Modeling wormhole behavior is the first step
As anybody familiar with science fiction will tell you, wormholes are the stuff of instant transport between vast regions in space. But are they possible? And if so, can we create them?
As the video below shows, we cannot travel faster than the speed of light in our own frame of reference, but if we could somehow wrap ourselves in a magnetic field (or something like it), we might be able to transport that … and carry us right along with it.
The article on the first page doesn’t really simulate a wormhole, but it does show how something inside a magnetic field may be shielded from things outside it. That may not sound important for wormhole technology … but it may be one key element in safely using them. After all, having a theory, modeling what you can and seeing if that helped prove or disprove the theory is where much science we take for granted today was simply the science fiction of yesterday.
Enjoy! …
What is a Wormhole?
by Nola Taylor Redd, SPACE.com Contributor | April 13, 2015 04:53pm ET
A wormhole is a theoretical passage through space-time that could create shortcuts for long journeys across the universe. Wormholes are predicted by the theory of relativity. But be wary: wormholes bring with them the dangers of sudden collapse, high radiation and dangerous contact with exotic matter.
Wormhole theory
In 1935, physicists Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen used the theory of general relativity to propose the existence of “bridges” through space-time. These paths, called Einstein-Rosen bridges or wormholes, connect two different points in space-time, theoretically creating a shortcut that could reduce travel time and distance.
…… Einstein’s theory of general relativity mathematically predicts the existence of wormholes, but none have been discovered to date. A negative mass wormhole might be spotted by the way its gravity affects light that passes by. …
Through the wormhole
…… The first problem is size. Primordial wormholes are predicted to exist on microscopic levels, about 10–33 centimeters. However, as the universe expands, it is possible that some may have been stretched to larger sizes.
Another problem comes from stability. The predicted Einstein-Rosen wormholes would be useless for travel because they collapse quickly. But more recent research found that a wormhole containing “exotic” matter could stay open and unchanging for longer periods of time.
…… If a wormhole contained sufficient exotic matter, whether naturally occurring or artificially added, it could theoretically be used as a method of sending information or travelers through space.
…… Today’s technology is insufficient to enlarge or stabilize wormholes, even if they could be found. However, scientists continue to explore the concept as a method of space travel with the hope that technology will eventually be able to utilize them.
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Cover Photo: A model of ‘folded’ space-time illustrates how a wormhole bridge might form with at least two mouths that are connected to a single throat or tube. Credit: edobric | Shutterstock