Shutterstock/Dr. Norbert Lange
We think of this universe as containing everything that exists, has existed in the past, and will exist in the future, but that may not be the case – there are many ways in which other universes exist.
One is that we may be part of a branch of an infinite number of universes collectively known as the multiverse. These universes could have emerged shortly after the Big Bang, could be hiding in extra dimensions, or could suddenly appear whenever quantum properties shift from different states into a single reality.
The idea of a multiverse rose to scientific prominence in the 1980s with the invention of inflation, a period when the early universe suddenly expanded. Inflation explains why the universe is so flat and smooth, but it also predicts the creation of many independent bubble universes.
Cyclic Universe
But inflation is only one path to a multiverse, and critics say it has some merit. In recent years, many cosmologists have turned to alternative theories, such as cyclical universe theory, which claims that the universe is expanding and compressing endlessly. These theories still claim multiple universes, but at different times.
“What I don’t like about inflation is that there is very little true prediction. You never get back more than you put in.” Neil Tulloch Physicist at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. Model of a cyclical universe In my 2001 book Inflation Rivals, I argued that there must be a better explanation for inflation.
In a cyclical universe…
Source: www.newscientist.com
