Physics scientists have struggled for years to understand why the Universe began with certain conditions. Suitable for life to evolve. Why are physical laws and constants important? Consider the specific valuesThat allow stars, planets and eventually life to evolve?
The vast force of the Universe. dark energy, for example, is much weaker than theory suggests it should be – allowing matter to clump together rather than being ripped apart.
Common answer is that we exist in an infinite multiverse, which means that it’s not surprising that at most one Universe has become ours. Another possibility is that the Universe is a computer simulation with an advanced alien species fine-tuning its conditions.
This option is supported in science by the branch called Information physicsThis suggests that space-time, matter and other fundamental phenomena are not possible. Instead, physical reality is made up of bits and pieces of information from which we get our experience of spacetime.
Temperature “emerges”, however, from the collective movement atoms. Temperature is not something that exists in every atom.
This raises the amazing possibility that our entire Universe may actually be a computer simulation.
This idea isn’t new. The legendary physicist, John C. Watson, was born in 1989. John Archibald WheelerHe suggested that the Universe was fundamentally mathematical, and can be seen as an emergent of information. The famous expression “It is available starting at bit“.
2003 was the year of the philosopher Nick BostromHis idea was formulated at Oxford University, UK. Simulation hypothesis. This means that it is very likely that we exist in a simulation.
Because advanced civilizations will reach a point in their technological development that simulations are indistinguishable with reality and participants wouldn’t be aware they were in simulations.
Physicist Seth LloydThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US took simulation theory to the next stage by suggesting that the entire Universe be simulated It could be a huge quantum computer.
Empirical evidence
There are some indications that our actual physical reality could be a simulated virtual world rather than an objective universe that exists without the observer.
Virtual reality will be built on information processing. All information is eventually digitized or reduced to a minimal size that cannot be subdivided.
According to quantum mechanics, this appears to mirror our reality. It says that there is a smallest, discrete unitof energy, length, and time.
Similarly, Elementary particlesThese are the smallest units in matter and make up all visible matter in the Universe. Simply put, the world we live in is pixelated.
The laws of Physics that govern all things in the Universe are also similar to computer code lines that would be followed in execution of a program. Furthermore, mathematics, numbers and geometric patterns are all possible. Are everywhere – the world appears to be entirely mathematical.
Another curiousity in physics to support the simulation hypothesis, is the maximum speed limit of our Universe, also known as the speed at which light travels. This limit in virtual reality would correspond to either the speed limit or processing power limit.
A simulation’s processing speed is affected by an overloaded processor. Similarly, Albert Einstein’s Theory of general relativityIt is evident that time slows down in the vicinity of a Black hole.
Quantum mechanics is the strongest evidence for the simulation hypothesis. This suggests that nature isn’t “real”: particles in certain states, such at specific locations, suggest that nature isn’t real. They don’t appear to existYou can’t actually measure them unless you observe them. Instead, they can be in many different states simultaneously. The same goes for virtual reality. Things can only happen if there is an observer or programer.
Quantum ” Entanglement” also allows two particles to be spookily connected so that if you manipulate one, you automatically and immediately also manipulate the other, no matter how far apart they are – with the effect being seemingly faster than the speed of light, which should be impossible.
This could be explained, however, by the fact all “locations” (points), within a virtual reality code should be roughly equal distance from a central processing unit. While we may believe two particles are millions and thousands of light years apart in real life, they would be much closer if created in a simulation.
Possible experiments
If the Universe is a simulation, what kind of experiments can we use within it to prove it?
It is reasonable to suppose that a simulation universe would have a lot information bits all around it. These information bits represent code. This is how the simulation hypothesis can be proved.
The most recent proposal mass-energy-information (M/E/I) equivalence principle – suggesting mass can be expressed as energy or information, or vice versa – states that information bits must have a small mass. This allows us to find something.
I’ve even postulated that information might actually be a fifth form in the Universe. I’ve even Calculated the expected information contentper elementary particle. These studies resulted in the 2022 publication of an experimental protocolTo see these predictions,
The experiment involves erasing the information contained inside elementary particles by letting them and their antiparticles (all particles have “anti” versions of themselves which are identical but have opposite charge) annihilate in a flash of energy – emitting “photons”, or light particles.
Based on information from physics, I have predicted exactly the frequency ranges of the resulting photos. This experiment is possible using our existing tools. Have launched a crowdfunding websiteTo achieve it.
There are also other options. The late physicist John BarrowHas argued that simulations could make small computational errors that the programmer would need fix to keep them going.
He suggested that we might Such fixings are possibleContradictory experimental results can suddenly appear, which could indicate that the constants in nature are changing. Monitoring the constant values is an alternative.
One of the most mysterious aspects of reality is its nature. The greater we take the simulation hypothesis seriously the better we will be able to prove it or disprove.
Melvin M. VopsonSenior Lecturer in Physics University of Portsmouth
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