Parallel Universes
Abstract
I survey physics theories involving parallel universes, which form a natural four-level hierarchy of multiverses allowing progressively greater diversity. Level I: A generic prediction of inflation is an infinite ergodic universe, which contains Hubble volumes realizing all initial conditions - including an identical copy of you about 10^{10^29} meters away. Level II: In chaotic inflation, other thermalized regions may have different effective physical constants, dimensionality and particle content. Level III: In unitary quantum mechanics, other branches of the wavefunction add nothing qualitatively new, which is ironic given that this level has historically been the most controversial. Level IV: Other mathematical structures give different fundamental equations of physics. The key question is not whether parallel universes exist (Level I is the uncontroversial cosmological concordance model), but how many levels there are. I discuss how multiverse models can be falsified and argue that there is a severe "measure problem" that must be solved to make testable predictions at levels II-IV.
- Publication:
-
Scientific American
- Pub Date:
- May 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1038/scientificamerican0503-40
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0302131
- Bibcode:
- 2003SciAm.288e..40T
- Keywords:
-
- Astrophysics;
- Quantum Physics
- E-Print:
- 18 pages, 8 figs. A less technical adaptation is scheduled for the May 2003 issue of Scientific American. Version with full-resolution figs at http://www.hep.upenn.edu/~max/multiverse.html