It seems like we’ve been living a lie since 1905. That’s because until very recently, we thought we lived in a universe composed of three spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. This is a view established by Albert Einstein and reinforced by generations of scientists. The notion of space-time has become as familiar as gravity or light. Until a new theory has just been put to the test and is challenging everything we knew until now.
Einstein’s gamble: a flexible time or an illusion?
According to a new theory, time is not a single straight line that crosses the universe, but rather a multidimensional space with three distinct axes. And as if this vision were not already surprising enough, it also claims that space, which we always thought of as fundamental, would be just an emerging consequence of this three-dimensional time.
We know that, at first, hearing this may seem a bit absurd. However, this new theory presents precise mathematical predictions to prove the properties of known subatomic particles, and even for particles that we have not yet been able to measure. And well, if all this is confirmed, this theory could rewrite the foundations of modern physics
One arrow of time or three hidden paths?
The theory of Gunther Kletetschka, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which goes beyond Einstein’s ideas and proposes something bold: time can have three dimensions, just like space. Imagine, instead of experiencing time as just a straight line, as we are accustomed to, we could have multiple temporal directions in which we move, just as we move in three spatial directions.
To illustrate this, imagine now that you are walking in a straight line, and time, as we know it, follows you. Now, imagine that you could deviate to a perpendicular path, and by doing so, you would still be in the same “moment” of time, but you could see an “alternative outcome” of what would happen that day. This would open up the possibility of experiencing different versions of the same reality, without having to go back or forward in traditional time. Kletetschka explains this proposal clearly:
“These three dimensions of time are the primary fabric of everything, like the canvas of a painting. Space still exists with its three dimensions, but it is more like the paint on the canvas than the canvas itself.”
Kletetschka formulated a mathematical model (which photon logic flips rewrite the arrow of time) that could be tested experimentally. The idea is that by exploring different “directions” in time, we could begin to understand the origin of fundamental properties of physics, such as particle mass, something that still eludes scientists.
Can three-dimensional time unlock the theory of everything?
With Kletetschka’s theory confirmed, it will have profound implications for how we understand the universe. This is because one of the most intriguing questions in modern physics is the unification of quantum mechanics and the theory of gravity. Quantum mechanics describes subatomic particles, and general relativity explains gravity on larger scales. However, these two theories are incompatible in many respects, and a unified model remains beyond our reach.
By connecting the concepts of time and space more deeply, we might find a way to reconcile the fundamental forces of nature. Furthermore, Kletetschka’s proposal allows us to test aspects of the theory that were previously only speculation, such as the prediction of the masses of as-yet-undiscovered particles. If his predictions prove accurate, this would strengthen his theory and bring us closer to a true “theory of everything” that would explain the workings of the universe at every level. Yes, this just goes to show that humanity has been wrong since 1905.
