Paralell Universes Likely. Fascinating new models of the Universe.

[stephendare]

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/11/parallel-univer.html

"The multiverse is no longer a model, it is a consequence of our models.”

~Aurelien Barrau, particle physicist at CERN

The Hollywood blockbuster, The Golden Compass, adapted from the first volume of Pullman's classic sci-fi trilogy, "His Dark Materials" portrays various universes as only one reality among many, but how realistic is this kind of classic sci-fi plot? While it hasn’t been proven yet, many highly respected and credible scientists are now saying there’s reason to believe that parallel dimensions could very well be more than figments of our imaginations.

"The idea of multiple universes is more than a fantastic invention—it appears naturally within several scientific theories, and deserves to be taken seriously," stated Aurelien Barrau, a French particle physicist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

There are a variety of competing theories based on the idea of parallel universes, but the most basic idea is that if the universe is infinite, then everything that could possibly occur has happened, is happening, or will happen.

According to quantum mechanics, nothing at the subatomic scale can really be said to exist until it is observed. Until then, particles occupy uncertain "superposition" states, in which they can have simultaneous "up" and "down" spins, or appear to be in different places at the same time. The mere act of observing somehow appears to "nail down" a particular state of reality. Scientists don’t yet have a perfect explanation for how it occurs, but that hasn’t changed the fact that the phenomenon does occur.

Unobserved particles are described by "wave functions" representing a set of multiple "probable" states. When an observer makes a measurement, the particle then settles down into one of these multiple options, which is somewhat how the multiple universe theory can be explained.

The existence of such a parallel universe "does not even assume speculative modern physics, merely that space is infinite and rather uniformly filled with matter as indicated by recent astronomical observations," Max Tegmark, a cosmologist at MIT in Boston, Massachusetts concluded in a study of parallel universes published by Cambridge University.

Mathematician Hugh Everett published landmark paper in 1957 while still a graduate student at Princeton University. In this paper he showed how quantum theory predicts that a single classical reality will gradually split into separate, but simultaneously existing realms.

"This is simply a way of trusting strictly the fundamental equations of quantum mechanics," says Barrau. "The worlds are not spatially separated, but exist as kinds of 'parallel' universes."

Partly because the idea is so uncomfortably strange, it’s dismissed as sci-fi by many critics. But there are also many credible, respected proponents of the theory—a group that is continuously gaining new adherents as new research unveils new evidence. Some Oxford research—for the first time—recently found  a mathematical answer that sweeps away one of the key objections to the controversial idea. Their research shows that Everett was indeed on the right track when he came up with his multiverse theory. The Oxford team, led by Dr David Deutsch, showed mathematically that the bush-like branching structure created by the universe splitting into parallel versions of itself can explain the probabilistic nature of quantum outcomes.

The work has another strange implication. The idea of parallel universes would apparently side-step one of the key complaints with time travel. Every since it was given serious credibility in 1949 by the great logician Kurt Godel, many eminent physicists have argued against time travel because it undermines ideas of cause and effect. An example would be the famous “grandfather paradox” where a time traveler goes back to kill his grandfather so that he is never born in the first place.

But if parallel worlds do exist, there is a way around these troublesome paradoxes. Deutsch argues that time travel shifts happen between different branches of reality. The mathematical breakthrough bolsters his claim that quantum theory does not forbid time travel. "It does sidestep it. You go into another universe," he said. But he admits that there will be a lot of work to do before we can manipulate space-time in a way that makes “hops” possible. While it may sound fanciful, Deutsch says that scientific research is continually making the theory more believable.

"Many sci-fi authors suggested time travel paradoxes would be solved by parallel universes but in my work, that conclusion is deduced from quantum theory itself."

The borderline between physics and metaphysics is not defined by whether an entity can be observed, but whether it is testable, insists Tegmark.

He points to phenomena such as black holes, curved space, the slowing of time at high speeds, even a round Earth, which were all once rejected as scientific heresy before being proven through experimentation, even though some remain beyond the grasp of observation. It is likely, Tegmark concludes that multiverse models grounded in modern physics will eventually be empirically testable, predictive and disprovable.

Posted by Rebecca Sato

Related Galaxy posts:

New Proof from Oxford: Parallel Universes Exist
Cosmic Pentimento: Beyond the Great Void May be a Great Something
Weird Science: Can Time Move Backwards?

links:
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/09/n--one-of-the-m.html

http://physorg.com/news118241154.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/09/21/sciuni121.xml

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=paUniverse_sun14_parallel_universes&show_article=1&cat=0

[stephendare]

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/09/n--one-of-the-m.html

Parallel universes aren’t just the stuff of sci-fi, according to a mathematical discovery by Oxford scientists. The breakthrough is being described as "one of the most important developments in the history of science".

The parallel universe theory was first proposed back in over half a century ago in 1950 by US physicist, Hugh Everett. The theory helps make sense of the many mysteries of quantum mechanics that have left scientists scratching their heads for decades. In Everett's "many worlds" universe, every time a new physical possibility is explored, the universe splits off. For each possible alternative outcome, each one is played out in an alternate universe. The implication would mean that the number of alternative scenarios in every individual’s lives would be bizarrely and unfathomably endless.

Partly because the idea is so uncomfortably strange, it’s dismissed as sci-fi by many critics. But there are also many credible, respected proponents of the theory—a group that is continuously gaining new adherents as new research unveils new evidence. The new research stemming from Oxford now—for the first time—offers a mathematical answer that sweeps away one of the key objections to the controversial idea. Their research shows that Dr Everett, a Phd student at Princeton University back was indeed on the right track when he came up with his multiverse theory.

Dr Andy Albrecht, a physicist at the University of California at Davis commented, "This work will go down as one of the most important developments in the history of science."

According to quantum mechanics, nothing at the subatomic scale can really be said to exist until it is observed. Until then, particles occupy uncertain "superposition" states, in which they can have simultaneous "up" and "down" spins, or appear to be in different places at the same time. The mere act of observing somehow appears to "nail down" a particular state of reality. Scientists don’t yet have a perfect explanation for how it works, but that hasn’t changed the fact that the phenomenon appears to be real.

According to quantum mechanics, unobserved particles are described by "wave functions" representing a set of multiple "probable" states. When an observer makes a measurement, the particle then settles down into one of these multiple options, which is somewhat how the multiple universe theory can be explained.

The Oxford team, led by Dr David Deutsch, showed mathematically that the bush-like branching structure created by the universe splitting into parallel versions of itself can explain the probabilistic nature of quantum outcomes.

The work has another very strange implication. The idea of parallel universes would apparently sidesteps one of the key complaints with time travel. Every since it was given serious credibility in 1949 by the great logician Kurt Godel, many eminent physicists have argued against time travel because it undermines ideas of cause and effect to create paradoxes. An example would be the famous “grandfather paradox” where a time traveler goes back to kill his grandfather so that he is never born in the first place.

But if parallel worlds do exist, there is a way around these troublesome paradoxes. Deutsch argues that time travel shifts happen between different branches of reality. The mathematical breakthrough bolsters his claim that quantum theory does not forbid time travel. "It does sidestep it. You go into another universe," he said. But he admits that there will be a lot of work to do before we can manipulate space-time in a way that makes “hops” possible. While it may sound fanciful, Deutsch says that scientific research is making the theory sound much more believable.

"Many sci-fi authors suggested time travel paradoxes would be solved by parallel universes but in my work, that conclusion is deduced from quantum theory itself."

Posted by Rebecca Sato

[stephendare]

I wonder if Deja Vu is the experience of similar important moments across the multiverse of multiple selves?

[Midway]

It's on Bay St.

[Ocklawaha]

This might seem as SOCO induced, off the wall, as the bulk of my comments. This strikes me as an interesting theory. Those non-railroad types probably don't know that for every rod on a steam locomotive there is a weight built into the other side of the wheel. Thus the steam engine wheel is balanced in its drive, (rods down, weight up -  or weight down,  rods up) kind of makes one wonder if God didn't do something similar in the universe?

OCKLAWAHA

[David]

If you have comcast on-demand there's an episode of the series "the universe" that delves into the whole parallel universe theory, available until 12/29.

Good program, although they dum it down a bit too much at times by trying to "hip it up"

Any sci-fi geek goes gaga over this stuff! It's the basis of many plots.... different branches of reality, time travel etc.

Maybe there's an alternate Jacksonville, FL out there with a vibrant downtown, a NHL team,  a booming movie industry homebase and minimal sprawl!

oh oh and the jags are in the playoffs too! yeahhhhhhhhhhhh

[JeffreyS]

Did we get the alternate Mayor?

Shouldn't he have a goatee?

[Ocklawaha]

[wwanderlust]

I wonder if Deja Vu is the experience of similar important moments across the multiverse of multiple selves?

I would think that, given an infinite number of possible universes out there, we would be feeling deja vu virtually all the time...you know?

[Ocklawaha]

Men In Black, touched on this with the wonderous galaxy, Orian's Belt, hanging around the cats neck.

OCKLAWAHA

[stephendare]

I wonder if self awareness has any role to play in this whole multiple universes theory?

For example, if all possible futures are already on their way to becoming fact along the multiple strings of paralell universes and futures, can we effect which of these futures we experience.

Say for example that it were theoretically possible that tomorrow Ocklawaha would go out, meet a member of the English Royal family and become her favorite pet.  When she dies, she leaves him 500 million pounds (in this paralell future) and he comes home to re establish the traction company as his pet project.

Since theoretically this is already on the way to happening in one of the infinite possibilities, if Ocklawaha is aware that it will definitely happen at least Once in the Multiverse, can he guide which reality he experiences or is he set with a narrow range of possibilities  because he exists in This universe.

Can he change track, simply by being aware that there are tracks?