What if parallel worlds exist? Among the many dimensions there may be some very strange ones. Will people be able to live in another dimension?

Is our universe really unique and unique? In the vast expanses of science fiction, and recently among a huge number of scientists, there are many theories that suggest the existence of universes parallel to ours.

What is parallel reality?

From parallel realities that may or may not interact with each other, to universes that form parallel to ours, the idea that there are more than one worlds is heard more and more often not only on the pages of novels and on TV screens, but and at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed scientific publications.

The concept known in the world of science fiction as a "parallel universe" is one aspect of the astronomical theory of the multiverse. In fact, today there are a number of quite significant theories and evidence for the existence of the multiverse.

The emergence of the universe

Approximately thirteen and a half billion years ago, a very dense, infinitesimal singularity formed in the vastness of space. Then, according to the Big Bang theory, some change, called a trigger, caused this singularity to expand in all directions from the center.

The enormous energy released by this initial expansion raised the temperature of spacetime, but over time it cooled and began to allow photons of light to pass through.

Eventually, small particles began to clump together and form large cosmic bodies such as galaxies, stars and planets.

Evidence system

One of the questions that arises when considering this theory is: if the Big Bang happened to our universe, how high is the probability of the existence of another (or infinite number) parallel universe?

The modern technology at our disposal today limits our ability to observe space-time. Even if we were able to somehow observe the entire space of the Universe, its shape and density would not allow us to look beyond the boundaries of our Universe.

Although the idea of ​​parallel universes may seem outlandish to many, the laws of physics quite support its existence.

In addition, there are several theories about the origin and existence of the multiverse, and all of them are supported by a complex and proven system of evidence. In fact, some experts think that the existence of parallel universes is more likely than their absence.

Here are the most popular scientific theories explaining the existence of the multiverse.

Parallel universes according to string theory

At the center of string theory is the concept of a “brane” - a kind of physical multidimensional fabric. According to string theory, parallel universes exist on separate branes, which are located outside the influence of each other.

This idea was first proposed by Paul Steinhardt of Princeton University and Neil Turok of the Canadian Institute of Theoretical Physics in Ontario.

String theory assumes the multidimensionality of space. It is quite possible that in addition to our three-dimensional brane, there are other branes in multidimensional space that are also three-dimensional or consisting of four or five dimensions.

Our universe may exist in one sphere, which is located in one or more spheres.

Physicist Brian Greene speaks of the string theory multiverse as several separate three-dimensional “slabs” that independently exist in a multidimensional cosmos. According to string theory, there are ten dimensions of reality.

Daughter Universes

The theory of the multiverse, according to quantum physics, the branch that studies the smallest subatomic particles, assumes the regular occurrence of multiple parallel universes, in addition, sometimes even their entanglement is implied.

Quantum physics looks at the world in terms of probabilities, not results. The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics relies on a concept called wave function collapse.

The description of a particle is contained in its wave function; as soon as scientists want to measure its individual characteristics, such as mass or speed, the wave function collapses, and only a single measurable characteristic becomes known about the particle.

This raises the possibility of a “split of worlds”: depending on the observers, the particle exhibits different characteristics. For example, as soon as scientists decide to measure the parameters of a particle (say, speed) and lead to the collapse of the wave function, daughter realities break off from our universe in which observers will receive data about the position of the particle, its mass, its shape and other physical characteristics suitable for it.

It's like an interpretation of a Robert Frost poem. Imagine that you have come to an intersection where you can go right or left. Once you make a decision, the existing universe gives rise to a child universe where you made a different decision. And in every universe, there is a copy of you who thinks that she is the only one.

Mathematical universes

The scientific community continues to engage in active debate about the nature of mathematics to this day. What is mathematics? There are two answers:

• an extremely useful tool with which the laws of the universe are described;
• the separate fundamental reality that makes up the universe.

If we accept the mathematical nature of the universe, then it turns out that our observations of the universe are simply imperfect and are not capable of realizing its exact nature. The conclusion follows from this, suppose that our universe is an equation. Is this mathematical structure the only one possible or can the equation be written in different ways? If it can be written in different ways, would all its possible variations represent parallel universes?

Infinite Universe

Scientists can't say with certainty what the actual shape of space-time is, but it's most likely flat rather than spherical. If spacetime is flat and the universe is expanding, then it can expand indefinitely.

But if space-time is limitless, then at a certain moment it must begin to repeat itself, therefore there is a limited number of formations of matter particles.

Thus, if we observe the universe from a sufficient distance, it is likely that we could encounter identical copies of ourselves living other lives. This theory makes the universe look like an endless patchwork carpet with a repeating pattern.

Thus, many repeating parts exist next to each other in a giant motley mosaic of the universe.

Spacetime can expand indefinitely. If so, then everything in our universe must repeat itself at some point, creating repeating elements in an infinite pattern.

Universes within a universe

Parallel universes, according to the theory of chaotic inflation, can arise as isolated bubbles within a rapidly expanding universe.

The theory of chaotic inflation suggests that immediately after the Big Bang the universe expanded very quickly, and then began to slow down as it cooled.

Eternal inflation, proposed by Tufts University cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin, suggests that the process of rapid inflation created pockets in spacetime that cooled faster.

Thus our own universe, where rapid inflation has already ended, allowing stars and galaxies to form, is just a small bubble in a vast sea of ​​spacetime, part of which is still rapidly expanding.

In addition, the scientist suggests that in some of these bubbles, the laws of physics and fundamental constants might differ from ours.

The hypothesis that the Universe consists of many dimensions is quite stable both in official science and in the field of parascientific research. But if our familiar world has “alternatives,” then what consequences can this lead to? Perhaps some realities resulting from this order of things do not even occur to us...

Scientists have discovered the age of the Universe

The number of parallel dimensions can approach infinity

Why not? If we assume that the Universe itself is “multivariant,” then who is able to calculate how many such variants can exist. There is no evidence yet that their numbers are limited. This means that we cannot say this for sure. And there can be so many dimensions that their number is beyond the control of our mind.

There are many “copies” of us in the Universe.

Each of them lives in its own dimension and has no idea about the existence of other “copies”. In different realities we suffer different fates. So, in one dimension we can part with our lovers, but in another we are still together. In one we suffer a premature death, in the other we continue to live... Consequently, our true personality is the totality of all our “versions”, and not just one of them...

Our life is an illusion

It is not for nothing that Buddhists are convinced that the surrounding reality is illusory. There is some truth in this. We perceive our life path as a certain integrity, but if reality is capable of branching, then we can simply “forget” what happened to us earlier, in a different “version”.

In other words, our experience is not a logical sequence of events, but only their arbitrary set... And everything in our life may not be what it seems.

Among the many dimensions there may be very strange ones

We are sometimes surprised by the absurdity of current events, strange accidents and coincidences... But what if this is the result of our, albeit temporary, “transition” to another dimension?

Such dimensions can be generated by actions and events that happen to us in the “previous” reality. For example, with one trouble a streak of failures can begin... Simply because we find ourselves in a world to which it corresponds.

We may suddenly start to have luck in our careers, lotteries, etc., because one piece of luck “pulled” a whole “lucky” dimension with it. At first glance, the course of events may seem devoid of any rational background, but if we take the theory of multidimensionality as a basis, then everything immediately becomes completely understandable...

Time travel is possible, and without paradoxes

If the possibility of time travel is opened, then we will most likely end up in alternative dimensions, which we will perceive as the past or future. So no one will be able to kill his grandfather and cease to exist, which is what some theorists scare us with. We will kill only one of the “versions” of the relative, while the others will remain alive. And it is unlikely that this will affect our present.

Any events can happen an infinite number of times

There is a theory that the same events can be repeated after a certain amount of time. If the Universe is multidimensional, then almost any event can happen again, and again, and again... Since we move from dimension to dimension.

There may be a relationship between dimensions

Quantum physicist Rainer Plaga experimentally proved in 1995 that the excitation of a particle isolated in an ion trap can “backfire” in an artificially created “neighboring” system. If it is possible to “transmit” quantum information into a parallel reality, then we can say that the worlds are able to communicate with each other, Plaga suggests.

The principle of free will also applies at the quantum level

We have all had to make “fateful” decisions that significantly affected our future lives. But if the world is multivariate, then what is the use of them?

Meanwhile, according to Michael Clive-Price, a proponent of the theory of multidimensionality, if we proceed from the quantum nature of the Universe, then even in different “mini-realities” certain decisions should be made more often than others. Therefore, most likely, our choices still have an impact on reality as a whole. This means that free will cannot be discounted.

We are relatively immortal

If in some worlds we die, then in others we remain alive. According to researcher Paul Halpern, author of the famous "Schrödinger's cat" paradox, at least one of our “versions” must constantly exist in order to observe the Universe.“Our consciousness will always reside only in living copies, and we will be able to survive any number of potentially dangerous events associated with quantum transitions,” he says.

Imagine a physicist sitting in a cage with a gun pointed directly at his head. Every few seconds, the spin direction of a random particle in the room is measured. If the spin is directed in one direction, then the gun fires and the physicist dies. If it’s the other way, then only the sound of a click is heard and the physicist survives. It turns out that the physicist's chances of survival are 50/50, right?

Everything may not be so simple if we live in a multiverse - that is, in addition to our universe, which we call home, there are many others.

The physicist and gun scenario begins a famous thought experiment called “quantum suicide,” and is one way to try to understand whether we live in just one of many (and potentially infinite) universes.

This thought experiment relies on quantum mechanics and the idea that there is no single objective reality. Everything we see around us is just one of the possible configurations of all the probabilities that this or that event will occur. One interpretation of quantum mechanics is that all other sets of probabilities can exist in their own separate universes. So if you follow the thought experiment with this interpretation in mind, when you measure the second particle, the universe will split into two, each with its own possible scenario: in which the physicist is alive and in which the physicist is dead.

His survival is now linked to quantum probability, so it's as if he was alive and dead at the same time - just in different universes. If a new universe splits every time a particle is measured, and the gun either fires or it doesn't, then in one of those universes the physicist will eventually survive, say, 50 particle measurements. You can compare this to throwing a coin 50 times in a row. The probability that you will get heads 50 times in a row is extremely small, but it is there - the chance tends to zero.

And if this happens, the physicist will understand that the multiverse is real, and in a particular case - in the experiment described - the physicist is truly immortal, since the gun will never fire. But he will also become the only person who knows that these parallel universes exist. And how many physicists will have to be spent to find out for sure.

However, there are other, more reasonable versions of multiple universes that are supported by mathematics and are potentially testable.

“For some people, parallel universes are like jumping through a portal to another world or something,” says Matthew Johnson, a physicist at the Perimeter Institute. “But this is completely different.”

Actual observable evidence of multiple universes will be difficult to find, but not impossible. And here's how physicists plan to do it.

Multiverse versions

In fact, there are quite a few multiverse theories, and the multiverse from the “quantum suicide” thought experiment, where every possibility becomes a reality, is one of the most radical.

MIT physicist Max Tegmark suggests breaking down multiple universe theories into four different types to make it easier to think about.

We will focus on the first level of multiverses - these versions are the easiest to understand. At the first level, we also have a pretty good chance of finding evidence that will prove that the multiverse is real.

Multiple universes follow from mathematical predictions of already existing theories, and the first level multiverse is predicted by a very respected and powerful idea in physics: inflation.

What do we mean by "universe"?

To understand the idea of ​​multiple universes, we first need to define what we mean when we say “universe.” Our definition of the “universe” has changed more than once, for example, when we invented the first telescope, looked into space and learned that the stars are not attached to the sky with nails, and the Earth is not alone in space.

But the universe is much larger than we can see with a telescope, Johnson says. Our universe represents only a sphere of light that has had enough time to reach us. If we wait another billion years, we'll see even more and our understanding of the universe will be upended again, Tegmark says.

Someone standing on a planet trillions of light years away would have a completely different picture of the "universe" based on how much light fell on their planet.

There is no way we can reach these other bubble universes by definition, because there is no way to travel faster than light. Although we cannot see them, physicists believe that traces of their birth can still be detected.

Where is the proof?

The idea behind inflation is that during its inception, our Universe went through a period of rapid expansion (immediately after the Big Bang) when a nanometer of space suddenly exploded across 250 million light years in less than one trillionth of a second.

Once inflation began, it never completely stopped. In some areas of space-time it stops, in which areas of space turn into bubbles like the universe that we see around us, but in other places space continues to expand. If the expansion is infinite, and many believe so, then new bubbles of universes are constantly being formed. This leaves a trail of bubbles. We drift through spacetime in the foamy Jacuzzi of universes.

Again, there is no way to communicate with these other bubble universes because we can't travel faster than light. But theoretically we can prove that they exist. And here's how.

When our bubble universe first formed, it is quite possible that it collided with other bubble universes that are forming around ours. It is unlikely that we are still close to them, since the ongoing expansion of space-time takes us further and further.

However, the impact of early impacts could have sent ripples through the cosmic microwave background (the heat left over from the Big Bang). Theoretically, we could notice these ripples using telescopes. She would be a discolored disk - like a bruise on the body of a microwave background.

Jones is looking for such “bruises,” but much depends on how quickly other bubble universes appeared and how many of them there may be. If there are few bubbles, we might not encounter them at all.

The Planck Space Telescope is currently listening to the skies for evidence of such collisions with other universes.

Different physicists have different theories of the multiverse. This version comes from string theory, as well as the idea that there are many other dimensions that we simply don't have access to (like McConaughey's character in Interstellar). Some physicists think that parallel universes lurk in these extra dimensions.

This multiverse idea is also testable.

Physicists will look for microscopic black holes at the Large Hadron Collider, which opened recently. It is impossible to produce a black hole at the LHC that would be dangerous, but, according to this theory, it is quite possible to create microscopic black holes that will instantly evaporate. The presence of black holes would mean that the gravity of our Universe is leaking into extra dimensions.

“Because gravity can leak out of our Universe into extra dimensions, such a model can be tested by detecting miniature black holes at the LHC,” said physicist Mir Faisal. - We calculated the energy at which these black holes can be detected in a gravitational rainbow. If we find black holes at this energy, we will know that both the gravitational rainbow theory and the extra-dimensional theory are both correct."

However, there is no serious confirmation yet. Only doubts.

“I believe only what is supported by concrete, verifiable experimental evidence, and the concept of parallel universes certainly cannot boast of that,” says Brian Greene, a theoretical physicist at Columbia University.

The problem, Johnson says, is that physicists are moving away from philosophical discussions of multiple universes. Some just want to test an idea. Others hold radical and untestable theories. Tegmark says he will try a quantum suicide experiment when he is old and infirm. But let's hope he's just joking.

One of the theories is the presence of a “fifth dimension”, which is fundamentally different from the three spatial ones. According to supporters of this hypothesis, the discovery of this dimension will lead to the fact that people will be able to move from one world to another.

The Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences has calculated that the number of parallel dimensions can reach several hundred. We cannot see them, since in our reality they are in a collapsed state. And yet they exist. As for what exactly parallel worlds can be, philosophers answer that anything can happen in them. The simplest option is through the looking glass. That is, a world where all truths are opposite to ours.

The main question that interests a person: is it possible to see a parallel world or come into contact with it? How can you make the transition to an alternative reality? No one knows this yet.

Like philosophers, physicists do not deny the possibility of the existence of parallel worlds. In theory, a transition from one reality to another without violating the law of conservation of energy is possible. But for this you need to spend an amount of energy that cannot be found in our entire Universe. Other worlds could have begun at the moment of the Big Bang, if we assume that there was more than one point from which the Universe emerged. Then, from many different points, many different worlds appeared.

Some scientists believe that there are quantum tunnel transitions between worlds, others are confident that the entrance to parallel worlds is hidden by black holes. According to existing ideas, black holes are funnels in which matter disappears. However, in reality they may turn out to be places where several worlds come into contact. From a mathematical point of view, the existence of space-time structures connecting different realities is quite possible. These hypothetical transitions from one world to another are called “wormholes.” Theoretically, movement in them occurs at infinite speed.

The wormhole theory may be related to the phenomenon of new star formation. If you observe this process, it seems that matter appears out of nowhere. Perhaps this is how matter from parallel worlds moves into the Universe.

The theory of the multiverse allows us to explain many phenomena that do not fit into the framework of modern science. Scientists are not yet able to prove this theory, but no one is attempting to refute it either. The existence of parallel worlds inhabited by intelligent beings provides clues to paranormal phenomena, the appearance of ghosts, and the mysterious disappearance of people.

The belief in the existence of invisible neighbors borders on fantasy. Or with a sick imagination. That's what the skeptics say. And supporters stand their ground and give as many as 10 arguments in favor of an alternative reality.

1. Many-Worlds Interpretation

The question of the uniqueness of all things worried great minds long before the authors of science fiction novels. The ancient Greek philosophers Democritus, Epicurus and Metrodorus of Chios thought about it. Alternate universes are also spoken of in Hindu sacred texts.

For official science, this idea was born only in 1957. American physicist Hugh Everett created the theory of many worlds, designed to fill gaps in quantum mechanics. In particular, find out why light quanta behave either like particles or like waves.

According to Everett, each event leads to a split and copying of the Universe. In this case, the number of “clones” is always equal to the number of possible outcomes. And the sum of the central and new universes can be depicted in the form of a branched tree.

2. Artifacts of unknown civilizations

Some finds baffle even the most experienced archaeologists.

For example, a hammer discovered in London, dated to 500 million BC, that is, a period when there was not even a hint of Homosapiens on Earth!

Or a computational mechanism that allows you to determine the trajectory of stars and planets. A bronze analogue of the computer was caught in 1901 near the Greek island of Antikythera. Research on the device began in 1959 and continues to this day. In the 2000s, it was possible to calculate the approximate age of the artifact - 1st century BC.

So far there is nothing indicating a fake. There are three versions left: the computer was invented by representatives of an unknown ancient civilization, lost by time travelers, or... planted by people from other worlds.

3. Teleportation Victim

The mysterious story of Spaniard Lerin Garcia began on an ordinary July morning when she woke up in an alien reality. But I didn’t immediately understand what had happened. It was still 2008, Lerin was 41 years old, she was in the same city and house where she went to bed.

Only the pajamas and bedding changed color overnight, and the closet ran into another room. The office where Lerin worked for 20 years was not there. Soon the ex-fiancé, who had been dismissed six months ago, materialized “at home.” Even a private detective could not figure out where the current friend of his heart had gone...

Alcohol and drug tests were negative. As well as consultation with a psychiatrist. The doctor attributed the incident to stress. The diagnosis did not satisfy Lerin and prompted her to search for information about parallel worlds. She was never able to return to her native dimension.

4. Deja vu in reverse

The essence of déjà vu does not boil down to the familiar vague feeling of “repetition” and everyday foresight. This phenomenon has an antipode - jamevu. People who have experienced it suddenly stop recognizing familiar places, old friends and scenes from films they have watched. Regular jamevu indicates mental disorders. And isolated and rare memory failures also occur in healthy people.
A striking illustration is the experiment of English neuropsychologist Chris Moulin. 92 volunteers had to write the word “doors” 30 times in a minute. As a result, 68% of subjects seriously doubted the existence of the word. A glitch in thinking or instantaneous leaps from reality to reality?

5. The Roots of Dreams

Despite the abundance of research methods, the reason for the appearance of dreams still remains a mystery. According to the generally accepted view of sleep, the brain merely processes information accumulated in reality. And it translates it into pictures - the most convenient format for the sleeping mind. Solution number two - the nervous system sends chaotic signals to the sleeping person. They are transformed into colorful visions.

According to Freud, in dreams we gain access to the subconscious. Freed from the censorship of consciousness, it hastens to tell us about repressed sexual desires. The fourth point of view was first expressed by Carl Jung. What you see in a dream is not a fantasy, but a specific continuation of a full life. Jung also saw a code in the dream images. But not from suppressed libido, but from the collective unconscious.
In the middle of the last century, psychologists started talking about the possibility of controlling sleep. Appropriate manuals have appeared. The most famous was the three-volume instruction manual by American psychophysiologist Stephen LaBerge.

6. Lost between two Europes

In 1952, a strange passenger appeared at Tokyo airport. Judging by the visas and customs stamps in his passport, he has flown to Japan many times over the past 5 years. But in the “Country” column there was a certain Taured. The owner of the document assured that his homeland was a European state with a thousand-year history. The “alien” presented a driver’s license and bank statements obtained in the same mysterious country.

Citizen Taured, no less surprised than the customs officers, was left overnight at a nearby hotel. The immigration officers who arrived the next morning did not find him. According to the receptionist, the guest did not even leave the room.

Tokyo police have found no trace of the missing Taured. Either he escaped through a window on the 15th floor, or he managed to transport himself back.

7. Paranormal activity

“Alive” furniture, noises of unknown origin, ghostly silhouettes hovering in the air in photographs... Meetings with the dead occur not only in the movies. For example, many mystical incidents in the London underground.

At Aldwych station, which closed in 1994, intrepid Brits hold parties, make films and periodically see a female figure walking along the tracks. The subway section near the British Museum is occupied by the mummy of an ancient Egyptian princess. Since the 1950s, a dandy has been frequenting Covent Garden, dressed in the fashion of the late 19th century and literally melting before our eyes when anyone pays attention to him...

Materialists brush aside dubious facts, believing

contacts with spirits, hallucinations, mirages and outright lies of storytellers. Then why has humanity clung to ghost stories for centuries? Perhaps the mythical kingdom of the dead is one of the alternative realities?

8. Fourth and fifth dimensions

The length, height and width visible to the eye have already been studied lengthwise and crosswise. The same cannot be said about the other two dimensions, which are absent in Euclidean (traditional) geometry.

The scientific community has not yet delved into the intricacies of the space-time continuum discovered by Lobachevsky and Einstein. But there has already been talk about a higher – fifth – dimension, accessible only to those with psychic talents. It is also open to those who expand consciousness through spiritual practices.

If we put aside the guesses of science fiction writers, almost nothing is known about the non-obvious coordinates of the Universe. Presumably, it is from there that supernatural beings come into our three-dimensional space.

9. Rethinking the double-slit experiment

Howard Weissman is convinced that the duality of the nature of light is the result of the contact of parallel worlds. The Australian researcher's hypothesis connects Everett's many-worlds interpretation with the experience of Thomas Young.

The father of the wave theory of light published a report on the famous double-slit experiment in 1803. Jung installed a projection screen in the laboratory, and in front of it was a dense screen-screen with two parallel slits. Then light was directed onto the cracks made.

Part of the radiation behaved like an electromagnetic wave - light stripes that passed straight through the slits were reflected on the rear screen. Another half of the light flux appeared as a cluster of elementary particles and scattered across the screen.
“Each of the worlds is limited by the laws of classical physics. This means that without their intersection, quantum phenomena would simply be impossible,” explains Weissman.

10. Large Hadron Collider

The multiverse is not just a theoretical model. French astrophysicist Aurélien Barrot came to this conclusion while observing the operation of the Large Hadron Collider. More precisely, the interaction of protons and ions placed in it. The collision of heavy particles produced results incompatible with conventional physics.

Barro, like Weissman, interpreted this contradiction as a consequence of the collision of parallel worlds.