
understand   the   basics   of   General   Relativity   –   the   theory   gravitation   due   to   Albert  
Einstein   and   whose   centenarian   we   shall   celebrate   in   2015   –,   as   well   as   Quantum  
Mechanics  and  even  a  little  bit  of  String  Theory  …  By  inviting  the  spectators  to  wonder  
about   deep   questions   on   time,   space,   gravity   and   so   on,   Interstellar   can   drag   the  
youngest  to  consider  careers  in  science  rather  than  in  finance  or  law.  It  is  completely  up  
to   a   genre   called   in   French   «  le   merveilleux   scientifique  »,   that   is   the   adventure   of   a  
science  pushed  to  the  marvel,  or  of  a  marvel  envisaged  scientifically.    
 
                                                                                                               
1  K.  Thorne  :  The  Science  of  Interstellar,  Norton  &  Company  (november  2014).    
2  A.  Einstein,  N.  Rosen  :The  Particle  Problem  in  the  General  Theory  of  Relativity,  Physical  Review  48:  73  
(1935).  
3  C.  W.  Misner  :  Wormhole  Initial  Conditions,  Physical  Review  118,  1110  (1960).  
4  B.  and  C.  DeWitt  (eds)  :  Black  Holes  (Les  Houches  School  1972),  Gordon  Breach,  New  York  (1973)  
5  J.-­‐P.  Luminet  :  Black  Holes,  Cambrige  University  Press,  chap.  12.  For  the  French  readers,  the  updated  
version  is  J.-­‐P.  Luminet  :  Le  destin  de  l’univers,  trous  noirs  et  énergie  sombre,  Paris  :  Fayard  (2006).  
6  M.  Morris,  M.  S.,  Thorne,  K.  S.,  and  Yurtsever,  U.  :  Wormholes,  Time  Machines  and  the  Weak  Energy  
Condition,  Phys.  Rev.  Letters,  61,  1446-­‐1449  (1988).  
7  M.  Visser  :  Lorentzian  Wormholes,  American  Institute  of  Physics,  1996.  
8  A.  Riazuelo  :  Voyage  au  cœur  d’un  trou  noir,  DVD  (Paris  :  Sciences  et  Avenir),  2008.  
9  F.  Melia  :  The  Galactic  Supermassive  Black  Hole.  Princeton:  Princeton  University  Press    (2007).  
10  R.  Bender  al.  :  HST  STIS  Spectroscopy  of  the  Triple  Nucleus  of  M31:  Two  Nested  Disks  in  Keplerian  
Rotation  around  a  Supermassive  Black  Hole.  Astrophysical  Journal  631  (1):  280–300  (2005).  
11  R.  van  den  Bosch  et  al.  :  An  over-­‐massive  black  hole  in  the  compact  lenticular  galaxy  NGC  1277,  Nature  
491,  729  (2012).  
12  A.  Almheiri,  D.  Marolf,  J.  Polchinski  and  J.  Sully  :  Black  holes:  complementarity  or  firewalls?  Journal  of  
High  Energy  Physics  2013  (2).  
13  M.  A.  Abramowicz  and  P.  Chris  Fragile  :  Foundations  of  Black  Hole  Accretion  Disk  Theory,  Living  Rev.  
Relativity,  16  (2013)  
14  S.  Poindexter  et  al.  :  The  Spatial  Structure  of  An  Accretion  Disk,  The  Astrophysical  Journal,  673  (1):  34  
(2008).  
15  A.  Riazuelo,  http://www2.iap.fr/users/riazuelo/interstellar  
16  Event  Horizon  Telescope  Collaboration  website:  http://eventhorizontelescope.org  
17  J-­‐P.  Luminet  :  Image  of  a  spherical  black  hole  with  thin  accretion  disk,  Astron.  Astrophys.  75,  228  (1979).
18  J.-­‐P.  Luminet  :  http://luth2.obspm.fr/~luminet/Books/Nerval.html  
19  G.  de  Nerval,  Le  Christ  aux  Oliviers,  in  Les  Chimères,  Paris,  1854.  Free  translation  by  J.-­‐P.  Luminet.  
20  J.  Fukue  and  T.  Yokoyama  :  Colour  photographs  of  an  accretion  disk  around  a  black  hole,  Publ.  Astron.  
Soc.  Japan  40  15  (1988)  
21  S.  U.  Viergutz  :  Image  generation  in  Kerr  geometry  I.  Analytical  investigations  on  the  stationary  emitter-­‐
observer  problem,  Astron.  Astrophys.  272,  355  (1993).  
22  J.-­‐A.  Marck  :Short-­‐cut  method  of  solution  of  geodesic  equations  for  Schwarzschild  black  hole,  Class.  
Quantum  Grav.  13  393402  (1996).  See  also  Marck  J.-­‐A.  and  Luminet  J.-­‐P.  :  Plongeon  dans  un  trou  noir,  Pour  
la  Science  Hors-­‐Série  «  Les  trous  noirs  »  (July  1997)  50-­‐56.  

  14  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
23  J.-­‐A.   Marck  :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oqop50ltrM.   Conversion   into   a   movie   first  
appeared   in   the   documentary   Infinitely   Curved   by   L.   Delesalle,   M.   Lachièze-­‐Rey   and   J.-­‐P.   Luminet,  
CNRS/Arte,  France,  1994.  
24  C.K.  Chan  et  al.  (2014)  :  The  Power  of  Imaging  :  Constraining  the  Plasma  Properties  of  GRMHD  
Simulations  Using  EHT  Observations  of  SgrA*  [arXiv  :1410.3492].  
25  O.  James,  E.  von  Tunzelmann,  P.  Franklin,  K.  Thorne  :  Gravitational  Lensing  by  Spinning  Black  Holes  in  
Astrophysics  and  in  the  Movie  Interstellar,  submitted  to  Classical  and  Quantum  Gravity  (2014)  
26  J.-­‐P.  Luminet  &  B.Carter  :  Dynamics  of  an  Affine  Star  Model  in  a  Black  Hole  Tidal  Field,  Astrophys.  J.  
Suppl.  61,  219-­‐248  (1986)  
27  B.Carter  &  J.-­‐P.  Luminet  :  Pancake  Detonation  of  Stars  by  Black  Holes    in  Galactic  Nuclei,  Nature  296,  211  
(1982)  
28  Penrose,  R.  :  Gravitational  Collapse:  the  Role  of  General  Relativity,  Rivista  del  Nuovo  Cimento,  Numero  
Speziale  1,  252  (1969).
29  B.J.  Carr,  S.W.  Hawking  :  Black  holes  in  the  Eearly  universe,  Mon.  Not.  Roy.  Astron.  Soc.  168,  399  (1974).    
30  P.  Brax,  C.  ven  de  Bruck  :  Cosmology  and  Brane  Worlds:  A  Review,  arXiv:hep-­‐th/0303095  (2003).  
31  L.  Randall,  R.  Sundrum  :  Large  Mass  Hierarchy  from  a  Small  Extra  Dimension,  Physical  Review  Letters  83  
(17),  3370–3373  (1999).  
32  C.  Rovelli  :  Loop  Quantum  Gravity,  Living  Reviews  in  Relativity  1  (1998).  
33  M.  Green,  J.  H.  Schwarz,  E.  Witten  :  Superstring  theory,  Cambridge  University  Press  (1987).  
34  A.  Connes  :  Non-­‐commutative  geometry,  Boston  :  Academic  Press  (1994).  
35  P.  Woit  :  Not  Even  Wrong:  The  Failure  of  String  Theory  And  the  Search  for  Unity  in  Physical  Law.  New  
York:  Basic  Books  (2006).  
 

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