Section F: Fairy Tales & Physicists

Chapter 2

"Tell me, how familiar are you with the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics?"

Peregrine and Fields exchanged a look that made it clear precisely how familiar they were with the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics—or, for that matter, any interpretation of quantum mechanics. Or anything to do with quantum mechanics whatsoever.

However, the bearded, bespectacled, little lab-coat-clad man, who had arrived not long after Fields, was too busy poking around the lab to notice their response to his question.

"Well, I've been known to change the occasional tyre," offered Fields. "And I can do spark plugs."

Peregrine punched him in the arm. "Professor Radovic doesn't mean that kind of mechanics. He means the other kind. The sort with zombie cats and where everyone is uncertain all the time."

Fields knew just how they felt. "Zombie cats?"

"Yeah, you know—the cats that are dead but still alive. The ones in boxes."

While he'd be the first to admit he wasn't exactly a cat person, Fields couldn't help but feel there was something wrong with this concept. "Physicists are putting cats in boxes? Aren't ethics committees supposed to stop that kind of thing?"

Radovic chuckled and looked around from his inspection of the coffin-like structure positioned against a wall of the lab. "Theoretical boxes, young man. Theoretical cats, for that matter. The agent is referring to Schrödinger's cat, and—I suspect—the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Believe it or not, the former is actually relevant to the many-worlds interpretation."

Peregrine fist-pumped. "Aw, yeah—nailed it."

Fields rubbed his temples, as the first hints of a headache began to form. This day was not turning out at all how he'd expected. "That's nice, professor. But perhaps you'd care to explain, for those of us less in the know?"

"Happy to, young man. Although, allow me to point out that as the holder of a PhD in quantum field theory, my correct title is doctor, rather than professor."

"Gotcha, Doc," replied Peregrine. "Now, physics us up. Assume we know nothing."

The look on Radovic's face suggested he wouldn't find that assumption too much of a stretch. "Very well. I'll keep it simple, shall I? Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment designed to illustrate the concept of quantum superpositions, an idea whereby a sub-atomic particle may be simultaneously—"

"Whoa, whoa there, Doc," interrupted Peregrine. "You're going to have to assume a little harder than that."

A pained expression passed across Radovic's face, as he attempted to mentally adjust to the conversational level of people for whom the term 'quantum superposition' may as well refer to a sex-act.

"Fine. Imagine there is a cat in a box. There is also a vial of poison gas in the box, which may or may not be released. We don't know if the gas has been released until we open the box and discover whether the cat is alive or dead. Therefore, until that time, the cat is effectively both alive and dead—it occupies a superposition."

Peregrine elbowed Fields in the ribs. "Only if it's got a friend in there, eh?" She gave a broad wink. "Am I right?"

Other than a little sigh, Radovic chose not to acknowledge the interruption. "Once the box is opened, the probability waveform collapses, and the cat's state is fixed. However, according to the many-world's interpretation, once the state of the cat is observed the universe branches into two alternate realities, each totally divorced from each other, one of which contains a dead cat and one of which contains a live cat. According to the theory the same principle applies to any set of alternatives in any situation—rather than a single outcome, new universes branch away, each of which contains one of the possible alternatives. Effectively this would mean all possible alternate histories and futures are real."

"But that's ridiculous," protested Fields. "There's only one universe—this one."

"Many physicists would agree with you, agent. However, there is a small but not insignificant number who think otherwise. My colleague Featherstone is one of them."

Peregrine gestured around the lab. "And that's what he's working on here?"

This time Radovic sighed in earnest. "I'm afraid so. Frank is convinced he's found a way to access these other realities, or at least some of them. He believes there are resonances between particular aspects of certain universes, and that by magnifying these resonances—by creating constructive interference between the probability waveforms—he will be able to reach across the multiverse. All complete nonsense, of course."

After all the big words, this last statement came as something of a surprise to Fields. "Nonsense?"

"Of course it is. While there's no denying the equations suggest the many-world interpretation is theoretically possible—theoretically, I must stress—these theoretical other realities would be completely unreachable from our own. Any talk of accessing them is hooey of the highest order."

"Hooey?"

"Of the highest order."

Peregrine nodded sagely. "Hooey. I see. Tell me, Prof, why—"

"Doctor," corrected Radovic.

"Tell me, Doc, why would the Novus Institute fund someone whose research is hooey? Of the highest order?"

"The answer is very simple, Agent Peregrine. Frank is a genius. An eccentric genius, but a genius, nonetheless. He has made invaluable contributions in the fields of quantum computing, cold fusion and numerous others. While his output has become somewhat erratic in recent times, his work is so valuable the Institute is more than happy to indulge his little...eccentricities."

"I see. Well, thank you for your time, Prof—"

"Doctor."

"Thank you for your time, Doc. If we need anything further, we'll be in touch."

"Frank isn't in trouble, is he? Is that why he hasn't been around these past few weeks? I thought he must have been on leave, or at a convention, or some such. While he may be a little...odd, I can assure you he would never do anything inappropriate, much less anything illegal."

"No, no, Prof, nothing to worry about," reassured Peregrine, as she steered the little man towards the door. "Just following leads, filling in background, all that agency kind of stuff. You have a good day now, thanks again."

"But I think—"

"Bye, now." Closing the door on Radovic, Peregrine turned to Fields, rubbing her hands together. "Woo-hoo! I knew we were onto something."

Fields blinked. "Sorry, what? Some mad scientist, researching theories that are..."

"Hooey?"

"Exactly. How the hell does that constitute being onto something?"

Peregrine gave him a hearty whack on the back. "You heard the man, Fields. According to Featherstone, all possible realities exist."

Wincing, Fields manoeuvred himself out of Peregrine's thankfully limited reach. "So?"

"So, partner—that includes realities with fairy-tale princesses in them."