Dr. Who had his Tardis, H.G. Wells had his Time Machine and Harry Potter well, he just used magic. But UBC Okanagan has a real-life time lord香蕉视频直播攎athematics and physics instructor Ben Tippett.
After some serious number crunching, Tippet has come up with what he says is a mathematical model for a viable time machine.
In a recently published study about the feasibility of time travel, Tippett, whose field of expertise is Einstein香蕉视频直播檚 theory of general relativity, and who studies black holes and science fiction when he香蕉视频直播檚 not teaching, used math and physics to create a formula that describes a method for time travel.
香蕉视频直播淧eople think of time travel as something fictional,香蕉视频直播� said Tippett. 香蕉视频直播淎nd we tend to think it香蕉视频直播檚 not possible because we don香蕉视频直播檛 actually do it. But, mathematically, it is possible.香蕉视频直播�
Ever since H.G. Wells published his book Time Machine in 1885, people have been curious about time travel香蕉视频直播攁nd scientists have worked to solve or disprove the theory. In 1915, Albert Einstein announced his theory of general relativity, stating that gravitational fields are caused by distortions in the fabric of space and time. More than 100 years later, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration香蕉视频直播攁n international team of physics institutes and research groups香蕉视频直播攁nnounced the detection of gravitational waves generated by colliding black holes billions of light years away, confirming Einstein香蕉视频直播檚 theory.
The division of space into three dimensions, with time in a separate dimension by itself, is incorrect, said Tippett. The four dimensions should be imagined simultaneously, where different directions are connected, as a space-time continuum. Using Einstein香蕉视频直播檚 theory, Tippett explains that the curvature of space-time accounts for the curved orbits of the planets.
In 香蕉视频直播渇lat香蕉视频直播� or uncurved space-time, planets and stars would move in straight lines. In the vicinity of a massive star, space-time geometry becomes curved and the straight trajectories of nearby planets will follow the curvature and bend around the star.
香蕉视频直播淭he time direction of the space-time surface also shows curvature. There is evidence showing the closer to a black hole we get, time moves slower,香蕉视频直播� said Tippett.
香蕉视频直播淢y model of a time machine uses the curved space-time香蕉视频直播攖o bend time into a circle for the passengers, not in a straight line. That circle takes us back in time.香蕉视频直播�
While it is possible to describe this type of time travel using a mathematical equation, Tippett doubts that anyone will ever build a machine to make it work.
香蕉视频直播淗.G. Wells popularized the term 香蕉视频直播榯ime machine香蕉视频直播� and he left people with the thought that an explorer would need a machine or special box to actually accomplish time travel,香蕉视频直播� Tippett said.
香蕉视频直播淲hile is it mathematically feasible, it is not yet possible to build a space-time machine because we need materials香蕉视频直播攚hich we call exotic matter香蕉视频直播攖o bend space-time in these impossible ways, but they have yet to be discovered.香蕉视频直播�
For his research, Tippett created a mathematical model of a Traversable Acausal Retrograde Domain in Space-time (TARDIS). He describes it as a bubble of space-time geometry which carries its contents backward and forward through space and time as it tours a large circular path. The bubble moves through space-time at speeds greater than the speed of light at times, allowing it to move backward in time.
香蕉视频直播淪tudying space-time is both fascinating and problematic. And it香蕉视频直播檚 also a fun way to use math and physics,香蕉视频直播� says Tippett. 香蕉视频直播淓xperts in my field have been exploring the possibility of mathematical time machines since 1949. And my research presents a new method for doing it.香蕉视频直播�
Tippett香蕉视频直播檚 research was recently published in the IOPscience Journal Classical and Quantum Gravity.
