It was a bright sunny day in Springfield Massachusetts, 14-year-old Monica was reading an interesting book about our universe and galaxies. Her father, Richard, an Astrophysicist, was relaxing on his chair after preparing for his pre-requisites for the project.
“Are we living in a vast multiverse, dad?” Monica asked her dad Richard who replied with a calm and composed look, “Well, as far as our current observations go, we live in a vast universe which is within our observable spectrum. But who knows Moni, if there are ground-breaking innovative inventions say something like large, powerful telescopes, we could find a cluster of universes nearby”?
“Oh, does that mean that we could be living alongside numerous universes with several different planets and stars?” Monica shrieked with excitement.
“Not really, Moni, you see, the existence of a parallel universe is not proven and is the product of science fiction, but who knows, the future could hold a lot more that are yet to unfold.”
How Can Parallel Universes Be Discovered?
Monica asked, “Dad is there a way to discover parallel universes? If so, how is it done?”
Richard replied, “Well, in one of my assignments as a sophomore in college, I was assigned to study about the outcome of a probability that could occur. Do you know what I did? I started off by using the alternate and null hypothesis methods. However, that didn’t work well as one of the professors said that you have been looking at it from the wrong perspective. The professor said that in quantum physics, the cause of unpredictable outcomes is vast. For instance, if you take a ball and shoot it through a double slit, you can only know the probabilities of where it will land but cannot predict where exactly it will land. This helped me to come up with various probabilities of the outcome that could occur.”
“Similarly, the many-worlds interpretation that we are now dealing with in the parallel universe concept is closely related to quantum mechanics. All the outcomes could possibly occur, but only one can happen in each universe. It takes an infinite number of parallel universes to account for all possibilities.”
“With the observable universe that began nearly 13.8 billion years ago right after the big bang. Did you know that the big bang itself was not the beginning? Yes, that’s right, for an event like a big bang to occur, there would have been something known as cosmological inflation. Once the inflation ends, the big bang occurs.”
Something Beyond Perhaps?
“Hmm, I see, dad. Can you please elaborate on the concept and the probability of existence? It’s not clear,” said Monica.
“Sure honey, you see, when I explained to you about inflation, I meant that inflation doesn’t end everywhere at once; however, the place where inflation doesn’t end, it continues to inflate, thereby giving rise to more space and more potential big bangs. Once inflation begins, it is nearly impossible to stop inflation from occurring somewhere else. It’s more or less like a chain event. So, as time passes by, more big bangs would continue to occur, giving rise to a large number of independent universes, such as a multiverse.”
“Thanks, dad. Now you have made it clear; I would also like to know whether this is a proven fact or just a theory,” Monica asks.
“Well, these are just ideas drawn by scientists Moni; the problem with these ideas is that there is no way to test the prediction of these parallel universes without any sign of evidence. Scientists can only theorize and postulate various probabilities that may showcase the existence of parallel universes, but they cannot draw a concrete conclusion of the same. If we are stuck in our universe, how could we hope to cross another one?”
“Also, particles don’t simply appear, transform, or disappear. However, they can interact with other matter, energy, or quanta. Here, there is a limitation; these particles can only interact under the laws governed by physics. In all the experiments and observations that scientists have made, there is yet to be a discovery of an interaction that demands the existence of a universe beyond ours.”
What Would a Parallel Universe Be Like?
“I now get the bigger picture, dad, but anyways, let’s say that we discover the existence of another universe; how would that universe be. If so, what would its existence mean to us?” Monica asked excitedly.
Richard looked out of the window for a few seconds and thought for a while; he then turned to Monica and explained. “Well, Monica, this is a really good question, but it looks like you have put me in a tight spot. Anyways, let me try to answer to the best of my ability. Let’s assume that if we were to discover another universe, it would completely change the perspective of our laws, research, the field of cosmology, and even some long-standing physics laws could take the backseat.”
“Yes, that’s right, the laws that govern another universe could be radically different from ours. Maybe, instead of gravity, there could be another force that binds planets. Who knows, even the stars in our neighboring universe could be formed in different ways and comprise elements that are never discovered or heard of. Instead of solar systems, there could be a cluster of stars that form a different network around the galaxy. Time and space would behave in a radically different manner, perhaps even go in reverse. My imagination simply cannot run beyond this, Moni. I hope this answers your question.
“Thanks a lot. Dad, it looks like I can write a cool Sci-Fi story with what you have said. I am looking forward to publishing an article on Parallel universe using these inputs.” Said Monica.
Richard felt satisfied with his daughter’s enthusiasm and said, “That’s my girl, go ahead Moni, I am sure your teacher would be really impressed with your work. Also, I urge you to do your own research and write the article in a unique way that suits your style.”
Space Age 