Is a shortcut through space-time physically possible or just fiction?
In short: Wormholes are often dismissed as science fiction, but they are mathematically permitted by our best description of the universe. This video explores whether these theoretical tunnels could actually allow us to travel into the past.
While wormholes have never been observed in the actual universe, they are allowed to exist within the mathematics of General Relativity. Experts like Stephen Hawking and Kip Thorne have contributed significantly to this research. However, creating or sustaining one remains a major hurdle: there is currently no known way to produce the extreme amounts of negative energy required to keep a wormhole open.
The concept links directly to time travel because wormholes are theoretically capable of traversing space-time. While Einstein's special theory of relativity allows for travel into the future, it is the solutions found in his general theory—including those proposed by Kurt Gödel—that open the door to traveling into the past.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Wormholes Explained- We Can't Time Travel Or Can We?
- Also: Wormholes could be the key to time travel
- Also: NASA's Cosmicopia -- Ask Us - Space Physics - Wormholes, Time Travel, and Faster-Than-Speed-of-Light Theories
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