Follow
Not many people know that only ten days before he passed away, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking submitted one last paper for publication. Recently, the Journal of High Energy Physics fulfilled his last wish and published his last research. In it, the renowned physicist along with co-author Thomas Hertog are talking once again about the origin of the universe and offer some important answers that might help settle some years-long questions. There is one popular theory that says that our universe is actually one small part of a “multiverse” that is made up of infinite parallel universes.
According to this recent paper, all the other universes out there follow the same laws of physics as our own. This theory means that all of the other universes are a lot more testable and manageable because science no longer has to worry about deciphering completely different rules of physics and chemistry. According to the study, there might even be a possibility to test this theory. Using tools initially designed to look for ripples in space, experts could start searching for other universes. Stephen Hawking is the one who helped develop this theory that eventually led to the idea of the multiverse.
Stephen Hawking and his final research
The late physicist based his research on a concept known as “eternal inflation”. This essentially means that after the Big Bang, the universes started expanding. However, that process never stopped in certain areas. This means that the universe we know is simply one of the places where expansion stopped. This is why the galaxies and stars formed.
The new paper is also trying to reconcile Einstein’s theory of relativity with gravity and quantum physics. The new idea about eternal inflation relies on a boundary that lies at the beginning of time. This is why this theory claims that there is a finite structure of universes that began with the Big Bang.
Image source: flickr
