This is called the theory of eternal inflation. And as inflation ends in a particular place, a new bubble universe forms, Vilenkin wrote for Scientific American in Those bubble universes can't contact each other because they continue to expand indefinitely.
If we were to set off for the edge of our bubble, where it might butt up against the next bubble universe over, we'd never reach it because the edge is zipping away from us faster than the speed of light, and faster than we could ever travel. Related: How many stars are in the universe? But even if we could reach the next bubble, according to eternal inflation combined with string theory , our familiar universe with its physical constants and habitable conditions could be totally different from the hypothetical bubble universe next to our own.
The rest of the multiverse remains barren, but no one is there to complain about that. Vilenkin's explanation implies that in some of the infinite bubble universes outside our own, there could be other intelligent observers. But in every instant that passes, we get farther away from them, and we will never intersect.
Some researchers base their ideas of parallel universes on quantum mechanics, the mathematical description of subatomic particles. In quantum mechanics, multiple states of existence for tiny particles are all possible at the same time — a "wave function" encapsulates all of those possibilities. However, when we actually look, we only ever observe one of the possibilities. According to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics as described by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , we observe an outcome when the wave function "collapses" into a single reality.
But the many-worlds theory proposes instead that every time one state, or outcome, is observed, there is another "world" in which a different quantum outcome becomes reality.
This is a branching arrangement, in which instant by instant, our perceived universe branches into near-infinite alternatives. Those alternate universes are completely separate and unable to intersect, so while there may be uncountable versions of you living a life that's slightly — or wildly — different from your life in this world, you'd never know it.
The many-worlds theory is the most "courageous" take on the quandary of quantum mechanics, physicist Sean Carroll wrote in his book, " Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime " Dutton, He also argued that it is the most straightforward theory, although not without wrinkles. One of those wrinkles is that the many-worlds idea is not really falsifiable. This is an important component of scientific thought and is the way the scientific community develops ideas that can be explored with observation and experimentation.
If there's no opportunity to find evidence against a theory, that's bad for science as a whole, science journalist John Horgan argued in a blog post for Scientific American. Some physicists believe in a flatter version of multiple universes. That is, if the universe that we live in goes on forever, there are only so many ways that the building blocks of matter can arrange themselves as they assemble across infinite space.
Eventually, any finite number of particle types must repeat a particular arrangement. Hypothetically, in a big enough space, those particles must repeat arrangements as large as entire solar systems and galaxies. What is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle? Wonder What's Next? Tomorrow's Wonder of the Day was inspired by your alarm clock!
Try It Out We hope you enjoyed thinking about parallel universes today. Keep your mind churning by exploring the following activities with a friend or family member: Grab a blanket and head outside to do some interstellar research in your backyard! If you have binoculars or a telescope, bring them along! Find a comfortable spot to hang out and simply enjoy looking up at a sky full of stars. As you watch the stars, think about what other stars and planets exist even beyond the ones you can see.
Isn't it amazing to think of how big our universe is? Can you imagine how big it must be if parallel universes existed? Learn some cool new facts about our universe, as you explore the site and have fun with the activities available.
As more questions come to mind, feel free to explore the Internet for the answers to your questions about our universe. Does a parallel universe exist? Let's say it does! What is it like? Let your imagination run wild with the possibilities a parallel universe could hold. Do you exist in this other universe? What is different in the parallel universe? What is the same? Formulate answers to some of these questions and then write a story about what you think a parallel universe might be like.
Feel free to add in some of your own artwork to help your reader visualize what's in your mind. Have fun and be creative!
Did you get it? Test your knowledge. Wonder Words form state exist bold field wave radical theory photon particle parallel physics quantum subatomic simultaneous erratically arbitrarily mechanics Take the Wonder Word Challenge. Join the Discussion. Stephen Schwager Feb 28, This is very intresting! Zeeshan Mustafa Nov 2, Hanako Apr 17, Ella Apr 18, Is the theory of the multiverse even true?
If it is then can I meet my doppelganger?! Apr 23, Apr 18, Hi, Hanako! Luna May 1, My thoughts: "Paralleled" actually means "side by side. There forth, parallel universes started out the same as ours, but people made different decisions. So a geek in one universe could be an off task class clown in another! This would be because one made a decision to follow directions, while the other wanted to have fun.
May 2, Luna Jun 18, Jun 20, Cade Rimmer Apr 7, I believe that every time that something big and terrible happens in our universe, another alternate, or parallel, universe is created to fix the terrible mistake. This has always intrigued me. Hopefully I make sense. Apr 10, I think parallel universes are cool and if they are real I would definitly go there sorry if typo. Mar 15, It would be pretty crazy to visit one, though, right? But very curious. Mar 13, J5 Dec 13, Dec 14, The creeper with swag Dec 2, I mean like the biggest choice in the world!
Dec 2, Myles McEwen Aug 2, I strongly believe in the theory! Anyway the main question is are we a parallel universe? If we were part of the infinite number of planets, why hasn't one shot a laser at us, i mean i think everything is parallel to us, so we cant we destroyed or overtaken by a parralel universe.
And yet, if you have enough of these universes that spring into existence, there should eventually be one that comes along with the exact same initial properties as our own. Remember that everything that exists in our universe is finite: there are a finite number of particles, a finite amount of energy, a finite amount of time over which interactions between quanta can occur, and a finite number of possible outcomes.
These numbers are astronomically large, but they are not infinite. It may or may not be the same story when it comes to the number of universes that are spawned by inflation. If inflation has proceeded for a finite amount of time, then the number of universes we get increases exponentially with time, but always remains finite. If inflation has gone on for an infinite amount of time, then the number of universes must be infinite, and all allowable possibilities must have occurred in some universe.
If inflation has gone on for only a finite amount of time, we can strongly say that, based on how the number of universes increases with time versus how the number of possible outcomes within a single universe increases with time, there are no parallel universes equivalent to our own within the multiverse.
When we talk about the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, a finite number of universes is insufficient to hold all of the possible outcomes. We require an infinity of worlds. This itself requires an infinite duration to inflation to make a parallel universe identical to our own a possibility. No matter how large a finite number gets, even if it tends towards infinity over time, it will never become infinite after a finite amount of time.
Therefore, even though there are an astronomical number of possible outcomes that could have occurred — including quantum interactions with a continuous set of allowable outcomes — an infinite number of parallel universes must contain them all. However, even if such parallel universes do exist within a larger multiverse, even if there are an infinite number of them, not every imaginable effect is possible.
You cannot transfer anything between universes, for example. There is no retrocausality that occurs. In other words, what happens in one universe cannot affect another. We know how to quantify what would occur, during inflation, if any two universes collided, merged, or otherwise interacted, and we can definitively state that there is no such evidence of that having occurred in our universe. Additionally, the quantum possibilities that now exist for our universe are only possible for future events whose outcomes have already been determined.
The idea that multiple histories could overlap to create the reality we now inhabit — often colloquially known as the Mandela effect — is a physically inadmissible example of pseudoscience, unsupported by any evidence at all. At another time in another place, perhaps there was a version of you that made better decisions at a critical juncture, and that version of you, in another universe, is having a better life and inhabiting a better world because of it. The idea of the multiverse, and specifically of parallel universes that were identical to our own until those critical decisions, offers us the hope that our past decisions are not as immutable as we currently believe.
Even if inflation has been ongoing for an infinite amount of time, whatever occurs in the other universes that exist are in no way related to what is occurring or has occurred in our universe. Our past is fundamentally written. There are no opportunities arising in any multiverse scenario either to rewrite the past or to import, from another universe, an outcome that turned out differently. The multiverse may be inevitable and parallel universes may be possible, but they do not affect our universe is any measurable or observable way.
Beyond the limits of science, all we have is speculation. Until the evidence catches up, no further definitive statements can be made. Skip to content The multiverse idea states that there are large, possibly infinite numbers of Universes like our own, and large, possibly infinite numbers of universes with differences.
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