The concept of multiverses or parallel universes has always been a mind-boggling topic in both science fiction and real-life science. The idea of a multiverse, isn’t actually a scientific theory but rather, “a theoretical consequence of the laws of physics as they’re best understood today.”says Ethan Siegel of Forbes. It is the idea wherein the fact that space-time starts and stretches infinitely means that existence is mathematically bound to repeat itself at a some point–they sometimes call this the quilted-multiverse.
This concept is truly confusing so here’s how it works:
Source: YouTube, Fermilab
Okay, so how do we get there?
The question remains: Are we able to go into another space-time?
The answer is: It depends. According to American theoretical physicist and string theorist extraordinaire Brian Greene, from Columbia University, he argues that the plausibility of multiversal-travel–if parallel universes really do exist– relies on which multiverse concept you’re going to subscribe to. So if you are an advocate of a big bang multiverse, then that would mean that leaving our present universe to travel to another would be as impossible as travelling back to the time before the big bang, which created our universe, even happened.
But if you are an advocate of a quantum-physics-dominated notion of parallel-universes, then there will be no need to travel to other universes. Why? Because you are already residing multiple alternate universes–but not necessarily all of them. You can think of it as something like: Don’t know which pair of shoes to wear? Well, you could just be already wearing them both–in two separate parallel universes.
In another light, according to theoretical phycisist Michio Kaku, he believes that our universe will soon end up in a “big freeze”, and soon, technology will one day let us travel between universes.
Source: The Twelve
On the other hand, Neil deGrasse Tyson says that if you come from a universe with higher dimensions, it will be easy to move between dimensions. It will be just like moving in from one room to another. Also, in string theory–which is one of the leading contenders in connecting quantum physics and general relativity–it is assumed that we actually have more dimensions in this universe than we previously thought and that we just fail to find them since they are actually very small, squeezed in the complex trans-subatomic realms that cannot be reached by our technological instruments of today.
But how can one prove or disprove any of these varying arguments without experiencing it first hand? Though, we really don’t have any means to definitely prove whether parallel universes do exist, this will definitely be a stimulating topic that will be pondered on by many, either in science fiction or in real-life science.
In this video, different physicists go head to head with each other on the string theory.
Source: YouTube, Neil deGrasse Tyson Videos
Article Sources:
Smithsonian Mag
Futurism
Business Insider
