Throughout my life, I have always been curious of these questions and “what ifs”. Just like, what if "deja vu" is actually a phenomenon when you and the other versions of yourself did the same and exact thing in the same time but in different universe. Imagine dreams being visions from a parallel you. What if there are other universes, just like ours? With an infinite number of Earths? With uncountable versions of us?
Our Universe began when a small, but very hot singularity exploded in the Big Bang around 13.77 billion years ago. But maybe it wasn't the only one to be born then. Anyway, science’s biggest mystery is one that’ll make you feel really, really small. I’m talking about multiple universes. The theory of multiple or parallel universes is one that blurs the line between scientific reality and science fiction. You hear about this stuff in sci-fi movies, but is it possible? The customary answer is, nobody knows for sure. But, that’s why it’s called a theory. And it’s a pretty huge topic of debate in the scientific community. If you believe that multiple universes exist, then maybe you can feel a little better about having the great genius physicist Stephen Hawking. He had a pretty spectacular theory on multiple universes.
Timeline of the metric expansion of space, with circular sections representing space, including hypothetical non-observable areas of the cosmos, at each point in time. | Phot Credit: NASA
So, which side of the debate are you on? Up until recent years, scientists were sure there was only one universe that contained everything known to humankind – hence the whole “uni” thing. But one day back in 1954, a Princeton grad student by the name of Hugh Everett came up with the first theory of multiverses. He believed that the universe was constantly splitting and that each of these splits became its own universe. This is now known as the Multiple Worlds theory.
So how does his work? You can mostly visualize it like a flow chart that keeps branching off continuously. Just remember any time you’ve ever made a decision or something happened to you. For example, when I started college, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to major in. I was obsessed with arts, but I also personally loved engineering. Well, I ended up choosing the latter, but what if I’d gone with arts? Would I be wearing a paint-stained jeans and dreaming inside my studio?
The universe is full of stars, gas clouds, galaxies, black holes and a whole lot more. | Phot Credit: Live Science
According to the Multiple Worlds theory, the answer is yes, but still vague! There’s a version of me that went down that path and is living that life right now. In fact, there are infinite me’s and you’s each in their own universe. Some believe these universes are like bubbles, totally unseen by each other because, well, we just don’t have that kind of technology. So, what would a parallel version of our world look like? Well, some attributes of our universe may be different, while some are the same. Perhaps this parallel version of our planet has a united and less corrupt government.
Proving or disproving their existence is no easy task, but science is close to taking the abstract and making it physical. That is, researchers from Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are currently putting together some equipment that could prove the existence of a mirror universe, almost like a reflection of our own. In theory, some scientists believe the Big Bang that started it all could’ve been two universes colliding and forming a new one.
So, what does this all mean? And, well, there’s always Stephen Hawking’s theory of how you can travel to another universe where all you have to do is jump into a black hole. He theorized that black holes themselves could be the very passages connecting multiple universes. That’s technically just a theory too. In any case, hopping universes might just be sci-fi talk for now, but remember, anything’s possible!
So, what does this all mean? And, well, there’s always Stephen Hawking’s theory of how you can travel to another universe where all you have to do is jump into a black hole. He theorized that black holes themselves could be the very passages connecting multiple universes. That’s technically just a theory too. In any case, hopping universes might just be sci-fi talk for now, but remember, anything’s possible!
I wonder what my parallel self is doing right now, is he happy?