Is the CPT-Symmetric Universe Theory the Key to Solving the Antimatter Mystery?

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SUMMARY

The CPT-Symmetric Universe Theory posits that an anti-universe exists alongside our own, potentially resolving the antimatter mystery. Key points include the necessity for both universes to have identical particle-antiparticle pairs to maintain charge balance, as discussed by Neil Turok regarding quantum uncertainty. The theory suggests that electromagnetism may facilitate interaction between these mirror-image universes, although detection poses significant challenges. The theory's appeal lies in its symmetry and the philosophical implications of a creator's aesthetic choices, while emphasizing that empirical evidence remains paramount.

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  • CPT symmetry in particle physics
  • Understanding of antimatter and its properties
  • Basic principles of electromagnetism
  • Quantum mechanics and uncertainty principles
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  • Research the implications of CPT symmetry in modern physics
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Physicists, cosmologists, and anyone interested in theoretical physics and the nature of antimatter will benefit from this discussion.

Quarker
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https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.08928.

This is a simple and elegant theory, but there are some things I don’t understand. Why would the anti-universe exist before the Big Bang? From the viewpoint of the anti-universe, isn’t our universe time-reversed?

Also, unless the total charge of all particles of the two universes is zero, this doesn’t solve the antimatter issue. For the charges to balance out, the two universes would have to be identical; for every particle in one universe, there would have to be an anti-particle in the other. Neil Turok has said that quantum uncertainty would lead to different universes.

If the two universes are identical, except for being mirror images of one another, do they interact in some way? Electromagnetism seems the likeliest candidate for that. An electromagnetic null wave making the jump to a time-reversed universe seems possible in such a theory, although detecting it might prove difficult.

The main attraction of this theory for me is the symmetry, and the non-zero possibility that such symmetry arises from the aesthetic choices of a creator. But as always, the evidence comes first.
 
Space news on Phys.org
Matter and anti-matter are linked by the CPT symmetry, the T of which stands for time. That is, the arrow of time* is reversed for anti-matter compared to normal matter. So from the point of origin, normal matter goes forward in time, while anti-matter goes backwards in time.

* Note: the quantum arrow of time doesn't actually have to be the same as the macroscopic one we observe. I believe this paper is proposing that they are the same.
 

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