9th Aug. 2011 ::
The Nature of Reality ~ Do We Live in Eight Dimensional Phase Space
Something that never fails to make me wonder is the New Scientist, and they've done it again this week with a wonderful, exhilarating article about the nature of reality itself.
New Scientist: Beyond space-time: Welcome to phase space
Now, I'm not going to claim to be 100% accurate on my interpretation of this, mostly because - well, I'm not clever enough to understand the maths - but also because this theory remains highly speculative and open to interpretation in any case, but I'm going to try...
What they are saying is that relativity (Spacetime) is only part of the equation when trying to understand the nature of the reality in which we live. What is being proposed is that a new part of reality exists in addition to Spacetime, called Momentum Space. We live in "Phase Space" where these two "realities", Spacetime and Momentum Space merge (come into phase).
Matter as we know, and experience it, exists (in a quantum sense, as quarks or perhaps just as individual strings) in 1 dimension of energy and in 3 dimensions of momentum in Momentum Space - essentially in a completely different four dimensional space.
This quantum reality (in places, and for unknown reasons) merges (comes into phase) with our own, well known 4D spacetime; our 3 dimensions of space and 1 of time (as defined in Einstein's Relativity). The result of which is that all matter (as we perceive it) is the result of a conflux of 2 four dimensional "realities" resulting in an eight dimensional Phase Space.
The classical view of matter warping Spacetime, but should this image show the earth as a whole new grid entering from other four dimensions?
You, me, all of us could be sitting - literally - between two types of universal reality; like torch light shining through a mist. Where light photons from the torch interact with the mist and illuminates it, this illuminated mist is equivalent to what we call "matter", light photons or
mist that are not in contact, and not interacting with each other surround us - but we cannot perceive them.
The Quantum (Momentum Space) and the Relativistic (Spacetime) come together in a "Phase Shift" between two otherwise separate four dimensional universes. It explains why they appear so different, and why it has been so hard to join them in a "Theory of everything".
Is this how we finally bring quantum mechanics and relativity together? Is gravity simply the result (a side effect) of the phasing of relativistic Spacetime with the quantum world of Momentum Space?
This may just help answer many of our unanswered questions (but as always) it would seem that it may pose even more than is answers. The nature of reality is of course not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.
I think it's utterly brilliant.
