The discovery of gravitational waves has major implications for astronomy

Mar 18, 2014 14:11 GMT  ·  By
The discovery of gravitational waves may have also confirmed the Multiverse theory
   The discovery of gravitational waves may have also confirmed the Multiverse theory

Following the release of a groundbreaking study yesterday, March 17, covering the potential detection of the first-ever signs of gravitational wave imprints in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the international scientific community is in turmoil. A group of theoretical physicists argues that the new discovery provides ample evidence to support the Multiverse theory.

This line of thought holds that our Universe is just one among an infinity of other Universes existing in the Multiverse. This theory is not as far-fetched as it may first sound to laymen. It posits that the rapid expansion which occurred in the Cosmos just a fraction of a second following the Big Bang did not do so consistently across all portions of the Universe.

In effect, some areas may have expanded more rapidly than others, flaking off and creating bubbles of spacetime that then grew to become Universes entirely separated from our own. The discovery of gravitational waves demonstrated without a doubt that the Big Band did occur and that a period of inflation, or rapid expansion, took place a few extremely tiny fractions of a second later.

These waves are basically ripples in spacetime thought to have been produced by inflation. While the theory of universal expansion has been around for a few decades, evidence to prove that inflation actually occurred immediately after the Big Bang has been lacking, Space reports. More interestingly, the study shows inflation occurred at several times the speed of light.

The Multiverse idea holds that each individual Universe has its own set of physical rules, though some of these might be shared. “It's hard to build models of inflation that don't lead to a Multiverse. It's not impossible, so I think there's still certainly research that needs to be done,” said Alan Guth.

The expert, a theoretical physicist at MIT, was not involved in the gravitational wave detection study. During a conference held yesterday, he added that “most models of inflation do lead to a Multiverse, and evidence for inflation will be pushing us in the direction of taking [the] Multiverse seriously.”

Andrei Linde, a theoretical physicist at Stanford University, agrees that the link between the Multiverse and inflation is very strong. The expert is renowned around the world for his theories of eternal inflation, the inflationary Multiverse, and the inflationary Universe theory.

“In most of the models of inflation, if inflation is there, then the Multiverse is there. It's possible to invent models of inflation that do not allow [a] Multiverse, but it's difficult. Every experiment that brings better credence to inflationary theory brings us much closer to hints that the Multiverse is real,” said the expert, who attended the same conference as Guth.