The odds on seeing your doppelganger

For novelists and filmmakers, one of the attractive notions about parallel universes is the possibility that this universe has a double somewhere and all of us here on Earth have counterparts in another place in the cosmos. This idea appears again and again, and indeed it does have the ear of numerous physicists who belong to the multiverse camp. But beyond the ken of fiction spinners, is there any real validity to the notion that we have doppelgangers in another universe?

There are no facts to back up the idea. Indeed, there are no facts to support the theory that there are other universes. The idea stems from “inflation” theorists who say that the Big Bang which begat our universe was not the only Bang, but that there may have been other Bangs in the past and there may yet be more in the future. (Something to look forward to, at least.)

And during these series of Big Bangs, it is possible that more than one universe was created at each time. As well, it is established that our universe continues to expand. Whatever container our universe expands inside must also be expanding. Think of cake batter expanding inside an oven. The mass (the container holding our universe) grows but as it does pockets open up and matter coalesces into new universes.

That’s the theory—the cake batter expands with gas pockets making it light, semi-dry and fluffy. Those pockets stay put even after expansion, just as (the multiverse theory says) collected matter fills the bubbles created by the overall contain in which universes reside.

So what does this have to do with your doppelganger in another universe. The theory states that somewhere out there, there could be another universe just like ours. My short answer is: Don’t hold your breath.

Multiverse theory depends on string theory, which suggests that sub-sub-atomic particles, known as quarks, are made up of “strings,” more like crinkly loops actually, that have a multitude of properties, but also a number of different “dimensions.” The energy associated with these strings turned out in our universe to be just right for our existence, and everything we see in the heavens.

The energy can have endless variations, giving rise to endless numbers of variations of universes—some of which may present characteristics so strange and so alien to us that their very laws of physics would be different. But somewhere, out there, among the quadrillions of possible universes, there would one that could randomly be just like ours.

The odds are extremely long and outside of ripping fiction (like mine!) you’re not likely to meet your double any time soon.

As usual, this blog is also in aid of promoting my new novel, Mayhem, which could can read for free on Wattpad or buy at Amazon's Kindle site. If you'd like a free sample for your Kindle, click here. 

Raccoons can have doppelgangers too, right?