Greene’s transformation is emblematic of a profound change among the majority of physicists. Until recently, many were reluctant to accept this idea of the “multiverse”, or were even belligerent towards it. However, recent progress in both cosmology and string theory is bringing about a major shift in thinking. Gone is the grudging acceptance or outright loathing of the multiverse. Instead, physicists are starting to look at ways of working with it, and maybe even trying to prove its existence.
If such ventures succeed, our universe will go the way of Earth - from seeming to be the centre of everything to being exposed as just a backwater in a far vaster cosmos. And just as we are unable to deduce certain aspects of Earth from first principles - such as its radius or distance from the sun - we will have to accept that some things about our universe are a random accident, inexplicable except in the context of the multiverse.
However, if our universe is part of a multiverse then we can ascribe the value of the cosmological constant to an accident. The same goes for other aspects of our universe, such as the mass of the electron. The idea is simply that each universe’s laws of physics and fundamental constants are randomly determined, and we just happen to live in one where these are suited for life. “If not for the multiverse, you would have these unsolved problems at every corner,” says Linde.
Hmm seems like they just made it up to make their equations make sense.
You know, some freeper is going to read this and post something silly:
“String theory requires that the universe has a property known as supersymmetry, which posits that every particle known to physicists has a heavier and as yet unseen superpartner.”
I have that book, Parallel Worlds,or whatever by that guy Macchu Pichu, and it is difficult, to say the least.
parsy, who tries to keep up but geeeesh
Justice League comics were pushing this almost 50 years ago. It allowed DC to retool popular superheroes (eg Flash) and bring back the old versions from “the other Earth” every once in a while.
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Maybe they're random; maybe they're not; that has not yet been determined, nor, considering the vast differences involved, can it.
“If not for the multiverse, you would have these unsolved problems at every corner,” says Linde.
Baaah! If you didn’t have multiverse you wouldn’t HAVE
corners.
Best metaphor I ever encountered:
An old (1960’s) Astro Boy cartoon where he explained it as the other side of a piece of paper.
B4l8r
I thought string theory had been disproved and M-theory had replaced it with membranes instead of strings.