New theory Suggests Parallel Universes Are Real And They Are Interacting With Our Universe

A parallel universe is a hypothetical self-contained reality co-existing with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality.


The concept of parallel universes has been depicted frequently in science fiction, without any real evidence that they actually exist. Howard Wiseman of Griffith University in Australia led a team that believes quantum theory allows for multiple versions of our universe to exist and overlap, and even interact with one another on the quantum level  According to IFL Science.

One of the earliest versions of the multiverse theory was the “many-worlds interpretation” of quantum mechanics proposed by physicist Hugh Everett in 1957.

According to Everett’s “many-worlds interpretation” of quantum mechanical phenomena such as the so-called universal wave function, many and perhaps infinite worlds exist as alternate histories and futures of our known universe, and each universe is real.

To understand their new theory, published in Physical Review X, we can think of a deck of cards where each card is an event. When you have a full deck of cards, the one you turn over could be any single outcome, until you turn it over and it forces one particular outcome to occur.

So their theory suggests that the parallel universes overlap and take up the same space and time, simultaneously existing in all possible configurations until an observer (us turning over the card) forces one state to exist, just like in quantum theory.

“All possibilities are therefore realized – in some universes the dinosaur-killing asteroid missed Earth. In others, Australia was colonized by the Portuguese,” Wiseman said in a press release. “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.”

Wiseman continued. “We also believe that, in providing a new mental picture of quantum effects, it will be useful in planning experiments to test and exploit quantum phenomena.”

Response from the physics community has been varied. Luboš Motl described Wiseman’s paper as “a hopeless enterprise and a huge waste of time.” Charles Sebens from the University of Michigan, on the other hand, is more aligned with Wiseman. Using a different line of thinking, he came to a very similar conclusion and told Nature: “They give very nice analyses of particular phenomena like ground-state energy and quantum tunneling.”.

The next thing is it to try and test the theory, and see if we can someday access parallel universes, which could lead to time travel!