physicists/mathematicians out there?

MariaL · Feb 7, 2012

Tenth dimension stuff. Plotting stage.

I have a ship of alien creatures plummeting into the ocean. I want to prevent certain 'energy' signatures of a few alien baddies returning to their ruler/creator (antagonist). (In this universe the ruler only 'captures' a timeline and all possible splits once its creature is dead.)

The energy signature is the dead alien's timeline (not thinking soul or consciousness here ) - say a probability wave carrying their fourth dimension timeline and all the splits into the fifth dimension.

1) Would a probability wave be able to carry the splits to different outcomes?

2) Could something like an electromagnetic pulse interrupt/break up the probability waves? I'm looking for a way for the hero to interrupt the process that sounds vaguely plausible!

Any suggestions welcome. Thank you!

Drachen Jager · Feb 7, 2012

This is so far on the edge of theoretical physics that it's basically all 'magic' anyhow. I would think if you were dealing with all this interdimensional stuff some sort of pulsed gravatonic emission might be more effective (presuming they had a way to create such a thing). Gravity at least bends the three dimensional space we know, so it can interact with the dimensions. I can't see how an EMP would really alter dimensional interaction in the way you're seeking.

That said, I'm no physicist, I just know a bit about it. Hopefully a real expert will come along and provide a better answer.

benbradley · Feb 7, 2012

MariaL said:
Tenth dimension stuff.

Is that M theory? Or does that have 11 dimensions? I forget. Depends on which strings you're pulling. See yesterday when I posted about the zany names of subatomic particles. All I know is thesedays it takes branes to be a physicist.

Plotting stage.

I have a ship of alien creatures plummeting into the ocean. I want to prevent certain 'energy' signatures of a few alien baddies returning to their ruler/creator (antagonist). (In this universe the ruler only 'captures' a timeline and all possible splits once its creature is dead.)

The energy signature is the dead alien's timeline (not thinking soul or consciousness here ) - say a probability wave carrying their fourth dimension timeline and all the splits into the fifth dimension.

1) Would a probability wave be able to carry the splits to different outcomes?

2) Could something like an electromagnetic pulse interrupt/break up the probability waves? I'm looking for a way for the hero to interrupt the process that sounds vaguely plausible!

Any suggestions welcome. Thank you!

Drachen Jager said:
This is so far on the edge of theoretical physics that it's basically all 'magic' anyhow.

I know enough to concur with this.

I would think if you were dealing with all this interdimensional stuff some sort of pulsed gravatonic emission might be more effective (presuming they had a way to create such a thing). Gravity at least bends the three dimensional space we know, so it can interact with the dimensions. I can't see how an EMP would really alter dimensional interaction in the way you're seeking.

That said, I'm no physicist, I just know a bit about it. Hopefully a real expert will come along and provide a better answer.

I suspect the needed device has already been described in the ~~movies~~ literature. This video points out several high-tech components, no doubt one of them can capture those nasty probability waves and convert them into clean, pure photons, sort of like a cosmic catalytic converter. It's all in the minute or so starting around 30 seconds:
The Robot Champion of DARPA's Urban Challenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lULl63ERek0

RemusShepherd · Feb 7, 2012

Physicist here. But I agree with the above comment that what you're describing is basically magic. It's so far remote and speculative that it's not worth trying to put real theories on top of it.

I will say something about this part, though:

MariaL said:
2) Could something like an electromagnetic pulse interrupt/break up the probability waves? I'm looking for a way for the hero to interrupt the process that sounds vaguely plausible!

Electromagnetic waves only propagate in four dimensions (three spatial and time). I'd have a problem believing that you could disrupt multidimensional signal with just EM.

But that's just me. I'd have a problem with it because I know Maxwell's equations.

Most of your readers probably wouldn't blink at that bit, so go ahead and use that explanation if it works best for your story. You are not writing 'hard' science fiction. Allow yourself to handwave a little if it makes the story better.

MariaL · Feb 7, 2012

Thanks all. Can't decide if my genre is sci-fi, or science fantasy. I'm not calling it magic, so looking for scientific terms and rules to create my world.

Yes M theory.

I just looked up gravitons and got the impression there aren't many of them around?? Although there is a theory that gravity is weak because they leak out the branes into a higher dimension or something like that. I see Star Trek used some sort of gravitonic pulse thing so might try to avoid that.

RemusShepherd said:
You are not writing 'hard' science fiction. Allow yourself to handwave a little if it makes the story better.

I'm going to take my question into the brainstorming area. http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6988663#post6988663

Thanks again for advice!

physicists/mathematicians out there?

MariaL

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

RemusShepherd

MariaL