The Weiss-Manetti Prediction

By Lene Henningsen

The Weiss-Manetti Prediction. A "quantum novel" by Danish writer and poet Lene Henningsen. A condensed, poetic work on existential and political issues. A novel about Quantum physics. Time. Space. Transfer of energy. Unimaginable speeds and the development of artificial intelligence. Love and loss. Refugees. Conflict zones. Homo weddings. Women in science. The Philosopher Badiou. Ancient societies forgetting who they are. Nature lost to that oblivion.

Which direction is the world taking? And what are people doing with their lives in the meantime?

In The Weiss-Manetti Prediction, the destinies of five characters intersect each other's orbits: Wilma the quantum physicist, Vincent the businessman, Khalil the young refugee, Bibi the journalist and Miriam the artist – each facing a crucial crossroads in their lives with choices that call for something out of the ordinary.

Lene Henningsen has published several books in Danish and received literary awards for her work. Today she lives in the countryside. The shift from city life to a life in nature has accentuated the "voices of nature" in her writings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maggies Mill
• Release date: Apr 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9788797413463

Book preview

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The Weiss-Manetti Prediction

© Lene Henningsen & Maggies Mill

Translated from the Danish Weiss-Manettis forudsigelse by Rudiger Meyer

Cover art by Birgitte Thorlacius

1. ebook edition 2023, EPUB 3.0

ISBN 978-87-974134-6-3

© Lene Henningsen og Forlaget Maggies Mill

This book is protected by the Danish Copyright Law. Copying for other than personal use is only permitted by agreement with the publisher and the author.

www.maggiesmill.dk

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You’ve gotta just keep on pushing

Push the sky away

- Nick Cave

Chapter 1 - Many years later

Many years later, someone would recount the story about the waiter who picked up a hopelessly drunk guest at closing time, called for a taxi, got a reluctant body propped in on the back seat, closed the car door and watched the taxi drive away, locked the bar and walked down the street, only to meet the guest again on the first street corner, sober and energetic, talking to another person and laughing at a joke as the waiter stopped to wonder. Was it some kind of double? An illusion? Something he, due to fatigue and darkness, imagined seeing, like a dream?

Many years later, someone, probably the grandson of the waiter or some regular, would tell the story and ask around: What do you think? Who was it? What was it that happened?

Chapter 2 - In order to get a hold

In order to get a hold on the span of time that constitutes a life, or just some interval that can be grasped, a morning for example, Wilma has to, at regular intervals, let time dissolve. Not as something planned, because then it cannot be called a dissolution. It must happen precisely in moments where dissolution is possible, lies implicit in time itself, has been under way, under development, unnoticed in the background.

Stories like the one with the waiter are a great place to start. Time and the dissolution of time can easily be illustrated with a story that turns the complex paradox into something simple and tangible. Otherwise, all that’s left are mathematics and abstraction, the means that Wilma usually makes use of. Her specialty is quantum fields.

With quantum field theory, one can set time and place on an equal footing. One can move in time, hold it, stretch it out, just as one can with space. One can dissolve it, make it discrete, even make it imaginary, if that is what one desires. Or shift perspective completely; work with frequencies rather than time. Just as one can describe space with coordinates, positions, or with waves of all possible wavelengths!

It’s been a while since Wilma saw Mikkel Godtfredsen. Yesterday he’d suddenly sent a message that he would like to meet her at the Niels Bohr Institute for a chat. Saturday would be fine, i.e. today.

Wilma had no particular plans and said yes.

The institute is pretty much empty on weekends, only the half-mad or very pressed researchers would still be there toiling, probably without a clue of what day it was.

Wilma receives Mikkel at the entrance. The Niels Bohr Institute is more her territory than his, Mikkel’s base is in Oslo. She suggests that they sit down in the canteen, where they can speak undisturbed.

Mikkel turns on his computer and places it in the middle of the table so that both of them can see the screen. As it starts up, he performs a little ritual with his glasses. Takes them off, fishes a small cloth out of his pocket, polishes the lenses in small circular motions counterclockwise, all the way along the edge and finally towards the center, in concentric circles. The polishing of the glasses fills beautifully, down to the second, the time that the computer takes to boot. Wilma follows the ritual out of the corner of her eye while arranging the coffee cups in front of them.

– Thank you, says Mikkel. – Now let me get straight to the point.

He puts his glasses back in place and opens a document.

– I have encountered a problem in Alstrøm’s article, the part that studies spin chains. It’s almost three weeks since he asked me to look at it. He thought there were a few points that could be further elaborated before publication. Most of it makes sense, I even believe that we will be able to study some of the dynamic effects we talked about last time, the ones that occur when the system moves out of equilibrium. However, there is a section in which I do think something is missing…

Mikkel scrolls down to the problem and turns the computer a few degrees towards Wilma.

– I tried to calculate the next diagram in the expansion, but it diverges. When the energy moves towards zero, the expression goes towards infinity. I don’t know how to solve it. Alstrøm thinks that I can work my way up to something useful, but I’m stuck. I need someone to look at it from the outside. So, Wilma, would you take a look at it?

Somewhat puzzled, she begins to study the text. Mikkel could have sent an email, no big deal, why come all the way to Copenhagen?

Troels Alstrøm. Posts articles like some journalist. News flow and presence seem more crucial to him than the actual substance of the topics. He usually works on several projects at the same time, and he always gets people to contribute. It seems to run smoothly, a well-run business. So why this drama, this haste?

Wilma goes through the half-finished calculations, while Mikkel repeats his spectacle ritual in an abbreviated version; around three circles with the cloth this time.

– I came across something similar in the article that I’m working on together with Leo. Maybe you can use some of our calculations. I’ll find them tonight.

Mikkel smiles politely. – I’d appreciate that.

Then he sits in his own thoughts for a few moments. Wilma lets her eyes wander from window to window, the entire length of the canteen. The view varies only slightly, with similar shapes divided up a little differently. Her gaze covers over the breaks and creates a continuity; a greasy film strip of a view, and its propositions.

– Well, yes, one more thing, says Mikkel. – Do you know anything about Weiss-Manetti’s work?

Rudi Weiss and Esther Manetti, a team that one cannot avoid studying if one wants to know the slightest about quantum fields. But opinions on them are divided. Their theories are pretty extreme. Too extreme, too smart some would say. Not workable, not really material for serious reflection. What does Wilma know about Weiss-Manetti? She has stayed out of the discussion so far. Their research does not affect hers directly, but rather runs parallel to it.

Mikkel looks at her and nods, as his cheeks slowly begin to blush – yes, from what? Tension, excitement, nervousness, embarrassment, anger? Hard to pinpoint.

He slams down the computer lid with an agitated movement that corresponds to the expression on his face.

– Virtually no one knows their work anything more than superficially. They are victims of the inertia of everything, the resistance of everything.

– I suppose they are. Like so many others.

Should they now get into a heated debate for or against extremist theories about the infinity of pseuo-particles? Wilma is not that interested, especially since she lacks some fundamental knowledge regarding the W-M theories. Actually, she prefers to express a certain amount of solidarity with Mikkel’s commitment.

– I won’t rule out that this area should be considered in more detail. You’re involved, I suspect?

The glance from Mikkel is telling: Okay, this I hadn’t seen coming, but thank you for your kindness.

– Not directly. Or maybe, yes, but it’s a longer story. It doesn’t matter. Forget that I mentioned it.

Mikkel gets up and takes his jacket. He stands fumbling a little with it and the computer and the bag, like someone who believed he had three arms, but then discovers he only has two.

– Like someone who believed he had three thoughts, but discovers he only has two!…

Why did she say that now?

– What? asks Mikkel. His jacket slides down to the floor.

– I don’t know… Now it’s Wilma’s turn to get up and gain some time.

– In order to scale one’s expectations. Scale one’s worldview in relation to reality. Something like that… More on your mind you want to talk about?

– It’s a sensitive subject. Forget it.

Now Mikkel Godtfredsen could return to Oslo and be sure that Wilma wouldn’t forget Weiss-Manetti soon. That was possibly what he wished for.

Chapter 3 - The butterflies

The butterflies have