Multiverses

This is NOT science fiction

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, listeners of the Internet. I cannot thank you enough
for stopping by. It is time for another episode of
these science Stuff to Blow your Mind podcast. We're going
to blow your mind with science. Today's episode is gonna
be a doozy. We're talking about science here, folks, not

(00:22):
science fiction. What these crazy scientists are coming up with
these days is just amazing. Today's episode, we're going to
dive into the wacky world of multiverses. That's right, This
isn't a Marvel comic. This is reality. Cosmic inflation is

(00:44):
a theory proposed by Alan Gooth in the nineteen eighties.
It suggests that the universe expanded exponentially during the first
moments after the Big Bang. In this model, the rapid
inflation creates bubbles of space time, each of which could

(01:08):
represent a different universe. These bubbles may have varying properties,
like different physical constants, laws of physics, or even the
dimensions we experience. Our universe would simply be one of
these bubbles. Each bubble could be expanding at its own rate,

(01:35):
and some could potentially collide with others, creating observable phenomena
like cosmic background radiation that could be evidence of such collisions.
Scientists are currently studying parallel universes as well. This theory

(01:59):
is deeply to quantum mechanics, particularly the idea of it.
When quantum events occur, such as a particle's position being determined,
the universe branches into multiple realities to accommodate all possible outcomes.

(02:19):
For example, if a particle can either be in position
A or B, then there has to be a universe
where the particle is in A and another where it
is in B. This is the many world's interpretation, and
it suggests there is no collapse of the quantum wave

(02:42):
function the standard view, but rather each possible state exists
in its own distinct universe, creating a vast network of
parallel worlds. Max Tegmark proposed the mathematical multiverse. He proposed

(03:06):
that the multiverse might not be made up of different
physical realities, but rather different mathematical structures. If a mathematical
structure is consistent and possible, then a corresponding universe exists
that follows that structure. This means that any mathematical model,

(03:31):
no matter how bizarre, could correspond to a real universe.
This theory opens up a potentially infinite set of universes
that exist only as mathematical abstractions with properties or laws
that may not even be comprehensible to us. Tied to

(03:58):
the many worlds in interpretation is the quantum multiverse that
suggests that every quantum decision or event creates a new universe,
with each outcome occurring in a separate branch. In this framework,
particles are not in one state, but exists in a

(04:22):
superposition of all states until actually measured. Once measured, the
universe splits, resulting in different realities where each possible state happens.
The quantum multiverse explains that every time a decision is
made or a quantum event occurs, a new universe is

(04:46):
created with a different outcome. Based on the holographic principle,
the theory of a holographic multiverse p poses that our
universe is a projection of information stored on a lower

(05:07):
dimensional surface, similar to how a hologram is a three
D image projected from two D. According to this view,
the multiverse could be made up of universes that are
projections of various higher dimensional spaces, and each universe would

(05:30):
have its own distinct properties. The holographic multiverse would mean
that the very nature of space and time as we
experience it might be an illusion, simply a projection from
a deeper, higher dimensional reality. The anthropic principle suggests that

(05:56):
the universe appears to be fine tuned for life, and
we must consider that the only reason we observe it
is because we, as life forms, are here to observe it.
In the context of the multiverse, this principle could explain
why our universe has the perfect balance of constants like

(06:22):
the gravitational constant or fine structure constant that allow life
to exist. In a multiverse with potentially infinite universes, it
is not surprising that at least one ours has the

(06:43):
right conditions for life to exist. Other universes might not
have such fine tuning and might be devoid of life.
String theory suggests that the fundamental particles of nature are
not point like particles, but rather tiny vibrating strings. These

(07:09):
strings vibrate in different patterns, giving rise to different particles,
and the theory requires extra spatial dimensions beyond the usual
three D space we experience. In some versions of string theory,
these extra dimensions can lead to existence of parallel universes.

(07:36):
The string landscape is a concept where string theory predicts
a vast number of possible ways the extra dimensions can compactify,
leading to a potentially infinite number of universes with different
physical laws and constants. Each configuration represents a different universe.

(08:05):
The simulation hypothesis was proposed by philosophers like Nick Bostrom,
who suggested that advanced civilizations could create simulations of universes,
so it's possible that our entire universe is an artificial construct.

(08:29):
The multiverse in this context would suggest that many simulations
might be running at the same time, each with different
rules and parameters. If we exist in a simulation, there
could be an infinite number of simulations, each designed by
different creators advanced civilizations. This would mean that reality as

(08:54):
we know it could simply be one simulation within a
vast multiverse of digital worlds. In a bubble multiverse scenario,
the bubbles or universes are separated by inflationary space, which

(09:17):
expands faster than light. These bubbles might occasionally collide with
each other. These collisions could potentially release vast amounts of
energy in possibly leave to observable traces in the cosmic background.
Radiation or other aspects of the universe. The concept of

(09:40):
bubble collisions could explain anominalies in cosmic radiation or other
phenomena that we can't fully explain. This suggesting that our
universe is not entirely isolated, but is interacting with other universes.

(10:02):
The fine tuning of constants like the strength of gravity,
the charge of the electron, and others in our universe
seems extraordinarily precise for life to exist. Some argue that
this fine tuning could be explained by the existence of
a multiverse, where many universes have different constants. The reason

(10:29):
we observe fine tuning is simply because we live in
the universe that happens to support life. In a multiverse,
each universe might have different physical constants, and we happen
to live in one that those constants are just right
for life to evolve. Folks, I hope you've enjoyed this episode.

(10:51):
That's all the time we have for today's science is
stuff to blow your mind. We've barely scratched the surface,
so I'm back next week for the rest of the multiverse.