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.
The new theory that changes everything about the dimensions of time
This whole revelation began with physicist Gunther Kletetschka, from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, who developed a new theory that came to shatter our current explanations about the dimensions of time. According to him, 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, he 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 hearing this at first this may seem a bit absurd. However, Kletetschka 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, his theory could rewrite the foundations of modern physics.
What do you mean, three-dimensional time?
Now, to delve deeper into this new theory by Kletetschka, we need to remember that it starts from a conceptual inversion. How so? Well, time, not space, would be the true canvas on which the universe is painted. While Einstein (who also predicted a strange force in the universe) merged space and time into a single structure called space-time, this new model proposes that space is derived from time, and not an entity of equal importance.
Okay, but what would three-dimensional time mean? Instead of following just one line from the past to the future, as everyone does until now, we could move in three temporal directions. In other words, we would have:
- The first line, which would be the direct line that we know.
- The second would allow us to access alternative versions of the same moment. It would be as if we could revisit an ordinary day and discover what it would have been like if we had made different choices.
- And the third temporal dimension would allow the transition between these different possibilities.
This theory is so impressive that it echoes concepts such as the multiverse and time travel, but unlike other proposals, it has a solid mathematical structure behind it. And, according to the author, it does not violate the principle of cause and effect.
“My work transforms the concept from an interesting mathematical possibility into a physically testable theory with multiple independent verification channels”
What impact do the real dimensions of time have?
Now, if this theory is so well-developed, how is it possible that we have been getting it all wrong since 1905? It turns out that when Einstein introduced his revolutionary ideas about space-time, with the special and then general theories of relativity, he changed the game: time stopped being a fixed thing and started to depend on motion and gravity.
But then Kletetschka comes into the picture, bringing a different perspective. According to him, the way we treat time to this day is a bit too simplistic. In other words, the problem is not exactly relativity, but the way we understand what really matters in this whole story. His proposal opens interesting doors to solving some of the biggest headaches in modern physics. To add to this impactful theory, scientists have recently discovered, after decades, that we have a new force in physics.
