Daniel Robbins

The multiverse is a theory that suggests our universe is not the only one, and that many universes exist parallel to each other. These distinct universes within the multiverse theory are called parallel universes. A variety of different theories lend themselves to a multiverse viewpoint.Not all physicists really believe that these universes exist.

General relativity was Einstein’s theory of gravity, published in 1915, which extended special relativity to take into account non-inertial frames of reference — areas that are accelerating with respect to each other.General relativity takes the form of field equations, describing the curvature of space-time and the distribution of matter throughout space-time.

General relativity was Einstein’s theory of gravity, published in 1915, which extended special relativity to take into account non-inertial frames of reference — areas that are accelerating with respect to each other. General relativity takes the form of field equations, describing the curvature of space-time and the distribution of matter throughout space-time.

Many physicists feel that string theory will ultimately be successful at resolving the hierarchy problem of the Standard Model of particle physics. Although it is an astounding success, the Standard Model hasn’t answered every question that physics hands to it. One of the major questions that remains is the hierarchy problem, which seeks an explanation for the diverse values that the Standard Model lets physicists work with.

For most interpretations, superstring theory requires a large number of extra space dimensions to be mathematically consistent: M-theory requires ten space dimensions. With the introduction of branes as multidimensional objects in string theory, it becomes possible to construct and imagine wildly creative geometries for space that correspond to different possible particles and forces.

Before string theory was a theory, early astronomy provided some support for the existence of a plurality of worlds, a view that was so controversial that it contributed to at least one man’s death. These plurality of worlds, and the eventual parallel worlds, were rooted in the ideas of an infinite universe, as are the ideas of parallel universes.

In string theory, the multiverse is a theory in which our universe is not the only one; many universes exist parallel to each other. These distinct universes within the multiverse theory are called parallel universes. A variety of different theories lend themselves to a multiverse viewpoint. In some theories, there are copies of you sitting right here right now reading this in other universes and other copies of you that are doing other things in other universes.

As a consequence of the Standard Model’s success, string theory wasn’t needed to explain particle physics. Instead, almost by accident, string theorists began to realize that string theory might just be the very theory that would solve the problem of quantum gravity. By 1974, the Standard Model had become the theoretical explanation of particle physics and was being confirmed in experiment after experiment.

In trying to understand the universe, two major problems remained: the flatness problem and the horizon problem. To solve these, the big bang theory is modified by the inflation theory, which states that the universe expanded rapidly shortly after it was created. Today, the principles at the heart of inflation theory have a profound impact on the way that string theory is viewed by many physicists.