In Duncan Jones’ new movie Source Code, Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a military man who undergoes “time reassignment” in a mission to prevent a train bomber from pulling off an even bigger terrorist attack.

The film draws on quantum mechanics’ many worlds theory. For a Dharma Initiative-style primer on the science behind Source Code, check out this exclusive animated video that discusses “decoherence,” parallel universes, fractured timelines and the notion that “consciousness affects the behavior of subatomic particles.”

The PG-13 Source Code, director Jones’ confidently stylish follow-up to his 2009 indie sci-fi hit Moon, opens Friday.