What is the multiverse theory – explanation

The Multiverse; a concept that is rapidly gaining attention and popularity. A topic that is featuring in almost everything related to the science-fiction genre. From blockbuster movies, to number one best-selling novels, this seemingly insane theory is shining everywhere. Questions regarding the universe have always been a topic of bewilderment among scientists and science-fiction enthusiasts, but this is sparking everyone’s curiosity like none other. So, what is the multiverse, and could this theory make you change the way you see the world?

Although the Multiverse isn’t a newly discussed topic, the interpretation and depiction of this theory in movies and books is bringing it to a fresh light. But what really is the multiverse? Is it just a figment of our imagination? Or does it exist? And what are the implications if it does exist? All of these questions are creatively answered in movies and books, with each coming up with their own baffling interpretations.

In this article, I will try my best to ignite your curiosity related to this topic. I will explain the theory, and share my personal interpretations too! I hope that by the end of this read, your mind is held captive by the riot of thoughts regarding this. In my opinion, this entire theory, if nothing, is extremely beautiful, and will definitely make you feel elated (keep reading to understand this!).

Content:

• What is the multiverse?
• The multiverse on a scientific level
• Further explanation of the multiverse
• What causes these different universes?
• The blissful side
• Final words

What is the Multiverse?

The entire theory is quite complex, and is based on complicated physics theories, but it can be simplified. In understandable terms, the multiverse is a theory that suggests that the universe we know and live in, isn’t the only universe to exist. According to the theory, there is an infinite, or in more precise language, an unfathomable number of universes that exist. These different universes exist, but humanity hasn’t observed any of them yet. This, in itself, might deeply confuse someone, and incapacitate their logical thinking, because this statement defies all logic! At first, you will undeniably be skeptical, because we have been conditioned to believe that this is the only universe. But, what if our understanding is deeply flawed?

So, you now know the core theory of the multiverse. But, with just this understanding, this statement holds no real value because it seems like a creation of a creative mind. Unfortunately, there is nothing to prove its existence. However, it is important to remember that this theory was put forward by some of the most acclaimed scientists. Although there isn’t physical evidence, scientists have attempted to explain this logically.

The Multiverse on a scientific level

This may come as a shock to some, but the multiverse wasn’t initially theorised by science-fiction movies! It was a theory put forward by scientists. The many-world theory (The multiverse), emerged from Quantum mechanics. The fundamental principle of Quantum mechanics is Quantum Superposition, which basically means that an object is in multiple states, until observed. According to the theory, if a human is somehow put into a state of superposition, they will be both alive and dead at the same time. Crazy right?

You might be thinking, how is this relevant. Well, this is how the multiverse is explained from a more logical perspective.

To understand the multiverse more thoroughly, it is important to understand Quantum Superposition in depth (trust me, it just sounds complicated). To explain this, a very famous thought experiment, Schrödinger’s cat, will be of great aid. 

Schrödinger’s cat

MrSchrödinger. A pioneer in quantum mechanics. A man who is of great assist when discussing the multiverse, as his thought experiment can potentially lay a foundation for the existence of many worlds. So, what is this ‘famous’ experiment? Quite simple really. Its important to remember, this was a thought experiment, as it isn’t quite possible to carry it out (yet!). Brace yourself, because this is one of those ‘out of the world’ thought process that will blow your mind away.

Imagine you have a cat (don’t give it a name just yet…you’ll see why). You also have a box with a radioactive element, that has a 50% chance of decaying every hour. In simpler terms, this substance has a 50% chance of killing our little feline creature (told you!). Put the cat in this box of uncertainty, and close the lid. You are now incapable of knowing the events that unfold in the box. Come back after an hour, and there is a 50% chance the cat is alive. When you open the box, you realise the cat is dead. Only then, can you say with certainty, that the cat has indeed died

Conduct the same experiment, but leave the cat in the box for 24 hours. Let’s face it, the cat is probably dead by now. With a lack of hope, you open the lid, and to your surprise, the cat is healthy and alive (probably not happy though!). Even though you thought it was dead, it was impossible to rule out the possibility that the cat remained alive. Even though it was a slim chance of the positive happening, a chance nonetheless.

When the box was closed, you could not know the state of the cat. In other words, to you as an observer, the cat was both alive and dead at the same time. Alive and dead. I know, this seems absurd at first, but give it a little time, because it does in fact make absolute sense. Our feline creature, at that very moment, could be alive and dead, but not in the same universe. This right here, can be the basis of the multiverse. Scientists and physicists do believe that we live in a universe, parallel to infinite others, where events opposite to ours is occurring. Isn’t that mind-blowing? Quantum superposition is a similar theory, and scientists believe that if somehow, we can be put into a state of superposition, we could maybe reach the other side

A brilliant video by TedEd I definitely recommend watching – Schrödinger’s cat: A thought experiment in quantum mechanics 

Quantum Superposition:

Now that we have a general understanding of Schrödinger’s cat, and hopefully everyone has regained their composure after that roller-coaster, let’s explode our brains further! Quantum superposition, simply put, is that an object can exist in multiple states until observed. This concept is extremely technical, and requires advanced knowledge of physics to be fully grasped.

An English physicist, Thomas Young, carried out experiments to prove that light consists of waves, but its now useful in explaining quantum superposition. I will not be going into a great depth in this topic, but if you’re interested, I recommend reading this fantastic article – What is superposition.

Basically, if we can obtain a state of superposition, perhaps we could enter a parallel universe. Numerous scientists believe in this, but that’s something up for debate. Share your opinion on this in the comment section! Moving on from this, let’s get a better understanding of what the multiverse really is…

Further explanation of the multiverse:

As promised, I will explain this on a scientific level in a follow up article. You now know the foundation of this theory, and what exactly it consists of, but there are still unanswered questions. For instance, what does it really mean when we say that there is an infinite number of universes?

Let’s take this a step at a time, and deepen our understanding of it first.

If multiple universes exist, then what are these parallel worlds like? In theory, some of these worlds are just like ours, with minor differences. What’s important to understand is, that no parallel world is exactly like ours. There will be similarities, but there will be some variation that set the worlds apart.

There will also be universes that are completely different to ours. And these differences can be whatever we imagine them to be. For example, it is definite that there is a universe in which World War 2 never ended, and in another universe World War 1 and 2 never happened. There are unlimited possibilities as to what these alternate universes look like, but the one condition, the laws of physics can’t be broken in another universe, or at least that’s what scientists claim.

What causes these universes to be the way they are, and what causes these differences?

Before answering that, it is vital to understand this fact, no other universe can be exactly the same like ours. Now, the answer to that question is simple, us, individuals, give rise to parallel universes being formed. Every decision we make, and every decision we don’t make leads to a new world be formed.

Consider this, there are 2 universes. They are exactly the same, therefore making it one universe. In this singular universe, a person is walking down the road, and there is a fork in the road. The person decides to take a left. At that exact moment, this singular universe has split into two different universes. In one universe, the person took a left, but in the other, this person inevitably turned right. Up until that moment, the universes were the same, but when the person decided to take a left in one, the universe split.

What that means is that every decision we make causes a split, leading to a new universe being formed. This alternate world doesn’t just randomly spawn (this isn’t a video-game!), it already exists. Our choice just made it as a separate universe, one that differs from ours. Imagine this on a grander scale. 8 billion people making different choices every second. Every choice they make is leading to a split causing an alternate universe, in which their choice is opposite to what they made in our world. This is why, if the multiverse exists, there are an unfathomable number of universes.  If that wasn’t scary enough, the size of the multiverse keeps increasing, as people are constantly making choices.

The blissful side

Coming back to the statement I made earlier on, that this theory will make you happy, even if just slightly. When we feel remorseful about the road not taken, rest assured, that choice was inevitably made by a different version of us! So, we are living every possible life, just another version of us is living that life.

These different universes are everything we can imagine them to be. A universe exists is which you lived a different life, in which you made choices different to the ones made in this universe. In another world, you are living a perfect life, with everything as you wish it to be. But on the negative, there is a world where humanity never flourished, or where humanity was wiped off by the Spanish flu, or where ice-age never ended, and humanity never existed. But why dwell on them!

Final Words:

Hopefully, you have a much better understanding of the multiverse, and what it really is. In this article, I tried my best to explain this concept in a simple, yet descriptive manner. When I was reading about the theory, the explanation was either way too complex, or not described adequately. Even after reading several articles, I had unanswered questions. Therefore, in this article I explained the theory in a way in which I understood it, and touched upon questions I had myself. The beauty of this theory is, that it can be interpreted in numerous ways, because there is nothing factual regarding this! This article comprised of my personal understanding, knowledge I gained from research, and my personal interpretation.

Anything related to the Science-fiction genre has always interested me, and this in particular, intrigued me the most. I realise that the universe doesn’t need to be perceived linearly, but it can be interpreted in a different, unrefined way. Just the very possibility of the universe being more than what we think it to be, amazes me. The thought that our understanding of the universe and reality might be flawed, amazes me. And I hope reading this article, and understanding the content of it amazed you too!

If you found this interesting, and would like to explore this further, from a fiction point of view, here’s my recommendation of the best book and movie related to this:

Dark Matter – Blake Crouch

Honestly, this is the best novel I have ever read. Highly intriguing, and extremely difficult to put down! I still think about it!

Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness

Cliché! I’m a huge Doctor Strange fan, so I had to put this on the list. Brilliant movie overall. Definitely recommend it, worth the watch!

If you would like to look at it more scientifically, I suggest this brilliant video:

Parallel worlds probably exist. Here’s Why – Veritasium