Six Dimensions and Star Trek

[circa 1991]

Question:  How do theories of six-dimensional geometry apply to time?  Is 
there any validity to the transporters they created for "Star Trek:  the Next 
Generation"?
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There are theories of the universe that involve dimensions higher 
than 3 or 4, but they usually do not have any effect on time.  These higher 
dimensions just increase the spatial dimensions, and only in a very minor way. 
Science fiction, of course, does not have to rely on the silly restrictions of 
modern physics theories.  In principle, one could build some kind of 
"transporter".  However, the only kind I can think of would be more like 
"duplicators", which would produce a second copy of the object being 
transported, rather than actually do the transporting.  This of course creates 
all sorts of philosophical problems which Star Trek has chosen not to worry 
about.

A. Smith
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A recent discovery in quantum mechanics has shown that there may 
be a sense in which "transporting" is different from just copying, so I guess 
my previous answer needs to be changed.  However, this does not have anything 
to do with the fourth dimension (or higher).  The technique is to prepare a 
pair of coupled quantum systems, then one person takes one of those quantum 
systems somewhere far away.  Next, it is then possible to make a measurement 
on the local system, transmit the result of that local measurement and 
reconstitute a new quantum system on the other side.  So, if the quantum 
mechanical properties of a person are important for keeping them alive, then 
people really cannot be duplicated; but they can (by this means) in principle 
be transported by sending enough classical information to the other side.  Of 
course, most biologists do not think quantum coherence is at all important for 
life, and therefore be possible to duplicate living things with enough 
classical information.

A Smith
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