Republic of Singapore Airshow 2008

The video says it all...

The past and the paradox

Was watching Déjà Vu today. For those who haven't heard of the movie, click here. The movie might be entertaining for most of you but for me it raises quite a few questions in my mind. What happens if you change the past? What happens if you observe the past? Does anything change? Well the concept of the multi-dimensional universe offers us an explanation for one of them: What happens if you try to change the past. The other question- does anything change if you observe the past- still hangs as a question, at least in my mind, waiting for a moment of divine revelation.

Changing the past

Suppose we devise a machine that enables us to travel to the past and observe things that have already happened, actions whose outcomes are already known. Does our presence there change anything? Does the realm of physics offer a plausible explanation that makes time travel possible without violating any of its Laws? Well the answer is YES. Having read many books on the subject matter, I have prepared this explanation right here.

The ground rules dictate that we assume a universe with dimensions other than the 4 known ones. We humans are 3-dimensional creatures who perceive the world through their eyes in 3 dimensions. We also experience the fourth dimension of time as a unidirectional arrow from past to the future. However, according to the 10 dimensional concept of the universe, each point on this arrow branches off to infinitely many directions, each indicating an alternative reality. Let me illustrate this using an example. I woke up today at 11 am when my alarm clock rang. When you are a college student like me, you have to weigh your choices when the alarm rings – you either wake up, or you go back to sleep. The split-second before you make the choice is a highly symmetrical one- any of the possible outcomes can happen, and each is equally probable. However, as soon as we make the choice, we break this symmetry by choosing one of the ways. Once we have made a particular choice, it will affect our next choices and so on. Theoretically speaking, the state of the entire universe after 11 am depends on your choice at that moment.

But what happens to the other choices? Since each outcome was equally probable, the symmetry must be preserved somehow. What really happens is that the other choice triggers another set of choices and we get a totally different reality that stemmed from our choice at 11 am. In other words, the outcome of the other choices does take place, although in a parallel universe of its own. Take a moment here to consider how many choices you make in your life each minute, and how many parallel universes sprout from those choices, and you will understand how immensely vast the network of space-time is.

The parallel universe concept does bust one of our assumptions – that of a linear space-time arrow. As you can see from the illustration, each branch has its own past and future, and each exists in the realm of the Laws of physics, and none of these is more favourable than the other. They all simply exist. The anthropic principle of the universe dictates that we see our universe the way it is because of our own choices, causes and effects. Thus, each universe which is present is an outcome of choices. You make a choice now; all the other choices you could have made were made. You only feel the outcome of one of those choices and that becomes your universe. There are countless other universes with countless other similar yourselves
who have made other choices and are living in their own universes.

So far so good, let us come back to our focus area of time-travel. Suppose I go back in the past and kill my great-grand father. Consequently, my grand-father is not born, hence my father and hence me, never came into this world. In that case – who is the one who killed my great-grandfather? Certainly, this leads into a paradox. What will happen if try to kill my grandfather? - Will I not be able to do it, Will someone stop me? Laws of physics certainly not prevent us from committing murder. What will really happen is that a parallel universe will sprout from the point that I kill my great-grandfather. In that universe, I, my father and my grandfather will never have been born. The choices that we made in our lives will never have been made. However, this universe does not alter the one in which we were born and lived. Hence, if we try to change the past, the change that we bring will be but one of the many parallel possibilities in space-time. In a layman's perspective, a deliberate change in the past does change the future, but along the same line through which the change has been made.

 

Observing the past

Let us come back to Déjà Vu. Suppose I have a screen that shows me what happened in my past. Will that affect my future? If yes, then why, and in which reality? Again let us consider the following example. I am a big gadget freak and am fascinated by the iPhone. Alas, it will not arrive in Singapore until June this year- that is when I plan to buy this baby. Suppose I use a screen to observe the past and look into the Apple Labs 3 years ago when the iPhone was being manufactured. I see that, for whatever reason, Apple have installed a chip in the iPhone that will make it self-destruct in December 2008. Note that I am simply observing the past, and am in no position to change it. But will this observation affect my decision to buy the iPhone in June 2008? Has the mere act of observation of the past affected my future? In geek lingo, does observation count as interference? As to that, I have no answer at the moment. I will refer to it as Adi's iPhone Paradox!

RESOURCES
1. Imagining the 10th Dimension by Rob Bryanton :Amazon.com
2. Parallel Worlds by Dr. Michio Kaku :Amazon.com

The Quest for Unification: Emergence of String Theory

Unification of physics. Some of you readers know what that is, some don’t. In my opinion, unification does not necessarily mean the amalgamation of ALL known physical theories into one equation that governs the Heavens. Though this might be the ultimate goal – the Holy Grail of modern physics, it is not the only one. Unification essentially means merging two physical theories into one. Scientists and thinkers of all times have wanted to do that, and many have achieved parts of it. When scientists unify two theories, they move a step closer to finding the underlying order of the Universe. I wholeheartedly agree with Albert Einstein’s statement:

“God does not play dice with the Universe ... "

Yes indeed. God does not play cards. The Universe is governed by a divine set of laws, which for the moment are beyond human comprehension. Understanding those laws means understanding the underlying principles on which this Universe was built. From the first second to its last. Getting even close to that is like a dream come true. It will provide mankind with the tools to the very fabric of space – time. What far-reaching consequences it will have, I do not know. For the purpose of this discussion, however, I am going to explain what is the current situation and future challenges in the field of Grand Unification of Physics, and then subsequently take up the concept of ten dimensions of the String Theory.

I spoke to God today ...

For ages and ages, I have harboured my undying passion for astrophysics and cosmology. It has been my dearest ambition to think like Buddha, to attain that Nirvana like he did. We all seek answers, scientists and philosophers alike. Deep down, we all have the same questions, and I believe that we will attain the same answers. It's just the way we search for them that is different.

To me, Nirvana is like a mental orgasm - a state of temporary blindness when you see God. Yesterday was one of those moments I truly felt that THAT is what I seek, for I believe that science will provide me with my answers.

I still remember the time I read about the superstring theory and how it promises to be the defining means of achieving the GUT (Grand Unification Theory) of Physics. There is, however, one critical assumption of the superstring theory - the Universe consists of not four, but ten dimensions. And I asked myself, how is the existence of ten dimensions so different from the existence of four. And how exactly does one think and visualize the ten dimensions when we cannot even comprehend fully the fourth dimension, which we know is definitely there.
I lived with this question for about five years - seeking a satisfying answer. The IIT-JEE preparations in the last two years played havoc on my mind and I totally lost focus of this uncompleted wish of mine. They say your past looks much better from your future, but I beg to differ. Even today, looking back at those days, I see myself fruitlessly chasing a goal which was never mine, never set by me. That was not something I was supposed to be doing, I feel. It would not be an understatement to say that I forgot myself. Dad, you will agree to that, I know.


Until yesterday ...

The 24th of February will remain etched in my memory forever. I feel like a burden has lightened from my back, and now I can raise my head to look at the path ahead of me. I have realized the true significance of the ten dimensions, and by God you need to be me to truly understand how significant this is in my life. At this point I truly agree with the views of the fictitious Prof. Leonardo Vetra of the famed 'Angels and Demons' by Dan Brown. Science is the only way to find God.

I dedicate myself to this quest.
May God (whatever that might mean!) be with me.

Hats off to Ankit Uppal to awaken me from my slumber by leading me to that website. Way to go, chum!



In the next post I will discuss about my perception of the ten dimensions, and their implications in science and technology. I however warn the reader that these are STRICTLY my views and represent what I feel and decide about this issue. I welcome suggestions and points of views from everyone.

Before I post anything,

Before I post anything, I would like to dedicate this blog to the love of my life, the only person I have loved, or will love .......

to my Dad.......





You'll never be too old for me, dad.... to the genius of the Century ...

The Three Days of My Life ...

In the endless quest to find myself, I have discovered the 3 special moments in my life so far. It is in these moments that I truly expressed my inner self. Whenever I have looked back, I have seen the sweet memories of these days smile back at me, ever so motivating, ever so inspiring.

I am Adi Dahiya, and I will never forget :

• The day I left for Singapore
  
• The day I was operated on for the first time
• The day I was appointed the Joint Secretary (Academics) in my school
  

From time to time, I will keep on discussing about these days. And I hope there are more of them.