Physics

Time Travel Is Possible, Scientists Say

Sam D
First Posted: Nov 29, 2016 04:23 AM EST

Time travel could be possible, a team of physicists have claimed, according to a report in the New York Post. The researchers have suggested that parallel universes exist and affect one another. Moreover, there are multiple timelines in the multiple universes; therefore, time travel is conceivable.

Scientists from the Griffith University's Center for Quantum Dynamics and the University of California came up with the Many Interacting Worlds Theory that gives a whole new perspective on the ideas underlying quantum theory, the New York Post reported. According to physicist Howard Wiseman, the idea of parallel universes has existed in quantum mechanics since 1957 -- called the Many-Worlds Interpretation, which suggests that every time a quantum measurement is made, each universe bifurcates into a group of new universes.

"All possibilities are realized therefore - in some universes the dinosaur-killing asteroid missed Earth. In others, Australia was colonized by the Portuguese," adds Wiseman, as reported by The Sun.

So, how is the new Many Interacting Worlds Theory different from Many-Worlds Interpretation? The research team of physicists has suggested that according to the new theory, our universe is just one among various worlds, and some of them are identical to our reality while others are absolutely different. However, all the worlds are real and all in the same timeline.

Furthermore, the worlds interact with each other when they bump together. Therefore, the parallel universes can affect each other. Consequently, if multiple and interacting universes actually exist, then it would be possible for time travelers to visit Earth, and every imaginable scenario would be played out in a parallel universe at some point.

Dr. Michael Hall from the research team believes that the sensational theory is in tandem with current scientific understanding and adds a new perspective rather than suggesting something that does not fit with the current understanding of physics.

"The beauty of our approach is that if there is just one world our theory reduces to Newtonian mechanics, while if there are a gigantic number of worlds it reproduces quantum mechanics," Dr. Hall further said. "In between it predicts something new that is neither quantum theory nor Newton's theory."

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