Is There a Universe Beyond Our Own?

[RandyDisher]

Hey,

I was just thinking and wondering if beyond the boundaries of our universe, (if there were boundaries) if it was at all possible that it was an infinite loop of black space with no dimensions but beyond that boundary that there is another universe that we could not reach, hence the infinite loop.

Answers? Comments?

Thanks!

 

[twofish-quant]

I was just thinking and wondering if beyond the boundaries of our universe, (if there were boundaries) if it was at all possible that it was an infinite loop of black space with no dimensions but beyond that boundary that there is another universe that we could not reach, hence the infinite loop.

It's possible, however there are limits to what we know, and it's easy to imagine different things outside our observable boundaries.

The hard part is to come up with good arguments that something *isn't* possible.

 

[Chronos]

If it has an effect on the observable universe, it is part of our universe by definition. If not, it is irrelevant. Do you have an effect in mind?

 

[twofish-quant]

If it has an effect on the observable universe, it is part of our universe by definition.

If you define the universe as everything that has an impact on what can be observed, then by definition there are no other universes since any other universes would be part of our universe.

But I think the question defines "universe" as "directly observable universe".

If not, it is irrelevant. Do you have an effect in mind?

I was thinking about pre-inflationary fluctuations that have some impact on the CMB. If you had "empty regions of space outside the observable universe, then this could leave traces in the CMB background without being observable.

 

[Tanelorn]

I think that it is possible to imagine parts of Penrose's large universe that are so far away from our observable universe that they have no effect whatsoever. These distant parts could be considered separate universes?

In fact I recently proposed in my first ever post here that these distant parts could be so far away as they could have been created at different times to our observable universe and still not have an effect on the CMBR smoothness.