Beyond Our Universe: Decoding the Mysteries of the Multiverse

Peter Parker: "If I can fix what happened to you, then when you go back, things will be different, and you might not die fighting Spider-Man." Ah, the echoes of this epic dialogue resonate with nostalgia, taking us on a journey through the captivating realms of the multiverse.

The concept of the multiverse has always been a fascinating frontier, particularly alluring to the imagination of the youth. Since its inception, it has propelled many blockbuster films, from 2016's Doctor Strange with its mesmerizing panoramas to 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania, a mind-bending tale.

Recall the mind-boggling scenario from Spider-Man: No-way Home – multiple Peter Parkers sharing the same space, old and new enemies colliding, creating havoc that was both a delight and a rollercoaster of emotions for die-hard Marvel fans. Then, in Loki, The multiverse is depicted as a tree, with multiple timelines coexisting and held together by Loki's magic. Questions such as, "What if our every decision takes us to a parallel reality, a different universe?" were used by the web series to delve into the more contentious postulates of theoretical physics.

"What if our choices influence the vast cosmos around us in ways we can't yet imagine?"

As the multiple universes come to light, we see a web of cosmic marvels and endless potential that stretches well beyond the confines of our known world, and the borders between theoretical physics and science fiction begin to melt.

Multiverse vs. Reality

The air in Kamar-Taj crackled with a potent mix of sage incense and existential dread as Dr Stephen Strange, still clinging to the wreckage of his shattered life, stood before the enigmatic Ancient One. Her eyes, pools of ancient wisdom, bored into his very soul, challenging the narrow world his intellect had constructed.

“You think you know how the world works? Do you think that this material universe is all there is? What is real? What mysteries lie beyond the reach of your senses? At the root of existence, mind and matter meet. Thoughts form reality. This universe is only one of an infinite number. Worlds without end, some benevolent and life-giving, others filled with malice and hunger. Dark places where powers older than time lie, ravenous and waiting. Who are you in this vast multiverse, Mr. Strange?" Do you remember this chilling dialogue between the Ancient One and Dr. Strange from the movie Dr. Strange? (2016); P.S. True Marvel fans would have learned by heart by now...

Well, here, According to supporters of the multiverse theory, which postulates an endless number of worlds, our reality is just one thread in a cosmic tapestry. The prime concern is whether the sci-fi concept of the multiverse can actually exist or if it's too anti-physics to be true.

Even though our universe is vast, it may have a finite size. It could also be infinitesimally large. Both scenarios are plausible, according to physicist Brian Greene, but if the second one is correct, then the first one is also correct. Matter within that boundless cosmos can only arrange itself in finite ways. At some point, all matter must reorganize into familiar patterns, and hence, it follows that there must be an endless number of parallel universes in the cosmos.

Befuddled? Try to understand it this way:

Imagine a deck of playing cards representing the cosmos. Now, as per Greene, on shuffling that deck, there are only a certain number of possible permutations and combinations. After a certain number of shuffling, the ordering will become redundant. Similarly, matter's arrangement must recur since there are unlimited universes but only a limited number of matter complexions.

Greene's latest book, The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos, explores the existence of multiple universes. Recent physics and astronomy discoveries, he claims, indicate the possibility that our existence is one of many universes in a larger multiverse.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), The Ancient One questions Dr. Strange's vision of reality, questioning if he fully comprehends the nature of the universe. She reveals that the material cosmos is only a sliver of a vast, multiversal reality. This dialogue lays the foundation for Marvel's multiverse exploration in several films.

Films like "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" further blur the lines between other worlds, repeating the theme. The events of "Loki and Spiderman: No-way Home" also play an important part, demonstrating the consequences of meddling with timelines and the appearance of alternate versions of characters.

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Did Stephen Hawking signal the possibility of the Multiverse?

Stephen Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist who made invaluable contributions to the field of cosmology and authored bestselling books like "The Theory of Everything" and "A Brief History of Time," dedicated his final weeks to developing a new theory on the existence of other universes beyond our own. He aspired to substantiate the reality of this theory eventually.

As per Thomas Hertog, a Belgian physicist who was a co-author of the paper with Hawking, it is like imagining tonnes of universes, not just different planets or solar systems, but whole separate worlds, each unique. Some might be empty, some filled with black holes, and others might even have stars, galaxies, and maybe even life!

This idea of many universes comes from the "big bang theory", which Einstein later claimed to be consistent with his general relativity theory, which says our universe started as a tiny point and suddenly got super big. It is comparable to expanding a pea-sized balloon into a room-sized balloon—only far crazier!

“Smooth Exit from Eternal Inflation?”- Last Draft of the Paper co-written by Hawking and Hertog...

According to Hertog, Hawking approached him several years ago with the proposition, "Alright, let's attempt to control the multiverse." This objective formed the basis of their collaborative efforts, ultimately resulting in Hawking's final scientific paper. To distil their message into simplified points, the paper aimed to convey:

• Infinite Big Bangs: Hawking thought that our Big Bang wasn't unique but one of many that were happening simultaneously, each creating its own universe. Imagine an endless cosmic fireworks shower, not just one spark!

• The Multiverse Mosaic: These numerous universes combine to make a "multiverse," a huge collection of different realities. Some might be empty, others might be full of black holes, and who knows, some might even have life forms like us!

• Is it Detectable? Hawking admitted that the biggest problem was that if these other universes exist, they are probably too far away for our present technology to reach. We have no way to see them or interact with them directly.

• A Glimmer of Hope—The Gravitational Waves: This point worried Hawking, but he and co-author Thomas Hertog proposed a solution: powerful gravitational waves generated by multiple big bangs. Like ripples in spacetime, these waves might leave behind small signs even in our world.

• Testing the Multiverse: If we build a unique space probe that can pick up these gravitational waves, we might indirectly find the echoes of other Big Bangs. This would give us a tantalizing look into the existence of other universes and finally put the idea of the multiverse to the test.

Hawking didn't finish writing everything down before he passed away, but his work is being reviewed by other scientists. Maybe one day, thanks to him, we'll know for sure if we're alone in the vastness of space or if there are other worlds out there, full of possibilities we can't even imagine yet.

On March 4, 2018, just two weeks before Hawking's death, the authors submitted the paper titled "A Smooth Exit from Eternal Inflation?" for review.

The supporters….

The scientific community has praised the paper as groundbreaking, with some suggesting that if it had been published during the renowned physicist's lifetime, it could have earned a Nobel Prize. "These ideas offer the breathtaking prospect of finding evidence for the existence of other universes," Durham University cosmology professor Carlos Frenk told The Sunday Times.

The sceptics?

Some scientists are sceptical about Stephen Hawking's latest theory on the multiverse, while others see it as a bold and potentially groundbreaking step forward. The sceptics, like Avi Loeb of Harvard, acknowledge the paper's interesting ideas but question its approach. According to the sceptics, more work is needed to flesh out the theory and make it more concrete.

However, Hawking's co-author, Thomas Hertog, argues that the theory is not as radical as it might seem. He sees it as an attempt to transform a vast and controversial concept into a testable and verifiable scientific framework.

Well, if Hawking's hypothesis holds, it will change the way we see the cosmos and our role in it. The theory's contribution to scientific thinking and its challenge to our present knowledge of the universe make it worthwhile, regardless of whether it turns out to be incorrect.

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The Multiverse of Quantum Mechanics and General Theory of Relativity:

To dive into the potential physical existence of the sci-fi whirlpool of multiple universes, let's shed some light on two key players: quantum mechanics and general relativity.

(Before I explain the significance of each in the sci-fi realm of the multiverse, I would like to take a moment to calm the nerves of those who have always dreaded science. Chill guys! I promise this isn't going to be a university physics lecture, but instead, I would try to explain to you in simpler terms what these imply and how recent strides in theoretical physics, notably string theory, could unravel the potential connections to parallel universes.)

• Quantum Mechanics plays on the microscopic stage, where things get weird. It unveils the universe's bizarre rules at the atomic and subatomic level, where particles can be in multiple places simultaneously and reality dances to the tune of probabilities. Think of it like flipping a coin that's both heads and tails at the same time until you actually look at it—mind-blowing, right?

• Einstein's General Relativity, on the other hand, deals with the grand cosmic drama. It explains gravity as the warping of spacetime, where massive objects like stars and planets bend the very fabric of the universe, like bowling balls on a trampoline. It predicts that everything in the universe is subject to gravitational fields.

The curvature of spacetime affects everything in the universe, and In 1919, astrophysicists got a chance to test this theory. They conducted the Eddington Experiment during a solar eclipse, the results of which confirmed the theory of relativity.

"Einstein's theory of relativity does a fantastic job of explaining big things," Greene said. "On the other end of the spectrum, quantum mechanics is fantastic for small things." The main issue is that each theory is excellent in its own domain, but when they clash, they become fierce competitors, and the mathematics falls apart."

Greene believes that string theory, which he has studied for more than two decades, holds the key to understanding these multiverses.

In a word, string theory aims to reconcile a mathematical disagreement between two widely accepted physics ideas: quantum mechanics and relativity theory.

To understand the crux of string theory, Imagine the universe woven from tiny vibrating strings, each vibrating at a different pitch, creating various realities like musical notes on a cosmic orchestra. It's a method of explaining how other alternate realities, plucking different tunes on the strings of the real world, might coexist with our own.

All the science fanatics, do you remember Heisenberg's uncertainty formula from 11th–12th grade back in school? Exactly, it states how specific pairs of attributes, like a particle's position and momentum, cannot be known with complete precision at the same time. The more you learn about one, the less you'll learn about the other. It's like trying to catch a butterfly: the closer you go, the faster it flies away!

Believe it or not, this uncertainty at the quantum level may hold the secret to the multiverse. String theory predicts that these tiny vibrating strings could exist in different dimensions, potentially leading to the possibility of alternative universes with radically different physical laws and even constants. Getting exciting, right?

Let's explore how string theory might explain the possibility of a multiverse...

String theory:

• String theory aims to resolve the mathematical inconsistencies between quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity.

• Like guitar strings, super-tiny vibrating strings compose the universe in a significantly greater number of dimensions than we can perceive (10 or 11 !).

• If valid, string theory could comprehensively explain everything in the universe, from subatomic particles to the fundamental laws governing speed and gravity.

String Theory and the Multiverse:

String theory introduces not only small vibrating strings but also larger entities like two-dimensional surfaces resembling flying carpets or membranes. We could be living on one of these membranes, with other membranes "out there" beyond our perception.

Testing the idea:

• It is possible that researchers at CERN will be able to put this idea to the test by utilizing the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

• The particles are smashed together, and they examine whether any "debris" makes its way through our membrane and into the broader space.

• This so-called "leakage" would be analogous to the disappearance of energy, which would imply the presence of more membranes.

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Multiverse: One Question, Infinite Answers...

Many scientists were initially sceptical of the concept of the so-called multiverse. On the other hand, recent breakthroughs in cosmology, string theory, and quantum physics have resulted in a paradigm shift.

"The multiverse isn't some kind of optional thing, like whether you can supersize or not," explains Raphael Bousso, a theoretical physicist at the University of California, Berkeley. He claims that "it's there, and we need to deal with it," based on our own cosmic history.

However, there is a problem. Various theories suggest various kinds of multiverses. For example, our current conventional hypothesis regarding the universe's origin indicates infinite alternative universes. This includes a plethora of worlds in which identical copies of you are reading this phrase and contemplating the existence of those different versions of yourself.

String theory, on the other hand, aims to explain particles, forces, and constants and leads to a multiverse with different dimensions and possibly other sorts of "stuff" we can't even comprehend.

Just like the enigmatic Ancient One once challenged Dr. Strange's perception of reality, the multiverse concept compels us to question what we know and venture beyond the boundaries of our limited understanding. While physically demonstrating its existence remains challenging, theoretical physics paints a compelling story that suggests a universe full of concealed universes.

On a side note, for those wrestling with uncertainties, especially regarding the fate of the Ancient One, Marvel's comic book narrative provides a fascinating glimpse. The Ancient One's spirit has moved to a higher level of existence on the Astral Plane and continues to assist Doctor Strange.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), such a fate may hold true. Though the idea that Wanda could face the Ancient One on the Astral Plane may seem crazy, the MCU has always loved plot turns that no one saw coming.

The fate of the Ancient One in the MCU is unresolved, but her words ring true in the multiverse context. The multiverse, like hers, challenges our idea of reality.

So, are we swimming in an infinite sea of doppelgangers or exploring a cosmic lasagna with extra, mysterious layers? The truth is, we don't know yet. The multiverse is still a work in progress, a detective story with more questions than answers. But if we keep our minds open, follow the clues, and test the theories, maybe one day we'll solve the mystery and figure out how our universe, which is full of anything, everything, and yet nothing, became the perfect spot for life to flourish.