Our universe is immense. Earth is one of eight planets that revolve around our sun, which is a star, and there are billions or maybe even trillions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. With existing technology, we can see well beyond our own galaxy into the observable universe, which has a diameter of 92 billion light-years and contains perhaps two trillion galaxies. All available evidence indicates the universe is much, much bigger than what we can observe — and might be infinitely large. Parallel universe theory explores the possibility that the universe contains planets and galaxies similar to our own or even that an infinite number of separate universes may form a grand multiverse. While the idea of a parallel universe has long been a popular plot line in movies, TV shows and books, it’s now supported by compelling scientific theories that help explain observations about the known universe. The concept of a multiverse arises from inflation theory, string theory and quantum mechanics. Let’s explore these theories and break down the different levels of parallel universes that may exist to find out if another “you” is out there somewhere.
The Start of Our Universe: Inflation Theory and the Big Bang Theory
Our universe most likely started with a Big Bang, a theory that was first proposed in 1931 and is now widely accepted by the scientific community thanks to strong evidence that’s since been discovered supporting it. However, there were some aspects of the Big Bang that could not be explained until inflation theory was introduced in the 1980s, according to NASA. Inflation theory explains what happened in the tiny fraction of a second before the Big Bang. More than 13.8 billion years ago, everything that we know was a tiny, subatomic speck. Then, the speck inflated faster than the speed of light in all directions. As inflation slowed, a flood of matter and radiation appeared, creating the Big Bang fireball that allowed for the formation of atoms and molecules and, eventually, stars and galaxies pulled together by gravity. During cosmic inflation, the universe was filled with energy inherent to space itself, as Big Think explains. This allowed the universe to expand at an exponential rate, with more distant locations moving ever more quickly away. Our observations of the observable universe are consistent with this theory of inflation. The end of inflation is triggered by quantum processes that occur at different times in different places. The regions where inflation ends are thought to pinch off to form a bubble universe. The bubble universe experiences a similar Big Bang and may form a universe like ours. It could also form a universe with entirely different particles and different laws of physics. All bubble universes — including our own — continue to grow and are thought to remain separated from other bubble universes because of the space created by continuing inflation. This means no two bubble universes will ever interact or collide, and it’s possible that inflation is still continuing somewhere in the multiverse.
Read More – Parallel Universe Theory: What Are the Chances of Another You?
Does a Parallel Universe Really Exist?
Can you imagine how it would be? Carlos Fernandez/Getty Images
In 1954, a young Princeton University doctoral candidate named Hugh Everett III came up with a radical idea: A parallel universe, exactly like our universe, exists. Multiple universes are all related to ours; indeed, they branch off from ours, and our universe branches off from others.
Within a parallel universe, also known as an alternate universe, our wars have had different outcomes than the ones we know. Extinct species in our universe have evolved and adapted in separate universes. In these parallel worlds, we humans might have become extinct. Some versions even posit that there are infinite universes with infinite possibilities.
This thought boggles the mind and yet, it is still comprehensible. Notions of parallel universes or dimensions that resemble our own have appeared in works of science fiction and have served as explanations for metaphysics. But why would a young, up-and-coming physicist possibly risk his future career by posing a theory about parallel universes?
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