Possible worlds, a new frontier

Edgardo E Estavillo Torrellas

Our daily life is based on decisions, every decision have an effect, imagine every possible path one could follow result in the creation of another reality. This argument was first expose in the 50’s by the American physicists Hugh Everett with his proposal of the “Many-Worlds Interpretation,” theory supported by the quantum physics. The physics and also philosophical hypotheses break the precedent perspective of reality as a single unfolding history. The MWI theory states that in every point when there is a possibility regarding to an event the universe divides as branches in a tree. If this statement is true this means there is an infinite number of universes, since every possibility exist.

In terms of quantum theory this hypothesis phenomena could be better explain by the Schrödinger's cat paradox. This thought experiment was first executed by the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. The test puts a cat under a dangerous situation in which the survivor of the animal will be determine by an earlier random event. The result of this experiment is supported by the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which predicts a dualistic path for the cat after the event, been simultaneously alive and dead. 

The latest contribution to this powerful and intriguing new perspective of the universe was made by the physicist and cosmologist Alan Guth. This professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology gave a new turn to the (MWI) in a scientific sense, by delivering to the world the inflationary universe theory. This new hypothesis tells that at the beginning of the universe there was a kind of reverse gravitational pull, which instead keeping things together, it repelled everything, this is what Guth call “false vacuum.” Guth states in his theory that when the big bang occur, this false vacuum effect began to decay and that in this process a great amount of particles were created; the same kind of particles which mark the beginning of our universe. These particles became like bubbles which the physicist believe gave birth to our universe. The tendency expose by Guth states that the more the false vacuum effect decayed the more bubbles were created. This theory will explain the existence of many universes, all apparently compose by the same properties and also build within the same laws of physics. If this theory is true the idea of the size of the universe that science community have, would dramatically increase in a way that nobody in history has thought of. Sense at this time there is no available technology that could prove this theory there still and open space for speculation of what these other universes might hold. 

At the moment any suggestion of what might be found in these other universes remains in the philosophical side. Finally, another issue here is that if we hold the universe is infinite this doesn’t necessarily mean that there exist infinite forms of arrangement in particles. So analytically, if in an infinite universe there exists define or finite array of forms in particles this theory would make a lot of sense.  

Electromagnetic Radiation Gun

Nelson A. Feliciano Gonzalez

In the 1960’s, the United States Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) studied how low energy microwaves affected the health for weapons purpose. They looked that these kinds of weapons were able to damage the heart, brain, and produce hallucinations. Later in the Gulf War the U.S. military used electromagnetic weapons and high power microwaves to interrupt and destroy electronic devices. This weapons use a directed energy, electromagnetic radiation, to produce heat, mechanical or electrical damage. 

What is electromagnetic radiation? It is a form of electromagnetic field, a field produced by a moving charge but this one aside from others is called far field because this electromagnetic field is behind the pass of the particle that produce it. Though this electromagnetic fields make up electromagnetic waves like microwaves, gamma rays, and visible light. The energy produced by an electromagnetic radiation is called radiation energy. Electromagnetic radiation is produced when two or more charged particles are accelerated by external force acting on them. Electromagnetic radiation is divided in microwaves, infrared radiation X-rays, radio waves, ultraviolet radiation, and many others. An electromagnetic radiation is characterized by its frequency, and wavelength. A high energy radiation has a high frequency and a shorter wavelength. In the other hand, a low energy radiation has a low frequency and a longer wavelength. All this can be demonstrated through the use of simple mathematical equations which are: 

E=  ((h x c))/λ        E=h x f   

where h is the Planck’s constant and c is the speed of light. Combining both of them we get the equation  f=c/λ , which shows that they are inversely proportional. Different frequencies and wavelengths affect different kind of electric signals from electronic devices, like radars and radios, to living organism organs, like the brain and heart. High-energy radio frequency weapons damage or altered electronics. High and low power, pulsed microwaves weapons use low frequency microwave radiation is similar to the human brain waves. These weapons should be able to damage or manipulate those signals used by the brain to control the organs causing a dizziness, pain, respiratory problems, nausea, diarrhea, and mental confusion. These damages are caused like said by an electromagnetic radiation but more specifically by the electromagnetic pulse which last for 10 picoseconds. Depending the frequency of the radiation it can affect the epidermis (skin) or can cause the brain to release certain hormones or chemicals that could make give humans the symptoms of a flu, but this symptoms will dissipate when the radiation stop. 

Now on days the use of electromagnetic weapons is not restricted to only military purposes. There are devices like the Pulse Wave Myotron, which is sold as a personal defense article, was mainly made for the FBI but now it is accessible to anyone. The Myotron after it comes in contact with the victim it emits an electromagnetic radiation pulse through the body that affects the voluntary muscles, incapacitating them. Muscles that are of involuntary movement are not affected. This effect passes approximately after 30 minutes, when the muscles are repolarized. The U.S. Navy had developed a rail gun which can fire a projectile at Mach 8, 8 times faster than the speed of sound, and can cover a 100 mile range. This rail gun works by putting a bullet or shell that conducts electricity between two metal plates, then a huge electric current pass through the plates, and generates a magnetic field that accelerates the shell or bullet to approximately 5,637 mph. The shell leaves the barrel with a force of 33 mega joules establishing a world record in muzzle energy. It is needless to say that a new array of weapons are being developed whatever are their purposes, if lethal or non-lethal, to attack or defend.

References:

U.S. Senate - Committee on Veterans Affairs: Hearings - Gulf War Illnesses; Testimony to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee; Meryl Nass, MD, Director of Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Mount Desert Island Hospital Bar Harbor, Maine; September 25, 2007

http://www.astronomynotes.com/light/s3.htm

http://www.emwatch.com/EMF%20Explanations.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OqlTXwLG40