The following is delivered by Professor Cyberspace, a fictive character who the reader will meet in the story below, ALICE IN CYBERSPACE. Here the Professor will read one of his recently written papers. The Professor uses imaginative ideas to describe the cosmology of space. Because the reader is accessing this material over the internet it takes place in cyberspace. Cyberspace, sometimes called a virtual space, is a realm of electronic communication, just as a conversation over the telephone may be said to occupy phone space. Communicating by fax could be called using fax space. Images in the material world, being more like holographic, laser images in three dimensions, differ from images on a flat movie or TV screen. Just as he/she interprets a movie on the screen, the reader will connect the dots to shape the electronic facsimile, the pictures of space, within his or her brain. At the last word, space will be defined in a way limited by the imagination of each and every reader.

Space is used in many contexts, from science fiction's outer space, to Einstein's space-time, to the internet's cyberspace and to one's personal space, ("Give me some space." The size of this area varies from culture to culture.) There also exists what physicists are apt to call, figuratively, the fabric of space--the canvas on which the material universe is projected. Using the space-fabric metaphor, the material world can be said to be projected on a big screen of unwound spaces.

One might assume the term, "space" is widely understood. But it is the premise of this lecture that, in fact, we are totally ignorant of the functions of several space dimensions. This material regarding space requires the reader to develop new perspectives toward space and its relationship to matter. Space must be seen as a wrapper for matter-- the material world. Although space can not be viewed, if it could be, it would become to matter what the tree bark is to a tree trunk. Space would be what the peel is to an orange. Although only an analogy, matter comes shrink wrapped in space just as many goods come shrink wrapped in plastic.

String theory (that all matter is composed of vibrating strings of energy) suggests that space contains as many as ten shaping dimensions-- six of which are wound up, totally out of view. One wound up dimension--space 5--imparts to space a piezoelectric nature (to be explained below). The function of other wound up dimensions has not yet been imagined.

To this writer the various aspects of space are best understood if they are numbered: space 0, space 1, space 2, space 3, space 4, space 5 and upward. The space numbers correspond to what are termed dimensions. For example, in Edwin Abbott's book, FLATLAND, there is no space 3 which corresponds to depth. All entities in the imaginative Flatland are flat, having only length and width. There entities took on the shape of triangles, squares and circles.

THE DIAGRAM BELOW INDICATES 6 DIMENSIONS OF SPACE MAGNIFIED TO AN IMPOSSIBLE DEGREE. THE TOP LEVEL SHOWS SPACE 0 MOVING DOWN TO SPACE 1, SPACE 2, SPACE 3, SPACE 4, SPACE 5. THE TOP LEVEL IS MEANT TO REVEAL THE MICRO BLACK HOLES AND MICRO WHITE SPOUTS THAT CONSTITUTE THE FABRIC OF SPACE. THIS TOP LEVEL IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE QUANTUM FOAM OR THE ZERO POINT VACUUM.

 

Picturre from THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE by Brian Greene

 

Space 0 refers to what micro physicists term the zero point vacuum, the quantum vacuum or quantum foam. What is here termed space 0, some physicists call "the fabric of space". Without dimensions there can be no space in space 0. What this means in a practical sense is that the dimensions are not viewable. Obviously, there is a semantic difficulty with referring to the quantum vacuum as space 0 in that all space and all dimensions are completely wound up. Language, however, is here merely a convention with which to draw verbal pictures.

What does this quantum foam look like? This premise states that space 0 contains a vast network of micro (extremal) black holes and micro (extremal) white spouts. Viewing the black holes and white spouts together they form, by analogy, little hourglass shapes (Again merely a metaphor since there can be no "shape" within a space lacking dimensions). The black hole opening devours energy while the white spouts, volcano-like, spew energy out. The tiny size of these black holes and white spouts is infinitesimal. Avoiding the term "infinite," there are too many per cubic centimeter to ever count. This process, combining the theoretical actions of both the micro black holes and the micro white spouts, will be termed by this writer,"mirroricity." Mirroricity consists of that process occurring within the fabric of space--space 0, that results from knitting together an array of extremal black holes and extremal white spouts. The two entities operate in tandem to continuously reprocess the dimensions of space and reshape the energy of the material world.

The new active term, mirroricity, is useful due to the prevailing man on the street assumption that "space" is an inactive entity. To the contrary, mirroricity indicates that space 0, the quantum vacuum, or fabric of space is immensely active. Many physicists totally agree, referring to space as having the quantum jitters, frenzied quantum fluctuations and asserting that countless virtual electrons or virtual string pairs dance there--in and out of existence. (See string theory, according to Brian Greene, THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE, where he asserts that the flashing, virtual string pairs supply the required energy to split, unite and, therefore, shape the strings of all matter.)

To return now to describing the fabric of space: a diagram would show the extremal black hole as one cone of an hourglass pouring into the narrow end of the extremal white spout funnel. (Picture the small funnel ends of two tornadoes connected.) As all matter and energy is stressed into the black hole funnel, matter and energy is converted into tightly wound space. At the end of the black hole funnel, potential energy enters the white spout's small funnel end. The white spout converts the compressed space back into mechanical motion--converts it back into matter and spews it out. To repeat, this combined process is termed mirroricity. Within the fabric of space the extremal black holes can be thought of as space wound up so tightly that only a blueprint of energy remains. All of this potential energy must be dissipated in some manner. The extremal white spouts function to dissipate this energy by unwinding the space. All levels of space begin their journey from within the zero point vacuum. (As an aside, on the macro scale, the primeval Big Bang was a giant white spout, indicating that the origin of the total energy in our universe was once sucked down the funnel of a giant black hole in a parallel universe. What is here theorized to exist in the fabric of space are countless diminished, fractal images of the big bang.)

A word about matter (mass), that stuff out of which we are composed: in this account the term energy is used interchangeably with the term matter. This simplifies the physics. The reason for this convention is that in the realm of subatomic particles it isn't possible to visualize the shapes of the mass involved. For example, photons of light are said to be pure energy with no mass and therefore, no shape. (As we know, one can be burned in the sun as badly as on a hot stove.) When matter is engulfed by the extremal black holes there is no matter left--it has been tightly wound up as energy along with the space which held it in place. The matter is transduced into energy. A black hole is but tightly curved, energetic space. Once the extremal black hole has wound space up it can unwind only with an equal force of an extremal white spout. Extremal white spouts emit energy that emerges as space and matter.

Space 1 can be seen as just a line of space, unwinding like an infinite reel of super-thin energy string. Physicists posit all matter composed of vibrating strings in their superstring theory. The source of these vibrating energy strings are the extremal white spouts in space 0.

When space 2 emerges from the extremal white spouts the energy strings can vibrate back and forth (but not yet up and down). It is these vibrations that begin to impart to energy some two dimensional shape. The second dimension of space 2 allows geometrical shapes of energy to form, squares, triangles and circles.

Space 3 emerges to allow the energy strings to vibrate to form solid geometrical shapes such as spheres, cones and cubes. With three directions of vibration the sub atomic particles are allowed to take shape. We can detect layers of quarks, photons, protons, neutrons, even atoms to name a few.

The unwinding of space 4 reveals what we call time. Leaving space 0, the mechanism of mirroricity produces all levels of space. The pulse rate of energy inhalation by the micro black holes and its exhalation by micro white spouts produce the rhythmic cycles that translate into time. The duration of one beat of time, a chronon, can not be measured due to its brevity. Hypothetically, a chronon will be said to last a yoctosecond (1 second divided by 10 to the 24th power). Time becomes one thread in what Einstein called space-time and what other physicists call the fabric of space. Since space 4 is being constantly renewed by the process of mirroricity, this repeating pulse becomes the basic unit of time--a chronon. Any periodic measurement will establish the concept of time--the constant repetition of a cyclic event.

An analogy may be helpful to understand time and the relationship of micro black holes to micro white spouts. The quartz crystal resonator is used in the common wristwatch to count off the seconds. This device relies on what is termed the piezoelectric effect. This piezoelectric effect is reversible: it can convert electric energy into mechanical movement or convert stressed molecular matter into electric energy. Just as the crystal quartz resonator of a watch converts battery energy into a steady beat to count time in seconds, so the frequency of the process called mirroricity produces the chronons of time.

Space 5 is one of the wound up dimensions posited in string theory. Space 5 allows matter to acquire other properties such as the piezoelectric nature of some crystals and polymers. These hidden, unwound dimensions may also allow matter to acquire properties such as electrical charge, spin, radioactivity and symmetry. Using another example, piezoelectric plastic or polyamide materials expand in one direction and contract in another when electrons are applied. Space telescopes must be perfectly shaped to perform their magnifications. Should the mirror in a telescope be constructed with piezoelectric material it could be shaped, with the use of an electron gun, to be more convex or to be more concave as needed. Energy absorbed from a piezoelectric substance can thus reshape objects. What is more difficult to grasp is that the shape of all matter is accomplished, not with an electron gun but with the spinning of electrons around the nucleus of all atoms. Space 5 imparts the piezoelectric effect to all matter when it is disgorged from the micro white spouts. Thus, wound up potential energy in the micro black hole unwinds through the micro white spout, taking on the shapes of the matter we recognize.

How is this picture of space looking? Once the extremal black hole has wound space up it can unwind only with an equal force of an extremal white spout. Unwound space presents the framework in which energy is molded into the familiar shapes we see around us. Dimension by dimension, like the sides of a cookie cutter, space allows for the hundreds and millions of shapes to be cut out. Thus we observe the thousands of different shaped proteins and the millions of different snow flakes. On the macro scale, in order to have a Big Bang, (another term for a giant white spout) there must first be the terrific forces generated in a macro black hole.

As a mirror reflects whatever light strikes it, so space 0 functions to reflect the images of the material world emitted from the micro white spouts. As funhouse mirrors can be curved and twisted to present twisted and distorted body shapes so the higher dimensions of space can present the innumerable twists and turns of DNA molecules that code for plants and animals. Thus we find ourselves living within a multi dimensional funhouse mirror called space. A mirror reflects the images of space outside the mirror. Space 0 can be considered to be a multidimensional reality-mirror reflecting unwound space to be viewed as the material world. The hidden surface of this reality-mirror lies in Space 0, discussed above. Sci fi and horror writers give their imaginations a work out to present believable but twisted, inside-out life forms. But these distortions only make sense when their frame of reference is made clear. Out of the infinite number of twisted shapes in imaginative space or in cyberspace, man must connect the dots to determine what is useful and meaningful.

 

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NOW IS A GOOD TIME FOR A BREAK TO READ A LITTLE STORY CALLED ALICE IN CYBERSPACE.

ALICE IN CYBERSPACE

by....Eugene Goheen

Little ten year old Alice sat at her lime colored iMac and clicked her mouse to bring up her favorite internet site, ESCAPEHATCH. The screen background displayed fractal rainbows, smaller streaming out of larger rainbows. Populating the screen she noted the character icons, the avatars, who were currently on line. The avatars appeared on the screen only when the operator linked with the site. If two avatars were seen touching on the opening screen it indicated they were having a conversation. Others could join in if they chose. Moving her icon with her mouse to touch another's avatar automatically linked her to that characters web site where a virtual setting would flash up. When this occurred she would see herself sitting in the virtual room of whoever she linked with.

Her own image was that of a red haired, little girl, sitting on a chair. Her own virtual room was constructed with the help of a cam corder set up in her own bedroom. The walls were decorated with all her art work and school papers tacked on the wall. When she typed her dialogue it appeared in a comic strip cloud above her head. Any visitor's avatar could converse with her on her screen.

Alice noted several of her favorite icons were present--there was the avatar for Leaping Lizard--she connected with him when she wanted to goof off. Today she felt studious and chose the Professor. Her avatar appeared sitting on her chair in the Professor's laboratory. He stood with a pointing wand near a large display screen. Alice liked the Professor because she could ask him anything at all.

"Hello, Professor," she typed.

"Alice, how nice to see you," he replied in type. "I'll bet you've some doozies for me today."

"Professor, I've been wondering? Is there really space in cyberspace?"

"You ask such hard questions, Alice. Let me see if I can answer that one. It is a bit like asking, is there space inside a mirror."

The Professor touched his wand to the display screen which transformed into a mirror showing himself.

"But you know you can't step inside a mirror to occupy any space. There is only apparent space in the mirror. The same is true of cyberspace. Although I see your avatar sitting in front of me on that chair, it is as though I were looking into a mirror and seeing a reflection of Alice. Your computer screen in your bedroom is also like a mirror," the Professor concluded.

"But I do feel like I'm sitting on this chair and that I'm really talking with you," she responded.

"My dear Alice, perhaps we must just accept the notion that there are many kinds of space. Each space comes with its own set of rules. When you see yourself in a mirror there is no way to reach inside and turn your body around so that its face is turned the same direction as your outside face. The mirror space inside appears to show your body rotated a half turn. Cyberspace, like the mirror space, has its own set of rules. All of these rules must be programmed into the computer. In cyberspace, just like when playing a game of chess, you must follow all the rules. To play chess in cyberspace first all the pieces and the chessboard must be loaded into the program."

The Professor pointed to his display board which showed a chess board with all the pieces lined up.

"I guess I just don't understand space. I'd love to hear you explain space to me, Professor," exclaimed Alice.

"I know how you love to learn things, Alice. We must start at the very beginning. Let's try to think about the universe before there was any space. Cosmologists say that all the stars and planets came belching out of a tiny, single point of spinning energy. Some astronomers call that point a singularity, others have called it a white hole. Since space and energy fly outward I prefer the term, white spout."

"What made the single point belch?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Picture a jack in the box here," the Professor dragged his wand from the display screen to Alice's feet. A jack in the box appeared on the screen. "Open the box, Alice."

The real Alice touched the box with her mouse cursor arrow and was delighted to see a colorful clown snake out into the space above the box. She laughed
.
"Now at creation the single point was made of pure, bound up space. It was curved up so tightly like a spring that when the Creator touched the point it exploded outward like the jack in the box," explained the Professor.

"Could the exploded space ever go back into the point?" asked Alice.

"Touch the clowns head," suggested the Professor.

Alice used her mouse to touch the head of the clown and it popped back into the box which then closed
.
"How neat!" she blurted out.

"You see, Alice, the world we live in is mostly unwound space. I said mostly because astronomers say that there are areas of wound up space called black holes. So the answer to your question, Alice, is yes. A whole star can be sucked down and disappear into a black hole. All the star matter in the universe could be swallowed by a gigantic black hole and disappear into the curved space of its singularity."

"Where are these black holes?" asked Alice.

"Black holes are up in the distant sky, at the center of galaxies," began the Professor. "Do you understand?"

"Not really. Are you telling me the matter and space are like an unwound spring, and when it is wound back up everything will disappear?" tried Alice.

"That is very good, Alice. You would do very well in the new branch of science called gravitational wave astronomy. It is the study of what happens when black holes collide. Astronomers are trying to interpret the ripples of space out of which black holes are made," the Professor beamed his approval of her answer.

"But I don't understand how such big stars could fit into such a tiny space. How small was the single point?" asked Alice.

"What you're overlooking, Alice, is that matter is composed of mostly unwound space. Even your body, when you consider it in terms of atoms and electrons, is mostly all space. The atoms and electrons would all disappear if you were sucked into a black hole. Think of it this way, the matter, the atoms and electrons are merely energy that is used to unwind space. The purpose of matter is to keep space unwound. Inside the black hole the matter and space would wind tightly back up, so there would be no use for the matter. The matter and space would return to its original state which was swirling energy."

"But you said the first point was very tiny. How could all the stars fit into such a tiny point?" she puzzled aloud.

"I love your questions, Alice. We must learn some new words. Infinitesimal is the word they use to mean super tiny. But how can I explain that to you? Smaller than a mosquito's tears?" he wondered out load.

"But mosquitoes don't cry!" exclaimed Alice.

"Smaller than an ant's little toe?" wondered the Professor.

"Ha, ha. You know ants don't have toes." laughed Alice.

"How about smaller than a gnat's ass," suggested the Professor.

"You said a bad word!" she shouted.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I sometimes forget how young you are. You are so smart, " explained the Professor.

"That's OK. I just never heard you say ass before," forgave Alice. "I think
I get your idea of how small a point can be."

"And I'm sure you'll remember the word, infinitesimal," he stated.

"Well, thank you, Professor. I learned a lot today," she told him. "Do you have a reading assignment for me?

"Yes, Alice. I think you would understand space much better if you read an old book from 1880 called FLATLAND. It was written by an another Professor, Edwin A. Abbott. It is also an amusing story about creatures who lived in a two dimensional, flat world."

"So living in Flatland everyone had to be flat?" she asked.

"You are very clever, Alice. Yes, we learned today that there is no way to separate matter from its accompanying space. So if you must live in a two dimensional space you also must be of only two dimensions. If you lived in a one dimensional world you could only be a line with no height, like an impossibly thin wire. Only in our three dimensional space can we have length, width and depth. And only with life in four dimensions can we have time."

"Ohh, yes. I will read FLATLAND. Thank you so much, Professor."

"Until we meet again in cyberspace, my dear child." ended the Professor.

Alice, sitting in her own bedroom, used her mouse to drag her avatar to the exit, watching as the Professor's laboratory disappeared from her screen.

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