Despite these seemingly successful explanations, many physicists worry that there is little to be gained by adopting the multiverse worldview. Parallel universes cannot be tested for; worse, an unnatural universe resists understanding. “Without naturalness, we will lose the motivation to look for new physics,†said Kfir Blum, a physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study. “We know it’s there, but there is no robust argument for why we should find it.†That sentiment is echoed again and again: “I would prefer the universe to be natural,†Randall said.
But theories can grow on physicists. After spending more than a decade acclimating himself to the multiverse, Arkani-Hamed now finds it plausible — and a viable route to understanding the ways of our world. “The wonderful point, as far as I’m concerned, is basically any result at the LHC will steer us with different degrees of force down one of these divergent paths,†he said. “This kind of choice is a very, very big deal.â€
Naturalness could pull through. Or it could be a false hope in a strange but comfortable pocket of the multiverse.
As Arkani-Hamed told the audience at Columbia, “stay tuned.â€
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