The Origin of Multiverse Theory
The historical aspect of the most bizarre theory in Physics
One is bound to have heard of the multiverse if they’re interested in science fiction books and movies. It is a peculiar topic that has grasped the attention of many scientists and authors which has allowed them to venture far beyond the extremities of their imagination. Interestingly, this concept of the multiverse is not just limited to the imaginations of science fiction authors and big-budget Hollywood directors but actually exists as an idea in modern-day science as ‘The Multiverse theory.’
This theory basically suggests that the universe that we live in, with countless stars and galaxies, might not be the only one but there are other universes apart from our own, which might be infinite. It is not necessary that those universes need to follow the laws of physics that govern our universe and might have an intelligent life of their own. There have been many speculations among scientists regarding the mechanism of the workings of the multiverse. In fact, the scientific community is torn on this matter.
During the 1900s there had been a significant advancements in the field of Quantum mechanics such as Dirac’s electron equation. A general idea of a multiverse was touched upon in that era by scientists like Schrodinger when he concluded that the cat in the box is both alive and dead at the same time. If you have done enough research on this topic then you must have come across the fact that it was Hugh Everett who first invented the idea of multi-world interpretation in the mid-1950s. In a way it’s true. Yes, it is correct that he did come up with the idea on his own but do not forget that the same idea came to another scientist years prior, Schrodinger. Everett’s findings were more mathematical while Schrodinger’s interpretations were more philosophical and he didn’t directly explain the idea of a multiverse.
In 1952, when Schrodinger’s equation seemed to suggest the existence of different possibilities, he confronted his colleagues and said,
“Nearly every result the quantum theorist pronounces is about the probability of this or that or that … happening — with usually a great many alternatives. The idea that they may not be alternatives but all really happen simultaneously seems lunatic to him, just impossible.”
Nobody actually paid attention to Schrodinger's idea back then. It would seem that the idea of a multiverse was lost in the abyss. Later, Everett accurately described the concept of a multiverse and the idea of the universe splitting into different versions of its own when confronted with Quantum choices.
When he came up with this idea, Everett was studying at Princeton and was a fellow Ph.D. student there. Before he actually came up with the final explanation of the multiverse, he first had a draft to draw the analogy which was not published. He compared the idea to the case of an amoeba where the cell splits into two and both the new cells would have the memories of their parent cell. John Wheeler, who was his supervisor at that time, encouraged Everett to approach the idea from a scientific perspective and to come up with a mathematical explanation for it. This was his motivation to emerge with the concept of the multiverse.
Everett was actually not a strong advocate of his own theory. He got tangled up with work, working under the weapon system at Pentagon. It was actually Bryce DeWitt from the University of North Carolina who promoted the idea in the 1960s and it gained some momentum. He said,
“Every quantum transition taking place in every star, in every galaxy, in every remote corner of the universe is splitting our local world on Earth into myriad copies of itself.”
There had been many interpretations regarding the theory. Wheeler later had to backtrack his endorsement of the theory as the concept was just so overwhelming. He said,
“I have reluctantly had to give up my support of that point of view in the end — because I am afraid it carries too great a load of metaphysical baggage.”
Today, this concept has gained so much popularity so that scientists and authors fantasize about it. Although a more refined interpretation of this theory has been coming along over the years, we may never have the opportunity to test out this theory as it would seem impossible to do so.
Contributed by Rishab Karki and curated by the author.
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