物理学家说，平行世界存在并与我们的世界相互作用

物理学家说，平行世界存在并与我们的世界相互作用

Quantum mechanics, though firmly tested, is so weird and anti-intuitive that famed physicist Richard Feynman once remarked, "I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics." Attempts to explain some of the bizarre consequences of quantum theory have led to some mind-bending ideas, such as the Copenhagen interpretation and the many-worlds interpretation.

量子力学虽然经过了严格的检验，但它是如此怪异和反直觉，以至于著名物理学家理查德·费曼(Richard Feynman)曾经说过:“我想我可以有把握地说，没有人了解量子力学。”试图解释量子理论的一些奇怪的结果导致了一些令人费解的想法，如哥本哈根解释和多世界解释。

Do parallel worlds ever cross paths? (Photo: Martin Brigden [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)

Now there's a "new" theory on the block, called the "many interacting worlds" hypothesis (MIW), and the idea is just as profound as it sounds. The theory suggests not only that parallel worlds exist, but that they interact with our world on the quantum level and are thus detectable. Though still speculative, the theory may help to finally explain some of the bizarre consequences inherent in quantum mechanics, according to RT.com.

现在有一种新的理论，叫做“多交互世界”假说(MIW)，这个想法听起来很深奥。该理论表明，平行世界不仅存在，而且它们在量子层面上与我们的世界相互作用，因此可以被探测到。据RT.com网站报道，尽管该理论仍处于推测阶段，但它可能有助于最终解释量子力学中一些固有的奇异结果。

Digging in to MIW

深入研究“多交互世界”假说

It's just a matter of which universe you're aware of. (Photo: manjik/Shutterstock)

The theory is a spinoff of the many-worlds interpretation in quantum mechanics — an idea that posits that all possible alternative histories and futures are real, each representing an actual, though parallel, world.

该理论是量子力学中多个世界解释的衍生——该理论假设所有可能的替代历史和未来都是真实的，每一个都代表一个真实的，但平行的世界。

Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology, supports the many-worlds theory. It's the subject of his new book, "Something Deeply Hidden."

加州理工学院的理论物理学家Sean Carroll支持多世界理论。这是他的新书《深藏的东西》的主题。

"It's absolutely possible that there are multiple worlds where you made different decisions. We're just obeying the laws of physics," says Carroll, "We don't know whether the number of worlds is finite or infinite, but it's certainly a very large number."

“你很可能在多个世界里做出不同的决定。我们只是在遵守物理定律，”卡罗尔说，“我们不知道世界的数量是有限的还是无限的，但肯定是一个非常大的数字。”

One problem with the many-worlds interpretation, however, has been that it's fundamentally untestable, since observations can only be made in our world. Happenings in these proposed "parallel" worlds can thus only be imagined.

然而，多世界解释的一个问题是，它从根本上是不可测试的，因为观测只能在我们的世界中进行。因此，在这些被提议的“平行”世界中所发生的事情只能是想象出来的。

Not a new idea

这不是什么新想法

Wiseman and colleagues have proposed that there exists "a universal force of repulsion between 'nearby' (i.e. similar) worlds, which tends to make them more dissimilar." Quantum effects can be explained by factoring in this force, they propose.

怀斯曼和他的同事们提出，“在‘邻近的’(即相似的)世界之间存在一种普遍的斥力，这种斥力会使它们变得更不相似。”他们提出，量子效应可以通过把这个力考虑进去来解释。

Whether or not the math holds true will be the ultimate test for this theory. Does it or does it not properly predict quantum effects mathematically? Regardless, the theory is certain to provide plenty of fodder for the imagination.

数学是否正确将是对这一理论的最终检验。它在数学上是否正确地预测了量子效应?无论如何，这一理论肯定会为想象力提供充足的素材。

For instance, when asked about whether their theory might entail the possibility that humans could someday interact with other worlds, Wiseman said: "It's not part of our theory. But the idea of [human] interactions with other universes is no longer pure fantasy."

例如，当被问及他们的理论是否会带来人类有朝一日可能与其他世界互动的可能性时，怀斯曼说:“这不是我们理论的一部分。但人类与其他宇宙的互动不再是纯粹的幻想。”

What might your life look like if you made different choices? Maybe one day you'll be able to look into one of these alternative worlds and find out.

如果你做出不同的选择，你的生活会是什么样子?也许有一天，你可以看看这些不同的世界，然后找到答案。