A universe has been unveiled where time flows backward, existing beyond the Big Bang.

On the other side of the Big Bang lies a different Universe that expands backward in time. This intriguing concept of existence was presented by astrophysicist and head of the physics department at the University of Edinburgh, Neil Turok. Although his new theory is mind-boggling, he assures that it is much simpler than all other theories and effortlessly answers the most complex questions of existence. "It's time to shed the straightjacket that inertia of thought has put us in," he states. The article is published in the Annals of Physics.

WHAT IS AMAZING ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

The Universe is astonishing not for what it contains, but for what it lacks.

All laws of physics allow for the possibility that time could run backward, that every matter has antimatter, and that space can be warped in various peculiar ways.

Nevertheless, our time flows only forward, and all attempts to devise clever variations (for example, "it could be going backward, but it doesn't want to") fail. Antimatter is also not observed. All we have are rare elementary antiparticles that occasionally appear in accelerators or cosmic radiation streams. Since antimatter should annihilate with our matter, we should see explosions and catastrophes, albeit in very distant space—and we do see them, but they are not related to antimatter. Finally, our Universe is practically flat. Where is the wild curvature?

Instead, we observe some strange phenomena. For instance, gravity becomes excessively powerful in certain areas, even though no massive objects are detected. We suspect that some dark matter is responsible for this, but we cannot detect it.

CRASH OF ALL THEORIES

To explain all these paradoxes, physicists have proposed at least a hundred explanations, ranging from the famous string theory to exotic concepts you probably haven't even heard of.

The lion's share of these concepts is based on one idea: something happened during the Big Bang. Everything was present: time flowing backward, antimatter, and warped space. But it seems to have vanished. The Big Bang could be termed the Big Anomaly. It was supposed to give rise to all possible entities, yet somehow it produced only half.

Although experimental physicists often speak skeptically of theorists ("you can justify anything on a piece of paper"), theorists have their own criteria for truth and falsehood. Any formula can be written, provided there’s no division by zero and the signs are correctly placed when transferring. However, theorists have numerous methods of "verification" without experiments; formulas are verified against formulas. And so far, no exotic hypothesis has passed such scrutiny.

A prime example is the famous string theory, which made waves in the 90s. It initially seemed simple and therefore likely to be true. There isn't a multitude of elementary particles observed in accelerators; there's just one particle, the string, which vibrates differently, creating the illusion of various entities. A tremendous amount of effort was devoted to this theory by entire legions of theorists. Many young physicists saw their professional futures tied to this theory.

An open Universe where time flows backward

Photo: Shutterstock.

However, the initially simple idea suddenly became complicated. It needed to explain how one string transforms into the entire variety of particles. Several schools and interpretations emerged, and it became clear that string theory was approaching its end. Today, it is not taken seriously by anyone.

Thus, only the Standard Model remains in the cosmic circus arena, its construction largely completed after the discovery of the Higgs boson. Yet, it only explains what exists, not what is absent.

Neil Turok's attempt is yet another effort to go beyond the Standard Model.

TWO WORLDS

If in our world there is only half of reality, then there must be a world that contains the other half. This is the essence of the new concept.

It suggests that at the moment of the Big Bang (if it is correct to say so), it began to expand in two directions. In our direction, we lack antimatter, space is flat, and time flows as it should. And away from us, there is primarily antimatter, time is inverted, and space is peculiar.

Of course, the analogy with "sides" is superficial, meant for clarity. In reality, that Universe exists on the other side of the Big Bang, meaning it is not in our world. Accessing that other world could likely occur through a black hole. And here’s an interesting circumstance (which Neil Turok does not mention, but we recall).

The theory of relativity implies that alongside black holes, there are also white ones. You cannot escape from a black hole, nor can you enter a white one; everything just flies out of them. White and black holes are connected by some corridor, meaning that if you are sucked into a black hole, you—or whatever remains of you—will emerge from a white hole. However, there are no white holes in our world. Thus, they must exist in that Universe. And it's precisely there that our black holes lead.

The Universe is astonishing not for what it contains, but for what it lacks

Photo: Shutterstock.

FACT CHECK

Neil Turok claims that his concept easily and simply explains what usually requires complex and shaky constructions.

For example: dark matter? Neutrinos, particles with very small mass (but numerous), fit perfectly for that role. The problem is that in our Universe, there are only left-handed neutrinos (that is, with a characteristic that is simplistically understood as "left-handed rotation"). This hampers attributing the role of dark matter to neutrinos. But now, it’s not an issue; in that Universe, there are only right-handed neutrinos, so dark matter is indeed neutrinos.

Dark energy, a hypothetical agent pushing the expanding Universe apart, is also unnecessary. Space itself does that; it’s just its property. It does this because space is moving to that side and is fed by waves from there: as if someone tugged on a tablecloth at one corner of the table, causing forks and cups to fly off at the other end.

There is, of course, no certainty that Neil Turok is correct. His constructions must undergo rigorous scrutiny. They also need to predict something else. Even if the effect is negligible, we should not be aware of it. And when it is found, the arguments will increase.

For now, we are left to try to imagine how time flows backward. "Relative to the moment of the Big Bang," explains Turok, believing that now everyone understands. Not quite.