* Astronomy

According to a new analysis of the Everett (Many-Worlds) interpretation of quantum theory, our universe may one day be assimilated by a larger universe.
Alternative universes that some theorists think may exist in parallel to our universe could interact, and could ultimately destroy it.

The quantum measurement problem suggests that at each quantum event the universe branch into two universes, in which both separate outcomes of the event can exist in. However this simple interpretation does not agree with the Born rule, which predicts that that there is a 70% bias to such events.

Robin Hanson, an economist who also studies physics, suggests that this bias is due to an interaction of multi universes with our universe.

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Drift-Diffusion in Mangled Worlds
Quantum Mechanics
By Robin D. Hanson

In Everett’s many worlds interpretation, where quantum measurements are seen as decoherence events, inexact decoherence may let large worlds mangle the memories of observers in small worlds, creating a cutoff in observable world measure. I solve a growth-drift-diffusion-absorption model of such a mangled worlds scenario, and show that it reproduces the Born probability rule closely, though not exactly. Thus inexact decoherence may allow the Born rule to be derived in a many worlds approach via world counting, using a finite number of worlds and no new fundamental physics.

http://hanson.gmu.edu/mangle.pdf

-- Edited by Blobrana at 20:05, 2006-02-23