Written by S NAGARAJAN

Date: 8 February 2017

Time uploaded in London:-  5-53 am

Post No.3616

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Santhanam Nagarajan

It was the American Physicist Hugh Everett III (Birth 11-11-1930 Death: 19-7-1982) who proposed the new path breaking theory of Parallel Universe. He said that the quantum effects cause the universe to constantly split and proposed many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Including Niels Bohr laughed at the ‘stupid idea’ proposed by him.

It was in 1963 that the great scientist J.B.S. Haldane said that “Theories have four stages of acceptance: 1) this is worthless nonsense; 2) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view 3) this is true, but quite unimportant 4) I always said so.”

Arthur Schopenhauer also echoed the same view and said that “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; and third, it is accepted as self-evident.”

The same thing happened to the Parallel Universe theory. It was ridiculed and opposed by one and all then. And accepted now!

Everett was dejected and altogether he left the Physics and joined Pentagon and did some worthless job!

Later the theory got momentum and scientists like Max Tegmark, Alexander Vilenkin have written their papers in support of Many Worlds Theory.

The brilliant physicist Everett’s tapes have been found in the basement of his rock star son’s flat. These were thought lost first and later was found out by his son Mark Everett during the making of a TV documentary.

Picture of Hugh from Wikipedia.

Everett developed this idea at the age of 24. His work tackled one of the most puzzling mysteries to emerge from the field of quantum mechanics. One consequence of the theory is that tiny particles such as electrons can behave in a curious way that allows them to be in two places at once. In one universe the particle appears in one place, while in a second it appears in the other.

Bohr has remarked, “Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.”

Yes, true! Everett rightly understood and interpreted that we are living in a multiverse of countless universes, full of copies of each of us.

It is very interesting to note that Everett has written a letter to Einstein at the age of twelve. He just challenged the highest authority in physics and got a reply also from him. It is learnt that in his letter Everett attempted to solve the paradox of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

This theory ultimately leads to the idea that everyone is immortal. In one universe or other each one of us is living.

Tegmark says even now he is being ridiculed for supporting this idea. He is pointing out the popular joke: “You passed your exam in many parallel universe – but not this one.”

But jokes apart, he says surprisingly this idea may be tested. Those who so far said that this could not be tested are baffled now. Time will prove the existence of multiverse.

Perhaps the Xerox of you might have read this article and wondered as to why should one test it when it is real!

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