Thursday, October 24, 2019

Many-worlds cannot explain fine tuning

There are several independent lines of argument that are used to support the idea of a multiverse: the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, the ``landscape problem'' in string theory, and the fine-tuning of fundamental physical constants. Previously, I wrote about four distinct responses to the fine-tuning of the cosmological constant.

I was recently trying to explain the above to a group of non-physicists. One of them [Joanna] had the following objection that I had not heard before. Schrodinger's cat can only exist in one universe within the multiverse. The multiverse involves zillions of universes. However, because of fine-tuning carbon-based life is so improbable that it can only exist in one (or maybe a handful?) of the universes, within the multiverse. Thus, when one observes whether the cat is dead or alive, and the universe ``branches" into two distinct universes, one with a dead cat and the other with a living cat, there is a problem. It is possible that many-worlds interpretation is still correct, but it does not seem possible to claim that many-worlds and the multiverse needed to ``explain'' fine-tuning are the same type of multiverse.

One response might be that Schrodinger's cat is just a silly extrapolation of entanglement to the macroscopic scale. However, the problem remains. Just consider radioactive decay of atoms. Each decay of a single atom should be associated with branching to two distinct universes. Both of those universes are identical, except for whether that single atom has decayed or not. Over history, zillions of radioactive decays have occurred. This means that there are zillions of universes almost identical to the one we live in right now. But, all these zillion universes are fine-tuned to be just like ours.

Is there a problem with this argument?

Addendum. (25 October, 2019).
Fine-tuning got a lot of attention after the 1979 Nature paper, The anthropic principle and the structure of the physical world, by Bernard Carr and Martin Rees.
The end of the article makes explicit the connection with the many-worlds interpretation of quantum theory.
...nature does exhibit remarkable coin- cidences and these do warrant some explanation.... the anthropic explanation is the only candidate and the discovery of every extra anthropic coincidence increases the post hoc evidence for it. The concept would be more palatable if it could be given a more physical foundation. Such a foundation may already exist in the Everett 'many worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics, according to which, at each observation, the Universe branches into a number of parallel universes, each corresponding to a possible outcome of the observation. The Everett picture is entirely consistent with conventional quantum mechanics; it merely bestows on it a more philosophically satisfying interpretation. There may already be room for the anthropic principle in this picture. 
Wheeler envisages and infinite ensemble of universes all with different coupling constants and so on. Most are 'still-born', in that the prevailing physical laws do not allow anything interesting to happen in them; only those which start off with the right constants can ever become 'aware of themselves'. One would have achieved something if one could show that any cognisable universe had to possess some features in common witti our Universe. Such an ensemble of universes could exist in the same sort of space as the Everett picture invokes. Alternatively, an observer may be required to 'collapse' the wave function. These arguments go a little way towards giving the anthropic principle the status of a physical theory but only a little: it may never aspire to being much more than a philosophical curiosity...
In a review of a book based on a conference about the multiverse, Virginia Trimble states that:
There is also among the authors strong divergence of opinion on whether Hugh Everett's version of many worlds is (just) a quantum multiverse (Tegmark), almost certainly correct and meaningful (Page), or almost certainly wrong or meaningless (Carter). 

7 comments:

  1. It seems to me that the multiverse universes and many-worlds worlds are ontologically distinct. One can subscribe to only the multiverse idea or only the many-worlds interpretation of QM, without accepting the other one. If one accepts both ideas, I suppose the thought would be that each universe within the multiverse (with different physical constants, etc) undergoes a separate branching process in the many-worlds style.

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    1. Exactly, John. The multiverse has nothing to do with the many-words interpretation of quantum mechanics

      The multiverse is the idea that our big bang is not unique and that there are many other big bangs that lead to other universes. This comes quite naturally in inflationary cosmology. Because QFTs (or string theory) can have several metastable ground states, different universes can live in different local energy minima, leading to different effective physical constants. That's how you solve fine-tuning problems with anthropic arguments: we live in the region of the multiverse where life is possible.

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    2. Thanks for the helpful comments. I agree with your points. However, the history is quite different. I added an addendum to the post showing how Carter and Rees claimed that ``The concept [of fine tuning] would be more palatable if it could be given a more physical foundation. Such a foundation may already exist in the Everett 'many worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics''.

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  2. It's a problem here that the argument is too imprecise in its use of "zillion(s)", particularly given that the measure problem for MWI/the multiverse is very contentious. Zillion(s) could here be a large finite number or infinity: the division zillion/zillion is very different in the two cases. You've surely used "zillion(s)" in multiple places where if the number were finite it would not be the same number in every case.

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    1. Thanks. I agree completely. I was aware of my imprecision and almost said something about it. I should have.

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  3. Yes, there is a problem. The problem is basic: all these "multiverse" arguments, whether in TOF terms or "measurement theory" terms are just plain silly. They have nothing to do with the real physical world ... just the make believe world of philosophy.

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  4. The trouble is not only with multiverse alone. There is hype everywhere.
    Here is Sabine Hossenfelder's critical words in her blogspot.

    http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2019/03/merchants-of-hype.html

    "The hype-cycle is self-sustaining: Scientists oversell the promise of their research and get funding. Higher education institutions take their share and deliver press releases to the media. The media, since there’s money to make, produce headlines about breakthrough insights. Politicians are pleased about the impact, talk about international competitiveness, and keep the money flowing"

    Another symptom and disease of the digital age is academics putting up a celebrity style act in web sites and in videos about multiverse and many areas of science. I do not remember the name of the Professor, but his video presentation looks like he is bidding for the next 007 role.

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