Chapter 47 Barry Allen
We are not only observers. We are participators. In some strange sense
this is a participatory universe. What we have been accustomed to call
“physical reality” turns out to be largely a papier mache construction of our
imagination plastered in between the solid iron pillars of our observations.
These observations constitute the only reality. Until we see why the universe
is built this way, we have not understood the first thing about it. We can well
believe that we will first understand how simple the universe is when we
recognize how strange it is. – John Wheeler
The man who
believes that the secrets of the world are forever hidden lives in mystery and
fear. Superstition will drag him down. The rain will erode the deeds of his
life. But that man who sets himself the task of singling out the thread of
order from the tapestry will by the decision alone have taken charge of the
world and it is only by such taking charge that he will effect a way to dictate
the terms of his own fate – Cormac McCarthy
Barry
Allen quickly realized that Rian Jenkins was not as much about MWI as he was
about something else. Whereas, Stan and
Barry and even Renee shared an obsession over Many Worlds implied by Quantum
Mechanics, Jenkins simply quietly accepted them as a way towards something even
more fundamental, though he never discussed it.
That was his perogative, Barry supposed.
But, it was probably in his second year at the chateau in Labastide
Esparbairenque that he realized Jenkins preoccupations had less to do with
alternative realities and parallel universes, and more to do with the areas
between them, the interstitial trans-dimensional boundaries. There was some possibility in those nether
spaces that held Jenkins imagination.
Barry
first met Rian Jenkins through Stan.
Stan was the people guy and Jenkins was the vision and money guy. Barry was Stan’s first recruit, outside of a
grad student here and there, his first credentialed recruit. Stan was back to teaching a semester at
Princeton, when they met. It was the
last class he was to teach before devoting himself completely to the work in
the South of France. It was the last
class Princeton offered on MWI, in fact.
The University of Wheeler, Everett, and Dewitt, yielding to the politics
of science as well as to Stan’s departure, abandoned the theory that had
revolutionized quantum mechanics, though so entrenched was the Bohrsian
interpretation, as well as the erroneous steady-state assumptions that were the
metaphysical backbone of physics, despite even Einstein’s paradigm-shattering
visions. Barry was getting nowhere on
his doctorate research according to his faculty advisor, a staunch Copenhagen
guy who had little truck for the sci-fi nonsense that held sway over Barry
Allen’s intellect. Finally, he told
Barry, that he had spoken to Stan and he would take over as his doctoral
advisor. After two weeks of that
meeting, Barry noticed Stan in attendance at an undergraduate lecture Barry was
giving on Newtonian Mechanics. After the
students left, Stan remained coolly regarding the young physicist. Barry just stood there awkwardly.
Finally
Stan broke the silence of the auditorium.
“Congratulations,
Doctor Allen, your doctoral dissertation has been approved,” A smile spread
over Stan’s face and he walked down to the podium and shuck a stunned Barry’s
hand. “Congratulations. Barry Allen, like the Flash?”
Barry
nodded, “That’s just a coincidence though.”
“I
don’t believe in coincidence, Dr. Allen.
By the way, are you free after this semester, to take a quick trip to
France, to see what some of us are up to?”
Barry
was not going to disappoint that man who had just cleared his PHD, “Sure, who’s
we?”
“Well,
it’s just three of us, a chance to get on the ground floor of something
fabulous. You know Renee Friese?”
“The
computational physicist? I haven’t had
the pleasure, but I certainly know of him.
He’s theorized the possibility of infinite bit quantum computers using
MWI.
“Exactly,
you’ll get a chance to meet him, and to see an actual multi-bit quantum
computer, if you’ll accept our invitation.
Also, have you heard of Rian Jenkins?”
“Sure,
but he’s kind of disappeared from the physics scene from my understanding.”
“Well,
not disappeared, more like moved underground to conduct his research unimpeded
by University concerns. Underground
being a euphanism for the South of France in this particular case. The three of us are doing some exciting research
on MWI, groundbreaking stuff, and after reading your paper … I would like you
to consider helping us.”
“Sounds
Great.” And with that Barry found
himself on a plane heading to France.
copyright 2017 Diana Hignutt
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