How to Destroy the Universe in Three Simple Steps

Explore the Universe

One of the most thought provoking concepts that science fiction can explore is the use of the entire universe in a story. Not just stuck in Earth’s galaxy, like most Star Trek episodes, or stuck in some galaxy a long time ago and far, far away like in Star Wars, or even stuck jumping from galaxy to galaxy like in Star Gate: Universe, but exploring the universe without any restriction. If the entire universe can be used, then a reader’s mind can be expanded further.

Once you’ve worked out a story line that will enable you to explore the entire universe, the next step would be to enable your characters to travel forward and back along the timelines. The third step would be for them to find a way to destroy the universe. (Keep making those ideas bigger!)

Destroy the Universe (in Doctor Who)

Using the entire universe, traveling along the timelines, then encountering a plan to destroy the universe, have been recurring themes in a British TV series called Doctor Who.

In the episode Logopolis, the universe was being kept alive by a team of mathematicians. They worked to make sure the mathematics that underpinned the physics of reality continued. A rogue character (The Master) decided to hold the universe to ransom, kill some of the mathematicians, and then begin systematically destroying galaxies. The main character, (The Doctor), had to find a solution to make sure he didn’t destroy the universe.

In Terminus, The Doctor encounters a ship that had caused the collapse of the previous universe, and so had been at the epicenter of the creation of this one. The Doctor has to prevent the alien’s ship from being started, and destroying the universe again.

In Journey’s End, a villain known as Davros created a reality bomb that could destroy the electromagnetic bonds between all particles across multiverses, thereby wiping out everything. Of course, The Doctor, and a cosmos of teams from across space, time and parallel realities, make sure he doesn’t destroy the universe.

In the episode The Big Bang, the universe does actually collapse, and the Doctor uses saved particles from the previously collapsed universe to effectively reboot it, temporarily trapping him outside of existence.

Kardashev Scale

But could it really be possible? Could humans one day reach beyond a Kardashev scale of civilization, and command the power of the entire universe?

While we might not ever be able to command the energy of the entire universe without becoming bigger than it and spreading across multiverses, we do have the ability to control its existence. A simple reconfiguration of the Hadron Collider, or any other collider for that matter, would give us the power to destroy the entire universe!

Of course, this is theoretical. You really don’t want anyone to try to prove it!

Here’s the science. The universe has a quantum field known as the Higgs Field. This field is thought to exist at a higher energy state than can be detected – a fake vacuum. (Vacuum state is when a particle is at its lowest energy level.) We can get into this field using quantum tunneling. If we send a particle through the field that is at a lower energy level and is able to retain its energy level when it exits, it will disrupt the Higgs Field, resulting in a domino effect that explosively releases the Higgs Field’s potential energy.

This is known as Vacuum Decay.

The Higgs Field and Quantum Tunneling

The Higgs Field, underpinning the entire structure of reality, would release its energy at the speed of light, like a very fast gas explosion. It would destroy the universe, and rewrite physics in the expanding area. Eventually, after billions of years, the universe would be destroyed.

Of course, quantum tunneling is essential for nuclear fusion in stars, and so this happens all the time. The difficulty is finding a way to quantum tunnel into a Higgs Field with a particle that is able to retain the same energy state when it comes out.

I’ll leave that up to you to work out how to do it.

If you can find a way to do it, it would be like shooting a bullet into a block of dynamite. Destruction of the universe ensured.

The Plan to Destroy the Universe

So, if you’re planning to destroy the universe (or planning to write a story about the destruction of the universe) here is a summary to get you started:

Step 1. Locate the Higgs Field
Step 2. Send a particle, via quantum tunneling, through it.
Step 3. Ensure the particle comes out the other side with the same energy level
Step 4. There is no step 4. Though, you may wish to laugh maniacally in the 0.001% of a second you would have before the universe begins collapsing around you at the speed of light.

I look forward to reading your ‘terrorists take over the Hadron Collider and hold the universe to ransom’ stories!