Is our universe inside a bubble? First observational test of the 'multiverse' The theory that our universe is contained inside a bubble, and that multiple alternative universes exist inside their own bubbles -- making up the 'multiverse' -- is, for the first time, being tested by physicists. Two research papers published in Physical Review Letters and Physical Review D are the first to detail how to search for signatures of other universes. Physicists are now searching for disk-like patterns in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation -- relic heat radiation left over from the Big Bang -- which could provide tell-tale evidence of collisions between other universes and our own. Many modern theories of fundamental physics predict that our universe is contained inside a bubble.
In addition to our bubble, this `multiverse' will contain others, each of which can be thought of as containing a universe. In the other 'pocket universes' the fundamental constants, and even the basic laws of nature, might be different. Unraveling the 'Fabric of the Cosmos': Q&A with Brian Greene | Universe, Multiverse & Cosmology | PBS & NOVA TV Series. Sometimes what you see and what you perceive aren't at all what they seem. That is the message of acclaimed physicist Brian Greene's new television series. In "The Fabric of the Cosmos," a four-hour NOVA series, Greene takes viewers on a mind-bending journey to the frontiers of modern physics, where theories of space, time and the universe are challenging scientists to re-think everyday perceptions. "The Fabric of the Cosmos" explores the mysterious ingredients that are thought to occupy the seemingly endless void of space, the notion of time travel, the fascinating realm of quantum physics, and cutting-edge theories about the universe, including the idea that ours may not be the only one.
The series, which is based on Greene's book of the same title, premieres Wednesday (Nov. 2) on PBS at 9 p.m. SPACE.com caught up with Greene to discuss his new TV series, whether we're close to figuring out what dark matter is, and whether there are copies of us somewhere out there in another universe: Brian Greene on the Multiverse.
An elegant multiverse? Professor Brian Greene considers the possibilities. You might think it’s hard to have a conversation with theoretical physicist Brian Greene. His research specialty is superstring theory, the hypothesis that everything in the universe is made up of miniscule, vibrating strands of energy. Luckily for an interviewer, Greene has a knack for explaining difficult concepts to non-scientists. His first book, the best-selling The Elegant Universe, which explains the quest to unify all the laws of nature, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and led to an award-winning PBS series. He is a co-founder of the World Science Festival, an annual event in June whose aim is to make “the esoteric understandable and the familiar fascinating,” which pretty much sums up Greene’s modus operandi.
“Science is a living, breathing, exciting, evolving subject,” he says. Greene, 48, grew up on the Upper West Side and spent many a rainy day at the Hayden Planetarium, when it was a dark and musty place and not the shiny glass cube it is today. Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. Brian Greene: A Physicist Explains 'The Hidden Reality' Of Parallel Universes. Hide captionThe supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Smithsonian Institute/via Flickr The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Our universe might be really, really big — but finite. Or it might be infinitely big. Both cases, says physicist Brian Greene, are possibilities, but if the latter is true, so is another posit: There are only so many ways matter can arrange itself within that infinite universe. Eventually, matter has to repeat itself and arrange itself in similar ways.
So if the universe is infinitely large, it is also home to infinite parallel universes. Does that sound confusing? Think of the universe like a deck of cards. "Now, if you shuffle that deck, there's just so many orderings that can happen," Greene says. Greene, the author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos, tackles the existence of multiple universes in his latest book, The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos. Random House Read An Excerpt. Star Trek explaining Fringe-Multiverse. Parallel Universes [1/5] Parallel Universes [2/5] Parallel Universes [3/5] Parallel Universes [4/5] Parallel Universes [5/5] The Universe - Multiverse Parallel Universes (History Channel ®: 2008)
Multiverse. Science's Alternative to an Intelligent Creator: the Multiverse Theory | Cosmology. Prove It Linde’s recent research has helped solidify the connection between string theory and the multiverse. Some physicists have long embraced the notion that the extra dimensions of string theory play a key role in shaping the properties of new universes spawned during eternal chaotic inflation.
When a new universe sprouts from its parent, the concept goes, only three of the dimensions of space predicted by string theory will inflate into large, full-blown, inhabitable spaces. The other dimensions of space will remain essentially invisible—but nonetheless will influence the form the universe takes. Linde and his colleagues figured out how the invisible dimensions stayed compact and went on to propose billions of permutations, each giving rise to a unique universe.
Linde’s ideas may make the notion of a multiverse more plausible, but they do not prove that other universes are really out there. Support for the multiverse might also come from some upcoming space missions. Across the multiverse: Physicist considers the big picture. Is there anybody out there? In Alejandro Jenkins' case, the question refers not to whether life exists elsewhere in the universe, but whether it exists in other universes outside of our own.
While that might be a mind-blowing concept for the layperson to ponder, it's all in a day's work for Jenkins, a postdoctoral associate in theoretical high-energy physics at The Florida State University. In fact, his deep thoughts on the hypothetical "multiverse" -- think of it as a mega-universe full of numerous smaller universes, including our own -- are now receiving worldwide attention, thanks to a cover article he co-wrote for the January 2010 issue of Scientific American magazine. "Our lives here on Earth -- in fact, everything we see and know about the universe around us -- depend on a precise set of conditions that makes us possible," Jenkins said. "What theorists like Dr. "The idea of parallel universes, in particular, is one that many people find exciting," Jenkins said.
From Universe to Multiverse.