Have you ever wondered if there are other intelligent beings in the universe other than
Earth?
While that may not sound so frightening, what if you have duplicates all over the place,
like, the universe?
This means a form that looks just like you doing things you'd do, which sounds unsettling,
but the hypothesis was supported by one of science's brightest minds, the late Professor
Stephen Hawking.
He worked on the Multiverse theory, which seeks to explain why you may have clones that
you are ignorant of.
Although Professor Stephen Hawking died before the James Webb Space Telescope was launched,
many hours of the new Space Telescope will be dedicated to testing some of his theories.
One of these hypotheses is the final one Hawking worked on before his death, in which he argued
the Multiverse theory, which proposes that an exact replica of you exists in a parallel
reality.
The JWST has already supported Stephen Hawking's Multiverse Theory, which many scientists opposed.
What is Stephen Hawking's Multiverse Theory?
What effect does it have on you?
What role does the James Webb Space Telescope play in proving the theory?
Let's get into it.
The idea that there could be copies of you means that there could be copies of almost
everything you know.
A replica of this planet or star in the solar system or the entire Milky Way galaxy, for
example, can be reproduced elsewhere, but your laptop or range rover may also have duplicates.
Who is creating all of these replicas, and how many may exist in the universe?
Are these fakes?
Here are some historical backgrounds for the subject of whether humans are the only beings
in the universe.
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that
none of it has tried to contact us," Bill Watterson said.
Of course, that is a sarcastic brilliant retort based on human nature rather than cosmic fact,
but in all seriousness, the problem has worried humans for as long as we've been conscious,
according to Michael J. Crowe, author of 'The Extraterrestrial Life argument, 1750-1900.'
The Multiverse theory is notable because it was the professor's final published work,
which was submitted for publication just 10 days before his death in the paper titled
'A smooth exit from Eternal inflation?' which he co-authored with Thomas Hertog, a physicist
at Belgium's Catholic University of Leuven.
Hawking offered a theory for the origins of the universe that might provide answers to
certain outstanding issues.
Despite being his final endeavor, the paper was a final look at one of his early theories.
Indeed, if the JWST eventually demonstrates the existence of the Multiverse, the scientists
behind it will be likely candidates for a Nobel Prize; however, because Nobel prizes
cannot be awarded posthumously, Hawking would be unable to receive one.
What is the Multiverse Theory, exactly?
What was the late physicist's opinion on it?
The Multiverse Theory posits that our universe, with its hundreds of billions of galaxies
and virtually uncountable stars spanning tens of billions of light years, is not the only
one; rather, there may be another world distantly removed from ours, and another, and another;
in fact, this mind-bending Theory offers an endless number of universes, each with their
own rules of physics, collections of stars and galaxies, and potentially even their own
intelligent civilizations.
So, in essence, our universe could be one of a much larger, far bigger number of universes,
known as the Multiverse.
Some will argue that it is creepier since the Multiverse implies the presence of doppelgangers
or replicas.
If there are an infinite number of universes but a finite number of ways to arrange particles
in each individual universe, then the same patterns are destined to be repeated eventually,
which means that at some incredible distance there will be an exact copy of you watching
an exact replica of this video, and because there will be an infinite number of these
exact scenarios all happening at the same time.
The Multiverse concept exists in numerous disciplines of physics and philosophy, but
the most well-known example comes from the Inflation Theory.
Inflation Theory depicts a hypothetical event that took place when our universe was only
a fraction of a second old.
The universe expanded rapidly in that short time, expanding to several orders of magnitude
larger than its previous size.
Inflation in our universe is thought to have ended roughly 14 billion years ago, although
inflation does not end everywhere at the same time.
Inflation is expected to continue in certain locations as it does in others.
Thus, while inflation has ceased in our universe, it is likely that it has continued and is
now continuing in much more remote areas.
Individual universes can pinch off from larger expanding inflating universes, culminating
in an infinite sea of Eternal inflation populated with countless unique realms.
Each Universe would emerge from this everlasting inflation scenario with its own set of physical
rules, particle collection, force organization, and basic constant values.
This could explain why our universe has certain characteristics, particularly those that are
difficult to explain using fundamental physics, such as dark matter or the cosmological constant.
According to some scientists, the emergence of intelligent species capable of making cosmic
observations is the most persuasive proof for the Multiverse.
Certain aspects of our cosmos look distinctive and necessary for supporting life when regarded
in this perspective, such as star longevity, carbon abundance, light availability for photosynthesis,
and the stability of complex nuclei.
However, you are unlikely to find all of these qualities in a random Universe.
The Multiverse explains why all of these distinct benefits arise in our universe: other universes
exist, but we perceive this one because it is capable of supporting complex life.
Nonetheless, Hertog states that Hawking was dissatisfied with this degree of understanding
of the Multiverse and asked Hertog to join him in an endeavor to tame the universe.
The couple then set about developing a method for translating the concept of a Multiverse
into a testable scientific framework.
Hawking's final publication presents a model for comprehending the world that would confine
the Multiverse and allow meaningful engagement with scientific equipment.
In the meantime, having a theory is one thing; being able to test it is quite another.
Because of the complexities involved, proving the Multiverse theory is a challenging step.
Going back in time to re-examine many processes and events that occurred before we appeared
as a universe is required for evidence.
When we talk about gazing back, we're talking about billions of years, all the way back
to the Big Bang.
Where will scientists get the essential tool to accomplish this?
Astronomers have become fond of the Hubble Space Telescope, which deserves to be inducted
into its Hall of Fame.
However, Hubble can only look so far back in time.
While the GN z11 Galaxy is approximately 13.4 billion light years away, Hubble saw GN z11
as it was approximately 13.4 billion years ago, and that is the telescope's limit.
The Big Bang happened 13.7 billion years ago, therefore there is a 300-million-year gap
between that event and the extent to which Hubble can peer back; that gap includes crucial
information.
Because of the universe's continual expansion, the GN z11 Galaxy is now 32 billion light
years away from Earth.
This is where the James Webb Space Telescope, the mother of all telescopes, comes in.
The Hubble Space Telescope's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is the largest
space Observatory yet built.
It boasts a large sun shield which measures 22 meters by 12 meters, about the size of
a tennis court.
The shield's purpose is to keep heat from interfering with the infrared cameras' operation.
The infrared instrument on the JWST enables it to focus on brilliant objects such as very
distant galaxies.
The JWST's mission is to look for the first light in the universe and celestial objects
that appeared right after the big bang.
Examine the development and evolution of galaxies, investigate the atmospheres of distant exoplanets,
photograph planets in our own solar system, and look for evidence of Dark Matter.
Hawking, who helped establish the theory that led to the concept of endless parallel universes,
acknowledged in an interview that he had never been a great fan of the Multiverse, adding,
“The usual theory of Eternal inflation predicts that globally our universe is like an infinite
fractal.
With a mosaic of different pocket universes separated by an inflating ocean.
The local laws of physics and chemistry can differ from one pocket Universe to another,
which together would form a Multiverse.
But I've never been a fan of the Multiverse.
If the scale of different universes in the Multiverse is large or infinite, the theory
can't be tested.”
String Theory, a field of physics that aims to reconcile quantum physics with gravity
and Einstein's theory of relativity, was used by Hawking and Hertog.
They introduced the radical concept of Eternal inflation, which is predicated on a barrier
at the beginning of time.
The notion is that if we trace the growth of our universe backward in time, we will
eventually come at the Eternal inflation threshold, where our familiar sense of time will no longer
be relevant.
Beginning with that boundary, the new theory imagines a finite structure of universes developing
from The Big Bang.
If this idea is proven to be right, it implies that other universes similar to our own could
have developed at that time, and that there could even have been primordial gravitational
waves matching the universe's inflation.
This new concept, however, is far from proven, and physicists will need additional data and
a deeper grasp of string theory before that can happen.
Physicists could look for evidence of other universes by using sensors designed to measure
ripples in space-time created by the universe's earliest expansion following the Big Bang,
commonly known as primordial gravitational waves.
Of course, scientists must debate on everything, but we are thrilled that humans are getting
closer to discovering whether other sentient life forms exist in parallel universes.
Meanwhile, many scientists continue to criticize the Multiverse Theory, making it extremely
contentious.
Some scientists have openly expressed their reservations, stating that it is entirely
metaphysical and nothing more than an idea.
Furthermore, they argue that Multiverse Theory is not a theory in the traditional sense because
it lacks a recognized and accepted set of mathematical equations that can be used to
perform calculations and make predictions, implying that there is no chance of connecting
in any meaningful way with empirical data for the time being.
Let us know what you think about the Multiverse theory.
Do you believe there is a clone of you out there?
Tell us about it in the comments!