The concepts of time travel and parallel universes are fairly common in the realm of science fiction. However, according to a new scientific study, neither of these two concepts are necessarily mere products of human imagination and could, in fact, be possible in reality too.
Professor Howard Wiseman and Dr. Michael Hall, both hailing from the Griffith University’s Centre for Quantum Dynamics, have come up with the controversial but intriguing idea that parallel universes could exist for real and may hold the key to time travel.
Called the ‘Many Interacting Worlds Theory’, it brings in a whole new perspective on the ideas originating from quantum physics — one of the most weirdly complex strands of science.
Stating that the core idea involving the possible existence of parallel universes first originated decades back, Professor Wiseman claims that Many Worlds Interpretation essentially suggest a multiverse where each universe branched into a bunch of new universes every time a quantum measurement is made.
“All possibilities are therefore realized – in some universes the dinosaur-killing asteroid missed Earth. In others, Australia was colonized by the Portuguese,” he said, reports The Express.
“But critics question the reality of these other universes, since they do not influence our universe at all.
“On this score, our ‘Many Interacting Worlds’ approach is completely different, as its name implies.”
Simply put, the theory predicts that our Universe is just one amongst many parallel universes — unfathomably large, if not infinite, in number — some with traits identical to our reality while others are completely different. Not only all of these parallel universes are real, but they exist on the same timeline and interact via a force of repulsion (essentially bumping into one another). What’s even more interesting (and counterintuitive) is that if this theory is indeed correct, that would mean that it’s theoretically possible for time travelers to visit Earth.
Co-author of the study Dr. Hall says that their theory falls in line with the existing understanding of the Universe, adding that their approach could help other researchers test the Many Interacting Worlds theory.