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I always try to use as much real science as Trek science and techno babble in Joy Eleven's science logs. This time, I got a little carried away.
In (Almost) Any Given Universe
Admiral
Preliminary analysis of the temporal collision is complete. It is suspected that a slight imbalance in conservation resulted in the collision. To explain the nature of the conservation imbalance, a somewhat lengthy review of the conservation principles is necessary.
First, mass / energy is not totally conserved. They might spontaneously come into being within limits set by the uncertainty principle. Particles can spontaneously come into existence in vacuum, but the duration of the particles continued existence is limited by its mass. The heavier and more energetic the particle, the shorter a time it can exist.
Second, the common concept of mass and energy being conserved, but one being transformed to the other is not an entirely accurate or unique description. Suppose a uncontrolled nuclear reaction takes place. It is normally said that a small amount of matter is destroyed, and the resultant energy distributed in radiation and heat. There is another aspect of conservation. While the remaining particles might be fewer and have less rest mass, they are all moving faster. The faster a particle moves, the more its mass increases. In such reactions, the net mass gravitational pull of the system is conserved. The net observed mass of the fewer but faster moving particles is identical to the original more numerous but less energetic system.
As the particles move away from one another, gravitic influence slows the speed of the explosion. The particles, to a slight extent, fall back upon themselves. This is potential energy. As particles are slowed moving out of a gravity well, the potential is there to recover that energy when the particle falls back into the well. The net velocity of the particles, thus the net mass - energy, is reduced. In a normal atomic explosion, this loss of mass/energy to gravity is so trivial as to be unnoticed. The potential energy is so trivial as compared to the atomic reaction that the loss of overall mass is often neglected.
It is not unnoticed on a cosmological scale. When primitive astronomers began studying the patterns of the stars, they were unable to explain the movement of galaxies. Their theories required the existence of additional mass to create sufficient gravity wells to hold galaxies together. Thus, they hypothesized "dark matter," undetected mass that must exist since galaxies exist. They also hypothesized a 'cosmological constant.' The galaxies move away from one another too rapidly. Thus, there must be some unknown repulsive force pushing galaxies apart.
We now now the mass / energy lost as potential energy, the dark matter and the cosmological constant, are tied together. They are not forces. They are natural warps in the shape of space. Gravity is a curvature in space. The apparent 'repulsive force' results from new space being created as a result of potential energy "lost" as galaxies spread.
The key point is that the potential energy, the energy associated with dark matter, is properly negative in sign, and is properly exactly half of the total energy in (almost) any given universe. At the moment of the big bang, and at every moment since, the energy spent moving galaxies apart is exactly half the energy in (almost) any given universe. The energy associated with dark matter and the cosmological constant is properly considered negative. Thus, the total energy in (almost) any given universe is zero.
Where did the energy come from to power the Big Bang? It was borrowed from the uncertainty principle. If there was more matter than dark matter created, if the energy required were positive, the universe could only have lasted a very brief time. As the amount of matter matches the amount of dark matter, zero energy is borrowed, and thus any given universe which maintains the matter / dark matter balance can continue indefinitely.
The universe is not causal. The basic equations describing the behavior of matter and dark matter are differential equations. Such equations have multiple solutions. Thus, there are many realities, Many Worlds, many alternate time lines. When time lines split, when multiple possible futures require the creation of new universes, where does the energy come from to create the new universe?
No energy is required. As long as the matter and dark matter are in balance, the creation of a new alternate reality is a zero energy event. So long as all alternate realities spinning off the common time line balance matter and dark matter, all such realities may all continue to exist indefinitely.
However, should two time lines split, and one receive slightly more matter, and the other slightly more dark matter, the resultant split would be unstable. The time line with a surplus of matter could survive for only a limited amount of time, the time limit set by the uncertainty principle. The time line with the surplus of dark matter would also be unstable. The nature of the instability seems uncertain, unless, perhaps, we are currently observing the collapse of an unbalanced time line split. The two time lines, having existed as separate entities for the duration of time allowed by the uncertainty principle, must now merge and seek balance.
The balance is not occurring in a controlled stable fashion. Ideally, if precisely the correct amount of matter or dark matter were transferred between realities, balance could be achieved and both time lines would become stable. However, uncontrolled and almost random transfers seem to be taking place. Oscillations are occurring as too much mass or energy transfer spontaneously first in one direction, then another. There seems to be four possible outcomes: two stable independent realities, one merged and balanced reality, the collapse of the energy starved reality, and a reset to initial conditions. The latter would initiate a new Big Bang.
Clearly, the transfer of energy and matter between the unstable time lines must be damped. Three questions remain. How much energy must be transferred? What form of energy? Where must it be applied?
I can suggest an answer for the last question only. There seems to be an anomaly at the center of gravity between the two stars. This anomaly might be an unstable temporal worm hole, a gate between alternate realities. It might be a natural artifact, an accident resulting from the gravity wells and radiations of the twin stars. It might be the result of technology gone awry, such as an eddy left over from an attempt at slingshot time travel, or an attempt to build a device such as the one found at the City at the Edge of Forever.
The next step would be to examine the anomaly. It is possible that the warp bubble may isolate us from further effects of the anomaly. However, I cannot predict the effects of bringing the anomaly within the warp bubble. This might isolate the universe from the effects of the anomaly, might turn the full force of the anomaly upon the limited space within the bubble, or the energies of the warp bubble mechanism could drive the anomaly into a new and unpredictable state.
This unit recommends approaching the anomaly with caution.