Chapter 2 : Jim explain's his microwormhole theory



 
 

A few pages from Part Two
Dr John: Dave, you would like to ask a few questions?
Dr Dave: Yes. Jim.

Dr Dave looks a Jim and smiles.

Dr Dave: You say that the thought transmission delusion was the most prominent delusion and yesterday you mentioned the term 'biophysical wormhole'?
<Jim>: Ah, they like the idea of thought transmission. It is a pretty cool delusion, but it did have its drawbacks.
Jim: Yes?
Dr Dave: Could you give us any more information about this particular delusion. You appear to have considered it in depth.
<Jim>: Certainly. [The three stooges]

Jim: Well, as a science graduate, you tend to think about things laterally. Trying to work out how a delusion might work is nonsense from a doctors view point, but for me it was a task which I had hoped would get the delusion out of my mind. However, when I considered all the possibilities I came up with a plausible science-fiction theory.
<Jim>: Wait a minute. Did I tell him about this? I thought I fudged over it all?
Dr Dave: What these biophysical wormholes?
Jim: Physics is on the brink of going up its own ass at the moment, with the mathematical side of The Theory of Everything and string theory. They know that the mathematics is interesting but the more they look into it the less they realise they actually know. One thing is for sure, the microscopic world is vastly different from the macroscopic world we are all familiar with. In quantum mechanics things have probabilities of happening, empty space becomes a froth of short lived elementary particles and what happens below the planck length is a mystery.
<Jim>: Physics is becoming more like science-fiction every year.
Dr Dave: So you are saying that physics can explain your thought transmission delusion?
<Jim>: You plonka Rodney. Delboy. Only Fools and Horses.
Jim: In physics there is a theory about microwormholes, but it is just a theory. The nearest thing to a visible wormhole is a black hole, and we can only see black holes by how they affect light. Microwormholes are said to exist on the microscopic level.
Dr Dave: OK. Take me through your theory.
<Jim>: In your dreams, you have been to Tunisia.
Jim: I am not saying it is a theory, just a train of thought, full of ifs. If microwormholes exist, and if they exist in abundance, then it is possible that we might all be connected to each other and everything, for all possible times.
Dr Dave: Pardon?
<Jim>: Granted.
Jim: A wormhole is a hole in space and time. It is supposed to connect to another wormhole at the other end. Haven't you watched Star Trek's Deep Space Nine?
Dr Dave: Yes. But that wormhole is huge.
Jim: That is why they call them microwormholes. You understand the idea of wormholes, why not microwormholes?
Dr Dave: I guess because they need large amounts of gravity to create them?
Jim: OK but in principle, if you shrank the DS9 wormhole down, you would understand it?
Dr Dave: Yes. In a purely fictitious way.

Dr John turns to Dr Dave.

Dr John: I haven't a clue what you two are on about.

Dr Kate looks at Dr John.

Dr Kate: I understand what Jim is saying.

Dr Kate looks back at Jim.

Dr Kate: Go on.
<Jim>: You're eyes just got nicer.
Jim: OK. If microwormholes exist and they exist in abundance, then, potentially all points in space and time could be connected, right?
Dr Dave: How do you get to that conclusion?
<Jim>: Because I am out of my flipping mind. Out of my tree. I am a sandwich short of a picnic. I am totally INSANE.
Jim: I can see I am going to need to give you something to hold onto while I take you on this excursion of 'How to theorise on the delusion of thought transmission'. Excuse me for a second.

Jim stands up and rushes over to a book cabinet.

<Jim>: Where are those books? If I can give them some sort of reference material then that will give them the hand on my journey through madness.
Jim: Found them.

Jim pulls out a pile of books.

<Voice>: While Jim was ill he could not read books. He had tried but found the task quite impossible. Instead he had listened to music and watched television. He had never really been a great reader, but he had chosen some quite pivotal books to read, as well as those he had been required to read from school. Jim had gained a liking for Shakespeare after reading Macbeth at school, but could not follow the plots when he tried to read the plays from books. Instead, Jim had watched their film interpretations, his favourite being Mel Gibson's Hamlet. Jim had also read Pride and Prejudice, well he had skipped through it and watched it on the BBC. He had found the period dresses rather sexy, what with the long skirts and pert breasts. The BBC had recently created another version of the story, not as good as the first, but certainly portraying the same feelings. Jim associated with the Darcy character, as although he had deep feelings he kept them to himself.

Jim: This one by John Gribbin. In it he discusses the link between life and the cosmos. Although he does not discuss wormholes there, he does discuss the CHON cycle.
Dr Dave: The 'what' cycle?
<Jim>: Ah-ha, I have him hooked.
Jim: The Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen cycle. Both life and the stars rely on these basic elements for their energy generation. In the stardust book the bottom line is that life originates from stellar activity, in fact the current theory is that the basic building blocks for life are stored in inter-stellar dust clouds. We are in effect star children.
Dr Dave: I have heard of that theory.
Dr John: It sounds an interesting concept. I understand the importance of elements in the CHON cycle.
Jim: I think all the Stardust book does is to introduce your mind to think big thoughts. Allowing you to then think even bigger thoughts.
Dr Dave: Such as?
Jim: Such as there may well have been millions of Big Bangs in the past, with each one tuning the parameters of natural law to create a more sustainable Universe. The current Universe being a stable Universe.
Dr Dave: How did you get from stardust to Big Bangs?
Jim: At the end of the Stardust book, he discusses the possible evolutionary nature of Universe, and the idea of a multiverse. He uses mathematicians theories, but I prefer a more intuitive theory. Whereby the Universe is like a perfect system, expanding and condensing with little or no loss of energy. The ultimate condensation being black  holes, with these black  holes eating each other up until they are so massive that they cause a rapid implosion, and then explosion. The next Big Bang.
Dr Dave: But all the matter in the Universe is accelerating away from The Big Bang. 
Jim: The problem with mathematics is that it is restricted by numbers. The word infinity means forever, given an infinite amount of time the Universe will stop accelerating, gravity will take affect and the Universe will re-condense. 
<Jim>: Computers have no concept of infinity. Infinity means endless. Without end. Never ending.
Jim: Physicists use the term escape velocity, but with the absence of any other force, a ball thrown at the Earth's escape velocity will eventually fall back to Earth, due to the Earth's gravitational force. Gravity is one force that may be weak but it has longevity on its side. The balls velocity will be slowly retarded by the Earth's gravitational force, until it stops and then accelerates back to Earth Back down the 'R' squared curve. 
<Jim>: Like a ball being rolled up an infinite hill. It does not matter how slight the gradient is. Provided there is no friction. The ball will roll back down the hill.
Jim: It may take a long time but it will happen. In a perfect system, even the smallest force cannot be ignored. In such a system.
Dr Dave: I guess not.
<Jim>: Now I have persuaded your mind enough to think differently, lets cut to the chase.
Jim: OK back to the microwormholes. Lets assume that there are microwormholes and they are abundant. Let's say that they can only exist in a particular compound. In this book, the case of the missing neutrinos, John Gribbin tries to put the scale of the Universe into perspective. It is one of his qualities, to be able to relate things to every day life. 
<Jim>: Mathematics proves nothing, until it can be confirmed experimentally.
Jim: One example he uses is about how numerous and small atoms are. In the example he had a twelve gram bag of carbon atoms, he removed one atom for every second the Universe has been in existence, at the end he was left with a near full bag of carbon atoms, with only a millionth of the original atoms removed.
Dr Kate: Wow, that certainly puts things into perspective.
<Jim>: Pucker up misses. I will be getting to the good stuff in a minute. And what exactly is the good stuff?
Jim: Now if each of those carbon atoms had an associated microwormhole, with the other end attached to another carbon atom for each second you could have a link to every second that the Universe has been in existence.
Dr Dave: These are pretty big 'ifs'.
Jim: I know, but they do make a nice basis for a theory for my thought transmission delusion.
Dr John: So long as you know it is a delusion.
<Jim>: It certainly is, but it is a common idea, so maybe there is some physical reason for this.
Jim: Yes, of coarse. Shall we have a coffee break?
Dr Dave: That would be nice.
Dr Kate: Yes, please.
Dr John: That sounds like a good idea.
Jim: What would you like?
Dr John: A white coffee with no sugar.
Dr Kate: Same for me.
Dr Dave: Make mine black, thank you.
Jim: Back in a minute.

Jim leaves the room.