Thursday, August 17, 2017

A Dancer in the Infinite - Chapter 19


Chapter 19

The Freezer





All things physical are information-theoretic in origin and this is a participatory universe…. Observer participancy gives rise to information; and information gives rise to physics-John Wheeler



     “This used to be the dungeon”, explained Barry as he led Marie down the inadequately lit stone staircase that wound its way down, “But, we hardly ever got to put anyone there, so we decided to use it for our super computer.”

     That was a joke, Marie guessed.  She noticed the temperature dropping the further down they went.

     “It’s chilly down here” she observed.

     “Yeah, sorry, I don’t really notice it very much anymore, next time we’ll make sure you have a sweater on.  We won’t be down here long, but I wanted to show you where you’re going to be spending some of your time helping us with our work.”

     “I still don’t see how I’m going to be able to help you guys with physics and stuff.”

     “You’ll see … I promise.  Within just a few minutes more of your patience … you’ll have your answers.” He assured her.  “Ah, here we are.”

     The old close stone walls around the stairwell suddenly opened into an immaculate, white tile room filled with computer terminals, banks of what looked like servers, and a large round white sphere about six feet in diameter in the center.  A young man and woman scurried busily while three older gentlemen in turtleneck sweaters sat in chairs before computer terminals.  No one seemed to notice them enter the room.

     “This is the Freezer, as we call it,” said Barry, as much to get the others to take notice as to explain to Marie.

     Everyone in the room turned to her.  The excited smiles on their faces indicated how happy they were to see her, but they quickly turned back to their work, except one of the older gentlemen who stepped forward.

     “Ms Brabant, I presume,” he said, offering his hand enthusiastically, “How exciting.”

     “Marie,” Barry nodding towards the approaching man, said, “This is Dr. Palmer, Luke, we call him.”

     She took his hand, “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

     “It’s just wonderful to meet you.  We’ve heard so much about you,” he gushed.

     “I didn’t know there was that much to hear about me.”

     “Of course, of course,” he said.  “Barry here, hasn’t explained the situation to you then?”

     She looked with mild reproach at her guide and shook her head, “No, sir … I have no idea what’s going on … except that he believes cats are out to take control of humanity or something along those lines.”  It sounded funny to her just to say it.

     “Cats? Why no, that’s ridiculous nonsense, my dear,” he laughed, “Cats are simply Their favorite hosts, our feline friends are as much victims of these parasites as we are … they were simply the first species to become infected.  Cats taking over the world?  Ha!  That’s rich, my dear.  Quite rich.”

     “So, what exactly are you all doing here, what is this place really?” She asked.

     Dr. Palmer looked at Barry.  It was Barry who answered.

     “This is an advanced research facility for experiments in theoretical physics, as I told you.  The Freezer is the world’s largest quantum computer.  It was designed by Dr. Renee Friese, over there”, he pointed to the older man with the clean shaven head who waved absently and returned his attention to his computer screen.  “Do you know anything at all about quantum computers?”

     “I’ve heard of them.”

     “Good, then you’re head won’t be filled with the incorrect nonsense that the mainstream physics and computational communities spew.  Well, as Dr. Friese’s more famous colleague, David Deutsch says, ‘quantum computers are the first technology that allows useful tasks to be performed in collaboration between parallel universes. The quantum computer’s processing power comes from a kind of outsourcing of work, in which calculations literally take place in other universes. Entangled particles would function as paths of communication among different universes, sharing information and gathering the results.’  It’s pretty neat, actually, mind-blowing stuff.

     “I’m sorry, did you say something about parallel universes?  Isn’t that just science fiction?”  Marie’s fears that she was surrounded by crazy people were starting to return.

     “I’m guessing you’re not familiar with Hugh Everett’s ground breaking work on the Many World Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics?”

     “I’m afraid not, no”

     “No, problem, Everett claimed that MWI or Many Worlds Interpretation is, and I quote, ‘the only completely coherent approach to explaining both the contents of quantum mechanics and the appearance of the world.’”

     “That’s not an explanation” interrupted Barry.

     “I was getting around to it.” Dr. Palmer insisted in his defense.

     “The principle problem in modern physics that prevents the unification of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics is the problem of the collapse of the wave function.”


     “What does that even mean?” Marie asked, now more confused than she previously was.

     “It means,” said Dr. Palmer, “That every time an experiment is performed that can have so called random outcomes, or any time any one or thing makes a decision with various possible results … parallel universes split off where each outcome or result actually occurs.  This is now no longer theory … it is scientific fact … as we’ve proven here.”

     He waved his hand across the room.  The fact that the Freezer works is complete proof.  The fact that Mawacky works is complete proof. “

     “Mawacky?”        

     Barry answered, “It’s an acronym pronounced poorly, Many Worlds Quantum Interface.  Ma-Wa-Qu-ie, or Mawacky for short.  I think Ricky started calling it that.  You’ll meet Ricky soon enough.  Anyway, it stuck.  Mawacky.”

     Palmer continued, with a slight air of annoyance at his younger colleague.  ”We, my dear, have been communicating with parallel universes for three years here now.  That’s how we know how important you are to this work.  Many of our trans-dimensional collaborators have been using you, or more accurately their universes’ version of you for a few months now.  We just had to find you, or, actually wait for you to find us.  We knew you would.  That’s how it’s been working in the nearby universes.”

     They’re all fucking nuts, Marie thought.



copyright 2017 Diana Hignutt

No comments:

Post a Comment